Denham Springs City Zoning Code

No land shall be used or occupied and no structure shall be erected or used unless the off-street parking spaces required herein are provided. Such parking spaces are not required for any structure or use existing at the time of enactment of this ordinance; however, the parking spaces as specified herein shall be provided for any enlargement or structural alteration to any such existing structure or use.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

4.02.1 For any off-street parking or loading facility required by this ordinance, a layout plan showing entrances, drives and parking stalls shall be submitted to and approved by the building official before a building permit is issued.

4.02.2 Off-street parking facilities for one family and multi-family dwellings shall be located on the same lot or plot of ground as the building to be served.

4.02.3 Parking requirements for two or more uses of the same or different type may be satisfied by the allocation of a common or collective parking facility. Such facility shall not be less than the same requirements for the individual uses computed separately.

When a use is increased in size or capacity by the addition of floor are, seating, or number of rooms, etc., off-street parking shall be increased accordingly.

Unless stated otherwise, square footage requirements include the calculation of total floor area or gross floor area (G.F.A.) of the building, less garages, carports, and open porches/decks.

4.02.4 Area reserved for off-street parking or loading in accordance with the provisions of this section shall not be reduced in area or changed to any other use unless the permitted use which it services is discontinued or modified, except where equivalent off-street parking or loading space is provided.

4.02.5 Parking spaces shall not be laid out in such a way that vehicles must back out of them directly into traffic on collector, arterial or major streets.

4.02.6 "Piggy back" parking (one space directly behind and blocking another space) shall not be allowed except for single family housing, townhouses, and duplexes.

4.02.7 Parking lots shall be permanently maintained, including landscaping, if applicable.

4.02.8 The side yards of commercial and industrial lots shall not be used for parking when such side yards abutt upon residential districts.

Parking lots in commercial or industrial districts when abutting on a residential district and not separated by a public street shall have a wall or fence of solid appearance or tight evergreen hedge having a height of not less than six feet shall be erected and maintained between such area and the property in the residential district.

4.02.9 Any light used to illuminate parking lots shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises and abutting streets and so shielded as to cast no direct light upon adjacent residential property.

4.02.10 Wreckers, buses for hire (excluding school buses used primarily for transporting school children), or trucks or semitrailers with more than two axles or with a payload capacity in excess of 2,000 pounds are prohibited from parking on, in or adjacent to any lot in R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential districts, as well as commercial zoned districts where the principal and predominant use is residential.

4.02.11 For uses not mentioned in tables 1A and 1B, the requirements for off-street parking and loading facilities for a similar use, specifically mentioned in these tables, shall apply and be determined by the building official.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

Parking space is an area on a lot of sufficient size to store one vehicle. This space shall not (except as hereafter noted) be less than nine feet in width and 20 feet in length.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

If automobile off-street parking space cannot be reasonably provided on the same lot on which the principal use is conducted, required parking space may be provided on other off-street property if such space lies within 300 feet of the main building. The zoning classification of such land shall be the same or less restrictive than the classification of the lot upon which the main use is located.

Such parking space(s) shall be established by a recorded covenant or agreement as parking space(s) to be used in conjunction with the principal use and shall be reserved as such through an encumbrance on the title.

Such an encumbrance of the title of the property shall be designated as a required parking space, and to be valid for the total period of the use or uses for which the parking needs are in existence. Such agreement or covenant shall be duly recorded in the office of the clerk of court of Livingston Parish and a certified copy furnished to the building official.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

In laying out a parking lot, the owner or developer shall use as a guide and substantially conform with the generally accepted engineering or architectural geometric standards or at a minimum in accordance with table 1B. In no case can parking spaces be closer than five feet from any public right-of-way used as a street. Also parking spaces on corner lots are governed by the same obstruction to vision requirements as defined in section 2.06. In no case shall there be a parking space less than the dimensions as defined in section 4.03.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

4.06.1 No land shall be used or occupied and no structure shall be erected or structurally altered for commercial or industrial uses in which commodities are sold, displayed, stored, serviced, repaired, altered, or fabricated as the principal use of the establishment unless off-street loading spaces required herein are provided. Such loading spaces, however, are not required for any commercial or industrial structure or use existing at the time of the enactment of this ordinance unless such structure or use is enlarged or structurally altered.

4.06.2 The off-street loading spaces required by this ordinance shall be located in all cases on the same lot or parcel of land as the use or structure they are intended to serve. In no case should any required loading space be part of an area used to satisfy off-street parking requirements of this ordinance.

4.06.3 Off-street loading space shall be provided in connection with any use which requires the receipt or distribution of materials by truck. Where noise from such loading space is audible in a residential district, the activity shall terminate between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

4.06.4 In addition to the off-street parking requirements all retail trade, and wholesale markets, warehouses, supply houses, wholesale and manufacturing, hotels, hospitals, laundry and dry cleaning establishments, and other places where large amounts of goods are received and shipped shall have:

For buildings of 10,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area (G.F.A.), one off-street loading space plus one additional space for each 40,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area, (12′ wide, 14′ high, 60′ long). No encroachment on public right-of-way permitted.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

Off-street parking requirements are shown in section 2.06.

(Ord. of 7-23-90)

4.08.1 Trailers, containers, recreational vehicles and mobile home sales. Trailers, shipping containers, temporary storage units (PODS), travel trailers, mobile homes and recreational vehicles placed on lots properly zoned and used for sale purposes, shall be placed on such lots in a manner that a ten-foot separation exists between parallel and adjacent units. Furthermore, all trailers, shipping containers, temporary storage units, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, and mobile homes shall front on an adequate driveway at least 24 feet in width for the purpose of moving in and moving out units. No trailer, shipping container, temporary storage unit, travel trailer, recreational vehicle or mobile home etc., shall be placed closer than five feet from any street right-of-way line. Placement of trailers, shipping containers, temporary storage units, travel trailers, recreational vehicles and mobile homes etc., at street intersections are governed by the obstruction of vision requirements of section 2.06.

A permanent, stand alone structure is required to be used as a business or sales office. Said business or sales office must be located on the same property where the trailer, shipping container, temporary storage unit, travel trailer, recreational vehicle or mobile home sales inventory is located.

No parking of any sales inventory or customer parking on any dedicated green space.

4.08.2. New and used automobile sale yards.

A.

Used automobile defined. As used in this ordinance, means any used or second-hand motor vehicle to which a certificate of title and license plate has been issued and which motor vehicle has been registered for use on the highways by a consumer or by a dealer.

B.

Used automobile dealer defined. Means a person who brokers, deals, or engages in the purchase, sale, lease, or exchange of five or more used automobiles within a 12-month period or four or more used automobiles at any one point in time.

C.

Used automobile sale yard defined. Means any place where used automobiles are displayed and offered for purchase, sale, lease or exchange in the open by a Used Automobile Dealer.

D.

Automobiles and trucks placed on lots properly zoned and used for sales purposes, shall be placed on such lots in a manner that a three-foot separation exists between parallel and adjacent units.

E.

Vehicles cannot be parked piggy-back more than three cars in a row and that access to each such row is provided by two adequate driveways at least 24 feet in width for the purpose of moving in and moving out vehicles.

F.

No vehicle shall be placed closer than five feet from any street right-of-way line. Placement of vehicles at street intersections are governed by the obstruction of vision requirements of section 2.06.

G.

Parking lot for automobile sales inventory shall be covered by pavement or concrete.

H.

Parking spaces for sales inventory shall not be less than nine feet by twenty (20) feet for each automobile for sale.

I.

Parking spaces for customer use shall be used for customer parking only and shall not be used for the open storage of goods, the storage of automobiles for sale, the storage of inoperable vehicles, or for repair work or servicing of any kind other than in an emergency.

J.

No parking of any automobile sales inventory or customer parking on any dedicated green space.

(Ord. of 7-23-90; Ord. No. 13-24, art. I, 12-19-13; Ord. No. 14-05, art. I, 5-27-14)