There shall be provided, at the time of erection of any building, or at the time any principal building is enlarged or increased in capacity by adding dwelling units, guestrooms, seats or floor area, or before conversion from one type of use or occupancy to another, permanent offstreet parking space in the amount specified by this section. Such parking space may be provided in a parking garage or properly graded open space. Parking requirements for any use not specifically listed or implied shall be set by the board of adjustment.

1600.01 Certification of minimum parking requirements. Each application for a certificate of zoning compliance, building permit or certificate of occupancy submitted to the zoning administrator as provided for in section 503 shall include information as to the location and dimensions of offstreet parking and loading space and the means of ingress and egress to such space. This information shall be in sufficient detail to enable the zoning administrator to determine whether or not the requirements of this section are met.

1600.02 Combination of required parking space. The required parking space for any number of separate uses may be combined in one lot but the required space assigned to one use may not be assigned to another use, except that one-half of the parking space required for theaters, or assembly halls whose peak attendance will be at night or on Sundays may be assigned to a use which will be closed at night or on Sundays.

1600.03 Remote parking space. If the offstreet parking space required by this ordinance in any district except a residential district cannot be reasonably provided on the same lot on which the principal use is located, such space may be provided on any land within 400 feet of the main entrance to such principal use. Churches in existence on present site at the effective date of this ordinance may provide offstreet parking within 600 feet of main entrance for present or future parking needs and in any zone. Said land shall be used for no other purpose so long as no other adequate provisions of parking space meeting the requirements of this ordinance have been made for the principal use. In such cases, the applicant for a permit for the principal use shall submit with his application for a building permit an instrument duly executed and acknowledged, which subjects said land to parking use in connection with the principal use for which it is made available. The applicant shall deposit the necessary fee and upon the issuance of a building permit, the zoning administrator shall cause said instrument to be registered in the office of the register of deeds. Any offstreet parking space appurtenant to any use permitted in any residential district shall be provided on the same lot with the use to which it is appurtenant. Remote offstreet parking space in conjunction with uses in other districts shall not be permitted in a residential district, except for remote church parking as provided above. A remote parking lot operated in connection with a business or industrial use may be located in an office and institutional zone on a lot which adjoins a business or industrial zone by a street or alley, provided, however, such lot shall have frontage on the same street as the adjoining property in such business or industrial zone; provided, further, no portion of such lot located more than 200 feet from a business or industrial zone shall be used for such purpose.

1600.04 Minimum parking requirements. The number of offstreet parking spaces required by this section shall be provided on the same lot with the principal use except as provided in subsection 1600.03 of this section and the required number of offstreet parking spaces specified for each use shall be considered as the absolute minimum. In addition a developer shall evaluate his own needs to determine if they are greater than the minimum specified by this ordinance.

Where parking spaces for five or more automobiles are permitted or required, the following provisions shall be complied with:

1601.01 Yards. All offstreet parking lots shall observe a minimum front yard of not less than five feet and side yard on a corner lot of not less than five feet. Parking lots in residential and office and institutional districts shall have front yards of not less than 15 feet and side and rear yards of not less than five feet.

1601.02 Landscaping. The required yards shall be set off from the parking area by a curb or bumper not less than six inches or more than two feet high, and such yards shall be planted and maintained in lawn or other appropriate planting, or shall be improved otherwise in keeping with the character of adjacent property, and when adjacent to residential property, natural planting, hedge, or a decorative fence to a height of at least six feet shall screen the residential property.

1601.03 Lighting. Any lighting shall be so arranged as to direct the light and glare away from streets and adjacent property.

1601.04 Surfacing. All parking lots shall be graded and surfaced with compacted gravel, blacktop, concrete or other such surfacing material to insure a dustless surface condition.

1601.05 Drainage. Parking lots shall not drain onto or across public sidewalks, or into adjacent property except into a natural watercourse or a drainage easement.

1601.06 Markings. Each parking stall shall be marked off and maintained so as to be distinguishable.

1601.07 Separation of bumper and walkways. In the event any parking stall abuts upon a walkway there shall be a space of 3½ feet between the wheel bumper or curb and the edge of the walkway.

1601.08 Entrance and exits. On all corner lots, all vehicular openings shall be located at least 20 feet from the point of intersection of the established street right-of-way lines. No entrance or exit, whether on a corner lot or not, shall exceed 30 feet in width at the property line or 40 feet at the curb line. There shall be a minimum distance between driveways of 25 feet measured along the curb line unless such driveways are less than five feet apart.

1601.09 Internal circulation. Sufficient area shall be provided within the property lines of the parking lot, exclusive of required yards, so that all vehicles may enter and leave the lot in a forward motion.

Where offstreet loading space is required under the district regulations of a particular district, one or more loading berths or other space shall be provided for standing, loading and unloading operations either inside or outside a building and on the same or adjoining premises with every building or structure erected after the enactment of this ordinance; all to be in accordance with the requirements of the following table. A loading berth shall have minimum plan dimensions of 12 feet by 25 feet and 14 feet overhead clearance. A loading space need not be necessarily a full berth but shall be sufficient to allow normal loading and unloading operations of a kind and magnitude appropriate to the property served thereby. The zoning administrator shall determine the sufficiency of loading space, but in no case shall the use of such space hinder the free movement of vehicles and pedestrians over a street, sidewalk or alley.

New thoroughfares as hereafter delineated and adopted by the Halifax board of county commissioners and the North Carolina department of transportation shall have the following setback requirements:

Major thoroughfares—85 feet from centerline.

Minor thoroughfares—75 feet from centerline.

Local streets—60 feet from centerline.