San Jose regulates carports as part of off-street parking under San Jose Municipal Code Chapter 20.90 (Parking and Loading), with the citywide parking minimum repealed by the Council on December 6, 2022 and effective April 10, 2023. Carports built as accessory structures are still permitted but no longer mandated, and the standard 90-degree parking stall under Table 20-220 is 9 feet wide by 18 feet long.
Under SJMC §20.90.220 and Table 20-220, any carport stall must meet the same dimensional standards as an enclosed parking space: 9' x 18' for a 90-degree stall, 8.5' x 18.7' for a 45-degree stall, and 8' x 22' for a parallel stall, with a 26-foot two-way aisle. Building a new carport or converting one requires a building permit through the Development Services Permit Center, and on residential lots the structure must comply with the underlying residential zoning district's setback and lot-coverage standards in SJMC Chapter 20.30 (e.g., 20-foot front setback in R-1-8 and R-1-5 zones). Where a carport is demolished or converted as part of an ADU project under SJMC §20.30.150, San Jose follows California Government Code §65852.2 and does not require the displaced parking space to be replaced.
Building a carport without the required building permit, or one that fails to meet the zoning setbacks in SJMC Chapter 20.30, is a violation enforced by the Code Enforcement Division and can result in a Notice of Violation, mandatory permit-after-the-fact fees, and administrative citations escalating from approximately $100 for a first offense to $200 and $500 for second and subsequent violations under SJMC Chapter 1.08, plus orders to remove unpermitted construction.
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