Arcadia, CA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Vehicle parking and access to it must be on a permanently paved surface (§ 9103.07.050.D.2). All parking areas and driveways are paved with cement concrete, and other materials such as brick need Director approval through Site Plan and Design Review under § 9107.19. The maximum driveway width in residential zones is 20 feet for single-family zones and 25 feet for multifamily zones, and common driveways cannot exceed 30 feet. No portion of a required driveway counts toward a required parking space.

In R-M, R-0 and R-1 only one driveway is allowed per lot, or two if the lot has an approved circular driveway. A driveway cannot be less than nine feet wide, needs at least 10 feet of unobstructed vertical clearance, and cannot slope more than 10 percent. Pedestrian walkways and driveways together can occupy no more than 40 percent of the required front setback or street side setback. In R-0 and R-1, each required parking space must be in an enclosed garage located behind the required front setback, so a front-yard pad does not count, and only one driveway can lead to an enclosed garage unless it is circular.

In R-2, R-3 and R-3-R each driveway to a parking space is at least 10 feet wide, a driveway serving more than 12 required spaces or longer than 125 feet is at least 18 feet wide, and a driveway adjacent to a garage or parking space is at least 25 feet wide. Circular driveways are open to lots with street frontage of 100 feet or greater, run from nine to 15 feet wide, and sit at least 25 feet from the property line at the street right-of-way.

Section 9103.07.080 adds that all required parking areas are paved, no driveway can be built within three feet of a fire hydrant, light standard, pole, meter box or manhole, and driveway approaches in the public right-of-way are standard Portland cement concrete, six inches thick.