Bensalem, PA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Section 201-112, adopted as part of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance's Article VI parking facilities standards, requires in subsection (i) that all residential motor vehicle parking areas and driveways be paved, while nonresidential parking areas and access driveways must be both paved and curbed. The paving duty sits among a set of companion design rules in the same section: subsection (d) requires a planting strip averaging ten feet wide, seven feet at minimum, between a parking area and the nearest building wall; subsection (h) sets a 15-foot setback from the future right-of-way and all property lines for parking areas outside entrance and exit drives; and subsection (a) ties the underlying parking requirement itself back to the Township Zoning Ordinance.

Subsection (e) requires dead-end parking areas to include enough back-up space for end stalls, and subsection (k) requires every parking area's layout to permit safe, efficient internal circulation under accepted traffic engineering standards. These paving and design standards apply when a lot is subdivided or developed, meaning they govern new residential driveways and parking areas built as part of a subdivision or land development plan reviewed by the Township Planning Commission and Bensalem Township Council.