Bothell, WA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

BMC 12.16.060 sets loading requirements by site design in the City of Bothell. It does not set delivery hours or a curb loading zone schedule.

An off-street loading space with access to a public thoroughfare is required adjacent to each business building erected or enlarged if the use entails deliveries or shipments to or from it. The space must be of adequate size for the number and size of vehicles simultaneously loaded or unloaded for the business in that building. It must be located so loading vehicles do not obstruct pedestrian or other vehicle traffic movement or project into any public right-of-way. All loading areas must be separated from required parking areas and designated as vehicle loading spaces.

Lighting comes next. Any lighting used with a loading area must be directed onto the loading area only and cannot intrude onto adjacent properties. BMC 12.16.100 adds that illumination for parking and loading areas, including security lighting, must be directed away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way, with intensity meeting the city exterior lighting standards in BMC 8.64.030.

Loading areas serving businesses next to a less intensive zone, or next to a public use area such as a street, sidewalk, park, or trail, must be landscaped as a buffer under BMC 12.16.090 and Chapter 12.18 BMC. Under BMC 12.16.090, loading areas seen from a public right-of-way are screened by landscaping that includes a berm a minimum of three feet in height or a dense hedge a minimum of three feet in height, kept clear of sight distance.

A related curb rule applies to street parking: BMC 10.30.010 bars standing or parking in front of a driveway or within five feet of a driveway entrance, except momentarily to pick up or discharge passengers.