Bristol, PA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Bristol Borough Code § 27-704 puts the loading burden on the property, not the street. Except for residential uses in the MX Mixed Use Zoning District, each use that customarily receives or distributes goods or materials by trucks must provide off-street loading facilities sufficient to accommodate the maximum demand generated by the use, and those facilities must comply with Table 27-7-B. If Borough Council determines that a use does not customarily receive or distribute goods or materials, compliance with Table 27-7-B is not mandatory. A use not listed in the table follows the requirements for the most similar use that is listed. Table 27-7-B sets minimum berths by use group and floor area, covering multi-family dwellings, institutional, recreational and educational uses, business and professional offices, retail and consumer service uses, and industrial uses.

Subsection 2 lists the design specifications. Each off-street loading and unloading space must be at least 12 feet in width by 35 feet in length and have at least 14 feet of vertical clearance. Each space needs sufficient maneuvering room separate from other parking to eliminate traffic conflicts within loading and parking areas. Each space must be located entirely on the lot being served, and each space and all maneuvering room must be outside required buffer areas, yard areas and rights-of-way. Access to a street, service drive or alley must be adequate and unobstructed, and the facility must be arranged so it can be used without blocking automobile accessways, parking facilities, fire lanes or pedestrian ways, or backing out into a street.

Driveway openings measured at the street line have a maximum width of 35 feet and a minimum width of 20 feet. All loading and unloading spaces, maneuvering areas, driveways and entranceways must be graded, surfaced with asphalt or other suitable material and drained to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer to prevent nuisances of dust, erosion or excessive water flow across public ways and to protect adjoining property. No facility can be designed or used in a manner that constitutes a nuisance, a hazard or an unreasonable impediment to traffic, and all facilities must comply with the applicable lighting and landscaping requirements of Chapter 27.