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Leon County, FL Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing sections
Sec. 10-7.547, Sec. 10-7.548
Minimum berth width
12 feet
Minimum vertical clearance
16 feet
Semitrailer berth length
60 feet minimum
Local delivery berth length
30 feet minimum
Applies to
new structures and additions only

Summary

Any unincorporated Leon County use that receives or ships materials by motor vehicle must provide dedicated off-street loading berths sized to Schedule 6-6, not shared with required parking. Industrial and commercial buildings need one to five berths by square footage, and every berth must fit a semitrailer's turning path under Sec. 10-7.547 and Sec. 10-7.548.

City-specific rules exist: Tallahassee has its own loading zones rules that differ from Leon County's county-level regulations. If you live in Tallahassee, check the city-specific page instead.

Every use requiring receipt or distribution of materials or merchandise by motor vehicles shall have one or more loading berths or other space for standing, loading and unloading on the same or adjoining premises in accordance with schedule 6-6. Loading space shall be sufficient to allow normal loading and unloading operations appropriate to the property served, and they shall not be used for storage of vehicles or materials, or to meet off-street parking requirements. ... Each required off-street loading space shall have a minimum width of 12 feet and a minimum vertical clearance of 16 feet above finished grade of the space. The length shall be a minimum of 30 feet for local delivery vehicles and 60 feet for semitrailers. A maximum of two-thirds of the required loading spaces can be used for local delivery vehicles.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12).

Full Breakdown

Sec. 547(a) requires every use in the unincorporated county that involves receipt or distribution of materials or merchandise by motor vehicle to provide one or more loading berths on the same or an adjoining premises, sized per Schedule 6-6: hotel and motel uses need one berth per 100,000 square feet of floor area (capped at five), while industrial and commercial buildings scale from one berth under 8,000 square feet up to five berths above 100,000 square feet. Loading space must be sufficient for normal loading and unloading for the property served and cannot double as vehicle or material storage, and cannot be counted toward the separate off-street parking requirement.

Sec. 547(b) applies the standard only to new structures and additions, so an existing building already lacking loading berths is not made nonconforming. Sec. 547(c) lets the county require adequate fire lanes based on the adopted fire prevention code. Sec. 548 sets the physical standards: berths must let a semitrailer truck gain access and use the space in one continuous parking maneuver, must observe the same minimum street and interior setbacks required for structures, must be surfaced in all-weather material, and cannot let a vehicle intrude on travel lanes, walkways, or adjacent public or private streets.

Each required berth must be at least 12 feet wide with 16 feet of vertical clearance, at least 30 feet long for local delivery vehicles, and at least 60 feet long for semitrailers, and no more than two-thirds of the required berths may be sized for local delivery vehicles rather than semitrailers.

Violations & Fines

These are site-plan development standards checked at permitting, not a police-enforced citation scheme: a project without the loading berths Schedule 6-6 requires, or berths that fall short of the 12-foot width, 16-foot clearance, or 30/60-foot length minimums in Sec. 10-7.548, does not get site and development plan approval. Sec. 10-7.547(c) lets the county add fire-lane requirements on top of the loading standard under the adopted fire prevention code, and Sec. 10-7.547(b) protects existing buildings from being declared nonconforming for lacking berths that postdate their construction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many loading berths does a commercial building need in unincorporated Leon County?
Schedule 6-6 under Sec. 10-7.547 scales berths to floor area: one berth under 8,000 square feet, two from 8,000 to 25,000, three from 25,000 to 50,000, four from 50,000 to 100,000, and five above 100,000 square feet.
Can a loading space also count as a parking space in Leon County?
No. Sec. 10-7.547(a) is explicit that loading space cannot be used to meet the off-street parking requirement, and it also cannot be used to store vehicles or materials.
Does an older Leon County building have to add loading berths to comply?
No. Sec. 10-7.547(b) applies the loading berth standard only to new structures and additions to structures, and it specifically states the requirement does not make an existing structure nonconforming for lacking off-street loading berths.
How big must a semitrailer loading space be under Leon County's code?
Sec. 10-7.548(5) sets a 12-foot minimum width, 16-foot vertical clearance, and 60-foot minimum length for spaces sized for semitrailers, versus 30 feet for local delivery vehicles, with local delivery spaces capped at two-thirds of the total required berths.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Leon County

All Leon County rules

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