Carrollton, TX Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Article 24, Section F of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, last amended by Ordinance 4261 on 05/20/25 and current through the April 2026 citywide update, governs every off-street loading berth serving a nonresidential building. The facility must sit adjacent to a public way or private service drive, and all truck maneuvering has to happen entirely on the site rather than on public streets. Loading docks are barred from occupying or encroaching on any designated fire lane, maneuvering aisle, or parking space, and if a dock or garage door is not permanently sealed, the pad in front of it cannot double as a parking space.

Design specifications in Figure 2a set the dock geometry: a large 75-foot truck needs a 12-foot-wide berth with a 58-foot apron at a 90-degree dock angle and a 75-foot total offset, while a medium 35-foot truck needs only a 25 to 32-foot apron depending on the dock angle. 4 layers on a street setback: loading areas, freight docks, truck repair bays and garage doors cannot sit closer to the right-of-way than the apron design standards specify, and where a zoning district sets its own tighter loading setback, that stricter figure controls.

Loading facilities visible from residentially zoned land must also be screened under Article 25's landscaping and buffering standards. A developer who cannot meet the standard dock depth or offset can ask the City Manager or designee for an administrative reduction, but only by submitting a maneuverability study proving trucks can still safely enter and exit. 40 requires any articulated vehicle backing to a curb loading spot to swing its tractor portion parallel to the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, as far as physically possible. Where Article 24's loading standards conflict with Chapter 53 (the Traffic Code), the more restrictive requirement applies.