Catawba County, NC Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Catawba County's Unified Development Ordinance requires, under Sec. 44-537, that every use requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of materials and merchandise provide one or more loading berths or other standing space for loading and unloading on the same or an adjoining premise. The space must be sufficient for normal loading and unloading operations appropriate to the property served, and the code is explicit that a required loading space cannot be used for the storage of vehicles or materials, off-street parking requirements, or conducting the principal use.

Design standards in subsection (b) set concrete dimensions: loading areas must be arranged so a semi tractor-trailer on a 50-class wheelbase, or a local delivery vehicle as appropriate, can maneuver into the space; the surface must be dustless, all-weather material kept safe, sanitary, and neat; and no loading space may intrude on or hinder use of the public right-of-way or an adjacent property. Each required space needs a minimum width of 12 feet and 16 feet of vertical clearance above finished grade, with a minimum length of 20 feet for local delivery vehicles and 60 feet for semi tractor-trailers.

Loading spaces must also meet the same minimum street and interior setbacks required for structures in the district. Loading and service areas are separately required to be screened from streets and adjoining less-intensive uses under Sec. 44-526, tying truck-dock visibility into the county's landscaping and buffering standards. These standards apply countywide to new development and, per Sec. 44-500, to any building expansion that reaches 50 percent or more of existing leasable floor area.