Hoover, AL Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Van loading space
- 14 ft wide by 40 ft long minimum
- Tractor-trailer space
- 14 ft wide by 60 ft long minimum
- Minimum clear height
- 15 feet
- Access design
- Planning Commission approval required
- Loading surface
- must be paved and graded
- General parking space
- 9 ft by 20 ft minimum
Summary
Any Hoover building that receives or dispatches vehicles for business must set aside a paved, graded loading space at least 14 feet wide with 15 feet of clearance, sized 40 feet long for vans or 60 feet for tractor-trailers, and the Planning Commission signs off on its driveway access and drainage design.
§11.03.01 Required loading space. On the same premises with every building or structure involving the receipt or dispatch of vehicles as a necessity for, or incidental to, the operation, or use of the building, there shall be provided and maintained adequate space for standing, loading and unloading services, in order to avoid undue interference with public use of streets, or alleys. Each such space shall have a minimum clear height of 15 feet and shall be a minimum of 14 feet wide by 40 feet long, where vans are to be received, or a minimum of 14 feet wide by 60 feet long, where tractors and semitrailers are to be received. §11.03.02 Loading area site arrangement. All loading areas shall be provided with safe entrance to and exit from the public thoroughfare. The Planning Commission shall approve the design and construction of loading areas in the interests of safety, adequate drainage and other public requirements. The entire loading area shall be paved and graded to properly drain.
Full Breakdown
01 requires "adequate space for standing, loading and unloading services" on the same premises as any building or structure that involves "the receipt or dispatch of vehicles as a necessity for, or incidental to, the operation, or use of the building," specifically so trucks don't spill onto public streets or alleys. Each loading space needs a minimum clear height of 15 feet and must measure at least 14 feet wide by 40 feet long where delivery vans are expected, growing to 14 feet wide by 60 feet long wherever tractors and semitrailers will load.
02, the entire loading area must have a safe entrance and exit onto the public thoroughfare, and the Planning Commission reviews and approves the design and construction of that access for safety, drainage and other public requirements before it's built; the loading surface itself must be paved and graded to drain properly. 5 by 18 feet in a parking structure not serving retail, up to 10% of a retail structure's spaces at that smaller size), and off-street parking for nonresidential uses can't be entered or exited directly from a public street or alley, keeping vehicle movement channeled through the same reviewed access points that serve the loading area.
Violations & Fines
Failing to provide the required loading space, or building or using one without Planning Commission approval of its access and drainage design, is enforced as a zoning violation under §2.01.06: a fine of $1 to $500, up to six months' imprisonment for the city, or both, with each day of the violation treated as a separate offense. The Building Official can also withhold a building permit or certificate of occupancy until the loading area meets the §11.03 dimensions and drainage requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big does a loading space have to be for a delivery van?
Does every commercial building in Hoover need a loading space?
Who approves the driveway into a loading area?
Does the loading area have to be paved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hoover
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Loading Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle loading zones.