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

Sec. 13-613(a) of the Land Development Code requires any development whose normal operation involves routine delivery or shipment of goods, merchandise, or equipment to provide a sufficient off-street loading and unloading area to handle that traffic safely and conveniently. Table 13-613 sets a presumptive number of spaces by land use: offices, financial institutions and hotels or motels get one space for the first 75,000 square feet of gross floor area and one more per additional 25,000 square feet; commercial uses get one space per 10,000 square feet plus one per additional 20,000 square feet; industrial uses get one space per 10,000 square feet.

Sec. 13-613(b)(2) sets minimum dimensions: a bay serving trucks up to two tons must be at least twelve feet by thirty feet with fourteen feet of overhead clearance, while a bay serving trucks over two tons must be twelve feet by sixty feet with the same fourteen-foot clearance. Loading areas cannot double as required off-street parking, and required loading spaces cannot be used to store vehicles or materials. Every loading zone must carry a sign that clearly states 'no parking' in a visible location under Sec.

13-613(b)(4). Loading areas must sit on the same site as the use they serve, outside the right-of-way, and be designed so trucks can maneuver in and out without blocking a public street or a parking aisle, per Sec. 13-613(c). Property owners and occupants stay responsible for maintaining the required loading space for as long as the use needing it continues, under Sec. 13-613(e), and the space cannot be discontinued except in accordance with the chapter.