Madera, CA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Building of 5,000+ sq ft, built after 8-4-1978
- Additional spaces
- One more per additional 20,000 sq ft
- Minimum space size
- 10 ft wide, 35 ft long, 14 ft high
- Buffer from R zones
- 50 feet, unless enclosed or 8-ft wall
- Applies in
- Any zone, not just commercial districts
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 10-3.1603(A)
Summary
Madera requires at least one off-street loading space for any building of 5,000 square feet or more built on or after August 4, 1978, plus one more for every additional 20,000 square feet, under Madera Municipal Code § 10-3.1207(L). Each space must be at least 10 feet wide, 35 feet long, and 14 feet high.
(L) Loading spaces. (1) In any zone, in connection with every building, or part thereof, erected on, or after, August 4, 1978, having a floor area of 5,000 square feet or more, which building is to be occupied by manufacturing, storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale storage, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning, or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same parcel with such building at least one off-street loading space, plus one additional loading space for each additional 20,000 square feet, or fraction thereof, of gross floor area. (2) Each loading space shall be not less than ten feet in width, 35 feet in length, and 14 feet in height. (3) No such space shall be located closer than 50 feet to any parcel in any R zone, unless wholly within a completely enclosed building, or unless screened by a solid wall not less than eight feet in height.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2024 S-50: Current through Ordinance 1010 C.S., passed 6-5-24).
Full Breakdown
1207(L) sets Madera's off-street loading requirement inside the parking chapter of Title X, and it applies in any zone, not just commercial or industrial districts. Paragraph (1) triggers the requirement for buildings erected on or after August 4, 1978 with 5,000 square feet or more of floor area that are occupied by manufacturing, storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale storage, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, or dry cleaning uses, or any similar use that receives or distributes material or merchandise by vehicle. The building must provide and maintain at least one off-street loading space on the same parcel, plus one additional space for every additional 20,000 square feet, or fraction of it, of gross floor area.
Paragraph (2) sets a minimum size for each space: not less than ten feet wide, 35 feet long, and 14 feet high, dimensions built around a standard delivery truck rather than a passenger car. Paragraph (3) protects nearby homes: no loading space may sit closer than 50 feet to any parcel in an R zone unless it is wholly inside an enclosed building or screened by a solid wall at least eight feet high. in 1986.
Violations & Fines
Failing to provide the required off-street loading space, or building one that is undersized or too close to an R zone, is a zoning chapter violation. Madera Municipal Code § 10-3.1603(A) makes violating any zoning chapter provision a misdemeanor, and the Planning Director can refuse or void a building permit issued for a project that does not comply, under § 10-3.1602(A).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every retail store need a loading dock?
How many loading spaces does a large warehouse need?
Can a loading space sit right next to my backyard if I'm in an R zone?
How big must each loading space be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera
California rules heatmap·Compare Madera to another location·View the California parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.