Orem, UT Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Section 22-14-11 of the Orem City Code, Off-street loading and unloading, requires that every establishment receiving and/or delivering goods or materials by automobile or truck provide at least one off-street loading space on site. The requirement scales with building size: for each twenty thousand (20,000) square feet of floor space in a retail, wholesale, warehouse, or manufacturing establishment, the code adds one more required loading space, so a large distribution or big-box building must plan for multiple bays rather than a single dock. Each loading space has minimum dimensions set directly in the code: not less than ten feet (10') in width, twenty-five feet (25') in length, and fourteen feet (14') in height, dimensions sized for a standard delivery truck to maneuver and clear the overhead space without striking a canopy or door header.

The loading area must sit on the same lot as the use it serves and is allowed to occupy any side or rear yard on that lot, which lets businesses tuck loading docks away from the street frontage rather than forcing them into the front yard. These standards date to the 1990 code revision (Ord. No. 661) and were carried forward through the 2001 amendment (Ord. No. O-01-0021) without substantive change to the space count or dimensions. Because the loading requirement is tied to floor area rather than to a specific commercial or industrial zone, it applies citywide to any qualifying retail, wholesale, warehouse, or manufacturing use, and it is reviewed as part of site plan approval alongside the separate off-street parking standards in Article 22-15.