Royal Oak Township, MI Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Section 32-692 of the Royal Oak Charter Township Code applies to buildings erected and occupied for manufacturing, storage, warehousing, and the display and sale of goods, including department stores, wholesale stores, markets, hotels, hospitals, mortuaries, laundries, dry cleaning establishments and other uses involving receipt or distribution of materials, merchandise or vehicles. A change of use triggers the loading requirement for the new use, regardless of any variance in effect before the change.

The location rule in § 32-692(b)(1) puts loading space at the rear or side of the building, screened from view from adjoining roads. Loading and unloading operations shall not interfere with vehicular traffic circulation on streets, alleys or within off-street parking areas, and loading areas shall not be placed in required fire lanes. Each space is a minimum of ten feet in width and 50 feet in length with a minimum vertical clearance of 15 feet. Loading areas are hard-surfaced with concrete or plant-mixed bituminous material, graded and drained, with plans reviewed by the building official. Storing merchandise, selling motor vehicles, storing inoperable vehicles or repairing vehicles is prohibited in a required loading space, and a required space is dedicated to loading and cannot count toward required parking.

Central loading can replace individual spaces for businesses on separate lots if each business has direct access to the central area without crossing a public street or alley, the total meets the minimum, and no building served is more than 300 feet away. The schedule starts at 5,001 to 20,000 square feet of gross floor area with 1 space. At 20,001 to 100,000 it is 1 space plus 1 for each 20,000 square feet in excess of 20,001. At 100,001 and over it is 5 spaces plus 1 for each 50,000 square feet in excess of 100,001. Establishments under 5,000 square feet provide adequate dedicated off-street loading space that does not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The planning commission can modify the minimums in a planned development district, and the zoning board of appeals can reduce them elsewhere.

The hours rule sits in the noise standards. Section 32-791(b)(2)b prohibits loading and unloading, opening, closing or other handling of boxes, crates, containers, building materials, garbage cans or similar objects between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in a manner that causes a noise disturbance across a residential district boundary or within a noise sensitive zone.