Simi Valley, CA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Retail/industrial berth size
- 12' wide x 50' long x 14' high
- Office berth size
- 11' wide x 35' long x 13' high
- Loading door rule
- Cannot open toward public street
- Location
- Rear or side lot areas only
- Turning radius, retail/industrial
- 45 feet
Summary
Every new or altered commercial, industrial and restaurant use in Simi Valley must maintain permanent off-street loading spaces sized to Table 3-6. Loading doors cannot face public streets and trucks cannot back into the street or use a public right-of-way to reach a dock.
A.Standards. Every use hereafter inaugurated, and every structure hereafter erected or altered, shall have permanently maintained off-street loading and unloading spaces...D.Location of loading facilities. Required loading facilities shall be located on the same site they are designed to serve.1.Required loading facilities shall not be located in any required setback areas.2.Loading areas and docks shall be allowed only in rear and side lot areas.3.Loading doors shall not open toward public streets....5.Loading spaces shall be located and designed so that trucks shall not back into a public street or alley nor shall a loading area be designed to require the use of a public right-of-way for access to a loading dock.6.No part of an alley or street shall be used for loading, except areas designated by the City for loading.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
100(A) requires every use hereafter inaugurated, and every structure hereafter erected or altered, to permanently maintain off-street loading and unloading spaces. Table 3-6 sets the minimum count by floor area and use: restaurants and eating places under 4,000 square feet need none, 4,000 to 20,000 square feet need one space, 20,001 to 50,000 square feet need two, and larger restaurants add one more space per additional 50,000 square feet. Offices, hotels, hospitals and similar uses follow a parallel 10,000/100,000/200,000-square-foot ladder, while warehouses, manufacturing and retail follow a 5,000/30,000/80,000/150,000-square-foot ladder.
Table 3-7 sets minimum dimensions: retail and industrial berths must be 12 feet wide, 50 feet long, 14 feet high, with a 45-foot turning radius, while office commercial berths are 11 feet wide, 35 feet long, 13 feet high, with a 40-foot turning radius. 100(D) confines loading facilities to rear and side lot areas, bars loading doors from opening toward public streets, requires on-site space for trucks to turn and maneuver, and prohibits designs that force trucks to back into a public street or alley or that require use of the public right-of-way to reach a dock.
No street or alley area may be used for loading except areas the City has specifically designated, and no space may be counted as both a required parking space and a required loading berth. Uses not listed in Table 3-6 are sized by the Director based on comparable uses.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required permanently maintained loading spaces, or loading in the public right-of-way or a non-designated alley or street area, is enforced as a Development Code violation under Chapter 9-78 (Enforcement of Development Code Provisions), which can include a stop-work order or denial of occupancy until the required loading facilities are installed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a restaurant loading dock face the street in Simi Valley?
How many loading spaces does a 25,000-square-foot warehouse need?
Can delivery trucks back into the street to reach a Simi Valley loading dock?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Simi Valley
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Loading Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle loading zones.