Merced County's Unified Development Ordinance requires off-street loading for commercial, mixed-use, and industrial uses. Under Section 18.38.210, such facilities must provide sufficient on-site maneuvering and loading areas per Table 3-14. Where a parcel abuts an alley, loading spaces must adjoin or be accessed directly from the alley.
Off-street loading in unincorporated Merced County is regulated by the Unified Development Ordinance (Title 18, Zoning Code), Section 18.38.210 (Off-Street Loading Requirements). Commercial, mixed-use, and industrial facilities, including hospitals, hotels, and institutional uses, must provide sufficient on-site maneuvering and loading areas. The specific number and size of required loading spaces by use type are set in Table 3-14 (Off-Street Loading Requirements). The section includes standards for loading spaces that abut an alley: when a parcel abuts an alley, loading spaces must adjoin or be accessed directly from the alley, and the length of a loading area may be measured perpendicular or parallel to the alley. For parcels 50 feet wide or less with parallel loading areas, the loading area must extend across the full width of the parcel, and the length of a loading area need not exceed 90 feet for any two spaces. These provisions ensure that delivery and freight activity for businesses is handled on private property rather than blocking county roads. The County does not establish on-street loading zones through this section; rather, on-street loading is governed by posted signs and curb markings under the California Vehicle Code, while Section 18.38.210 controls the off-street loading facilities a development must build.
A commercial, mixed-use, or industrial development that fails to provide the required off-street loading spaces or maneuvering area under Section 18.38.210 and Table 3-14 may be denied planning approval. On-street loading-zone violations (such as parking in a posted yellow or white loading zone) are enforced under the Vehicle Code and the County parking bail schedule.
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See how Merced County's loading zones rules stack up against other locations.
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