Spokane Valley, WA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SVMC § 22.50.030(A)
- Uses covered
- Retail, wholesale, industrial, hotel/motel, storage
- Front setback
- 60 ft minimum from front property line
- Minimum space size
- 12 ft by 30 ft
- Exception process
- Written request to city manager/designee
- Adopted
- Ord. 16-018 (2016), Ord. 17-004 (2017)
Summary
Spokane Valley requires on-site loading spaces for retail, service, wholesale, manufacturing, storage, warehousing, hotel/motel and industrial buildings that receive or distribute merchandise. SVMC § 22.50.030(A) keeps loading docks at least 60 feet from the front property line, sets a 12-by-30-foot minimum size, and bars trucks from blocking required parking or landscaping.
A. Every building or part thereof occupied for retail business, service, wholesale, manufacturing, storage, warehousing, hotel/motel, industrial, or any other similar use that receives or distributes materials or merchandise shall provide loading spaces on site in accordance with the following requirements: 1. All parking, loading, and maneuvering of trucks shall be conducted on private property and shall not interfere with off-street parking spaces or landscaping. 2. Loading spaces shall be located a minimum of 60 feet from any front property line. The city manager or designee may allow exceptions when the applicant makes a written request demonstrating conditions that prohibit compliance with this requirement. 3. The minimum dimensions of off-street loading spaces shall be 12 feet wide by 30 feet long. 4. Required off-street parking spaces shall not be allowed within the truck dock apron space.
Full Breakdown
50, Off-Street Parking and Loading Standards. It applies to any building or part of one used for retail business, service, wholesale, manufacturing, storage, warehousing, hotel/motel, industrial use, or any similar use that receives or distributes materials or merchandise. All parking, loading and maneuvering of trucks must stay on private property and cannot interfere with the site's required off-street parking or landscaping. The 60-foot setback keeps loading activity away from the street and pedestrian frontage; the city manager or a designee can grant an exception only on a written request that demonstrates site conditions prohibit meeting the setback, such as an unusually narrow or shallow lot.
Each loading space must measure at least 12 feet wide by 30 feet long, sized for a standard delivery truck rather than a passenger vehicle. Subsection (A)(4) prevents a developer from double-counting: required off-street parking spaces cannot sit inside the truck dock apron space that trucks use to back into a loading bay. The section was adopted with Ord. 16-018 § 6 (Att. B) in 2016 and carried forward by Ord. 17-004 § 3 in 2017. Compliance is verified during site plan and building permit review by the City's Community and Public Works Department before a commercial or industrial project can be approved.
Violations & Fines
Loading layout is checked before a building permit issues, so most problems get resolved at plan review rather than through a citation. A site that later blocks a loading truck in the right-of-way or eliminates required parking to make room for loading is treated as a code violation under Chapter 17.100 SVMC: a notice and order, then civil penalties of $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second within three years, and $2,000 for further violations under SVMC § 17.100.250.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Spokane Valley businesses must provide loading spaces?
How close to the street can a loading dock sit?
What size does a loading space have to be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane Valley
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