Surry County, NC Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Surry County Code § 154.014-09 requires any zoning permit for a use that needs off-street loading space to show the location and dimensions of driveway entrances, access aisles and loading spaces before the Zoning Administrator will issue it; if compliance later lapses, the certificate of occupancy becomes void. Design standards in § 154.014-10 set minimum loading-space dimensions of 15 feet in width and 30 feet in length for buildings under 20,000 square feet of gross floor area, rising to 15 by 45 feet for buildings of 20,000 square feet or more, each with a minimum 15-foot vertical clearance.

Access aisles must be wide enough for trucks to back and turn, loading areas must be hard-surfaced, and no truck using a loading space may block a service drive, aisle, parking area or pedestrian way used for general circulation; all maneuvering must stay within the property lines. Loading area edges need curbing to keep vehicles off the public right-of-way and to control drainage onto neighboring land, and any lighting of a loading area must be shielded so it casts no light onto adjacent properties or streets.

Loading areas next to residentially zoned property need screening under § 154.015. Under § 154.014-11, the minimum number of required spaces climbs with building size: a use handling large quantities of goods needs one space between 5,000 and 20,000 square feet of floor area, two between 20,001 and 80,000, and one more for every additional 45,000 square feet. Violations of these design and permitting standards fall under the general zoning enforcement provisions of § 154.005-11.