Warren, MI Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

31 requires any building 'erected and occupied for manufacturing, storage, warehouse goods display, department store, wholesale store, market hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning, or other uses similarly involving the receipt or distribution of vehicles or materials or merchandise' to provide and maintain on-site loading and unloading space, so trucks don't block streets or alleys during deliveries. Each loading space must measure at least 10 feet by 25 feet (250 square feet) with a minimum 14 feet of vertical clearance for truck access. The loading dock approach itself must be paved with an asphaltic or portland cement binder, giving it a permanent, durable, dustless surface rather than gravel or dirt.

The number of spaces scales with building size: one loading space is required for every 20,000 square feet of building floor or land use beyond the first 3,000 square feet devoted to a covered use. 32(a) makes clear that a loading space can't double as required off-street parking; the two are calculated and provided separately, so a site with both a warehouse and customer parking needs to meet the loading standard in addition to, not instead of, its parking count. Because loading space is tied to the building permit process for these commercial and industrial uses, an applicant's site plan has to show the loading area's location, dimensions, and paved surface before the city approves a permit for a qualifying use.