Washington County, UT Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 10-17-7, Chapter 17
- Covered uses
- Manufacturing, warehouse, retail, hotel, hospital
- Rule
- Loading space required, separate from parking count
- No fixed hours
- Loading hours not set by ordinance
- Adopted
- Ord. 2001-815-O, 12-17-2001
- Penalty
- $250/day civil fine after cure notice
Summary
Any Washington County building used for manufacturing, warehousing, retail display, a hotel or a hospital, or another use that receives or ships goods by vehicle, must provide adequate on-site loading and unloading space under § 10-17-7, and that space can never be credited toward the separate off-street parking count required in Chapter 16.
On the same premises with every building, structure or part thereof, erected and occupied or increased in capacity after the effective date hereof, for manufacturing, storage, warehouse, goods display, department store, grocery store, hotel, hospital, or any similar use involving the receipt or distribution by vehicle of materials or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the lot, adequate space for standing, loading and unloading services in order to avoid undue interference with public use of streets or alleys. In no case shall required loading and unloading spaces be part of that area used to satisfy the parking requirement.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
Washington County's off-street loading standard sits in Title 10, Chapter 17, 'Motor Vehicle Access and Loading,' a separate chapter from the general off-street parking rules in Chapter 16. Section 10-17-7 applies to any building erected, enlarged, or put to increased use for manufacturing, storage, a warehouse, goods display, a department store, a grocery store, a hotel, or a hospital, or any similar use that receives or ships materials by vehicle. It requires the owner to provide and maintain adequate on-site space for standing, loading and unloading so trucks don't spill into public streets or alleys, and the code draws a firm line against double-counting: a loading space can never be credited toward the separate off-street parking spaces required under Chapter 16.
The ordinance does not fix loading hours or a minimum number or dimension of loading berths; those specifics are worked out during site-plan review by the planning commission. What the code locks in is that loading space must exist and must be functionally separate from parking. The same chapter regulates what typically sits beside a loading dock: § 10-17-8 requires nonresidential lot lighting to be aimed away from adjoining residential uses and street traffic, and § 10-17-9 requires any central garbage-collection area serving the site to be screened from street view and kept clean and sanitary, both common companions to a commercial loading area.
Violations & Fines
A property that fails to provide the loading space Chapter 17 requires, or that lets loading activity block a public street or alley, is enforced the same way as any Title 10 zoning violation under § 10-1-22: a written warning starts a ten-business-day cure period, and an uncorrected violation draws a $250-per-day civil penalty plus a Notice of Fine recorded against the property. The county can also pursue a class B misdemeanor citation, with a fine up to the statutory maximum, and each additional day counted as a new offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Washington County business have to provide a separate loading dock?
Are there set hours when trucks can load or unload in the county?
What happens if a business ignores the loading space requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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