RALEIGH — Most North Carolina local governments will lose the authority to require a minimum number of off-street parking spaces beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
Session Law 2026-39, enacted in July, amends state development law to bar noncoastal local governments from requiring an off-street parking lot to meet a minimum number of spaces per development or structure, regardless of occupancy or use.
The change reaches existing rules as well as future ordinances. Minimum-parking standards already on the books in affected jurisdictions cannot be enforced after the effective date, according to a Sept. 18 analysis by the UNC School of Government.
The law includes a coastal carve-out. Counties and municipalities covered by the Coastal Area Management Act may continue imposing minimum off-street parking standards, although specified historic properties are exempt from those minimums.
The change does not prohibit developers and property owners from providing parking. Tenant demand, lender requirements, customer needs and investment expectations may still influence how many spaces are built.
Local governments also retain authority over matters including parking location, setbacks, landscaping and design standards where parking is provided. Parking maximums, on-street parking rules and federal and state accessible-parking requirements also remain in place.
Property owners may be able to redevelop land previously used for parking, subject to other development regulations. Projects approved through a special-use permit or conditional zoning may need a site-plan amendment before adding development to an existing lot.
Featured image: The North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh. File photograph. Credit: Jmturner/Wikimedia Commons, public domain.