The short answer
California, Washington and Florida have each written a parking rule for apartment sites into state law. California's Gov. Code 65863.2 (AB 2097) bars minimum parking within one-half mile of a major transit stop, effective January 1, 2023 [1, 2]. Washington's ESSB 5184, as passed by the Legislature, caps what a city or county may require at 0.5 spaces per multifamily unit and sets no minimum at all for residences under 1,200 SF, affordable housing or senior housing [3]. Florida's Live Local Act, as amended by SB 1730 in 2025, gives by-right affordable multifamily on commercial land a parking cut of 15 percent or more [4]. Texas SB 840, effective September 1, 2025, works on use and density: it makes multifamily a by-right use on commercial land at 36 units per acre minimum, higher where the city allows more [5, 6].
Cities moved first. Buffalo was the first major U.S. city to abolish parking minimums, in 2017, and Austin repealed minimums for all uses citywide in 2023 [7, 8]. Where no state law reaches a site, the count still comes from the city or county code. For North Carolina's state rules on apartment sites, see multifamily site plans in North Carolina.
The state laws, side by side
One row per adopted state law that changes a multifamily site plan.
| State | Law and dates | What it changes on the site plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Gov. Code 65863.2 (AB 2097), signed September 22, 2022 and effective January 1, 2023; AB 2553, signed September 19, 2024, widened the "major transit stop" definition | No minimum parking within one-half mile of a major transit stop | [1, 2, 9] |
| Washington | ESSB 5184 (2025), as passed by the Legislature; the Parking Reform Network lists adoption on July 27, 2025 | Required parking capped at 0.5 per multifamily unit, 1 per single-family home and 2 per 1,000 SF of commercial space; no minimum for the uses listed below | [3, 10, 11] |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. 166.04151(7), the Live Local Act (2023), amended by SB 328 (2024) and SB 1730 (2025) | By-right affordable multifamily on commercial land; required parking cut 15% or more | [4] |
| Texas | SB 840, effective September 1, 2025, with SB 2477 | By-right multifamily on commercial land; 36 units per acre minimum, higher where the city allows more; 45 ft height floor; no required ground-floor commercial in mixed-use zones | [5, 6] |
California: no minimum near a major transit stop
Gov. Code 65863.2 took effect on January 1, 2023, after AB 2097 was signed on September 22, 2022, and it bars minimum parking requirements within one-half mile of a major transit stop [1, 2]. AB 2553, signed September 19, 2024, expanded the definition of the "major transit stop" from which that half mile is measured (secondary summary) [9].
The law leaves some parking in place. Findings to impose parking near transit must be made in writing within 30 days [1, 12]. The law does not override EV-charging or accessible-space requirements (Gov. Code 65863.2(f) and (i)) [1, 12]. A project can still provide parking voluntarily [13].
The wider state rules are on the California site plan page, with metro detail for Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, San Diego and Sacramento.
Washington: a ceiling on apartment parking
ESSB 5184, as passed by the Legislature, limits what cities, code cities and counties may require: no more than 0.5 spaces per multifamily unit, 1 per single-family home, or 2 per 1,000 SF of commercial space [3, 10]. Minimums are barred outright for residences under 1,200 SF, commercial spaces under 3,000 SF, affordable housing, senior housing, child care, ground-level commercial in mixed-use buildings and changes of use [3, 10]. The bill was adopted in 2025, and the Parking Reform Network lists its adoption date as July 27, 2025 [11]. The Department of Commerce's Growth Management Program set out the new transit-oriented development and parking laws in June 2025 [10].
Mixed-use buildings get two answers from the same law. The ground-level commercial space carries no minimum, and commercial space elsewhere may be required to park no more than 2 spaces per 1,000 SF, with no minimum for a commercial space under 3,000 SF [3, 10]. Washington's ADU rule is a separate statute, set out below. Local detail for the Puget Sound market is on the Seattle page and the Washington state page.
Florida: the Live Local cut
The Live Local Act, Fla. Stat. 166.04151(7) (2023), amended by SB 328 in 2024 and SB 1730 in 2025, makes affordable multifamily a by-right use on commercial land, and its parking provision cuts the required count by 15 percent or more [4]. The cut is taken from a requirement, so a Live Local site data table carries the local requirement, the reduction and the reduced count [4].
The affordability terms and the approval path are on the multifamily site plan hub, with the state layer on the Florida page and metro detail for Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
Texas: by right on commercial land
SB 840, effective September 1, 2025, together with SB 2477, allows multifamily by right on commercial land [5, 6]. Its floors are 36 units per acre minimum, higher where the city allows more, and a height of 45 ft, and a city may no longer require ground-floor commercial in a mixed-use zone [5, 6]. Which cities SB 840 reaches, and how its floors read against a local code, are set out on the Texas site plan page and the multifamily site plan hub.
Cities that repealed their minimums
| City | Action | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, NY | First major U.S. city to abolish parking minimums | 2017 | National Apartment Association, citing the Parking Reform Network (secondary) [7] |
| Austin, TX | Repealed minimums for all uses citywide (C20-2023-010) | 2023 | NAIOP, Fall 2025 (secondary) [8] |
| Denver, CO | Eliminated minimums for new buildings | August 2025 | Eurotraffic (secondary) [14] |
By August 2025, more than 3,700 cities in 22 countries had reduced or eliminated parking requirements, and over 100 had removed all minimums, as NAIOP reports from Parking Reform Network data [8]. In a city that has repealed its minimums, the parking line on the plan is the number of spaces the project chooses to provide.
State bars on ADU parking
State ADU statutes reach parking too, which matters where a residential program pairs apartments or houses with accessory dwelling units. The full ADU rules are compared in ADU laws by state; the parking rules are these:
| State | Statute | Parking rule | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | RCW 36.70A.681(2) (HB 1337, 2023) | No off-street parking requirement for ADUs within one-half mile walking distance of a major transit stop | Cities and counties | [15, 16] |
| Oregon | ORS 197A.425 | Additional off-street parking cannot be required | Cities over 2,500 and counties over 15,000, inside the urban growth boundary | [17] |
| Colorado | C.R.S. 29-35-401 to 405 (HB24-1152), compliance by June 30, 2025 | No new parking requirements | Municipalities of at least 1,000 residents and certain census designated places within MPOs | [18, 19] |
| Montana | MCA 76-2-345 (effective Jan 1, 2024) | Parking and in-lieu fees cannot be required | All zoning municipalities | [20] |
| Arizona | ARS 9-461.18 (HB 2720, Laws 2024 ch. 196; local deadline Jan 1, 2025) | Parking and in-lieu fees cannot be required | Municipalities over 75,000 | [21] |
Washington runs two parking rules side by side: ESSB 5184 caps what may be required for apartments, and RCW 36.70A.681(2) removes the ADU requirement within one-half mile walking distance of a major transit stop [3, 16]. The ADU rule is written as one-half mile walking distance, so the walking route to the stop is the measure for that exemption [16].
How the parking line reads on the site data table
Each kind of rule changes what the parking line on a site data table tests.
| Rule | Example | What the parking line shows | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| State ceiling | Washington, ESSB 5184 | Spaces provided against a ceiling of 0.5 per multifamily unit; no required figure for an affordable or senior project | [3] |
| Transit-area bar | California, Gov. Code 65863.2 | Spaces provided, with no minimum inside one-half mile of a major transit stop; accessible and EV-charging spaces still required | [1, 12] |
| Percentage cut | Florida, Live Local Act | The local requirement less 15% or more | [4] |
| Citywide repeal | Austin, C20-2023-010 | Spaces provided only | [8] |
| Local minimum | A city code with a ratio per unit or bedroom | Required against provided | Local code |
A preliminary site plan carries this line with the rest of the site data table: units and unit mix, density against the cap, and parking against the rule that governs the parcel. The plans are preliminary; engineering is by the client's engineer of record.
Where to go next
The multifamily site plan hub covers garden, podium and wrap layouts and the approval paths; the garden multifamily model project in Knightdale, North Carolina works a bedroom-based parking ratio through a real town code. Sibling hubs: mixed-use and senior living site plans. For the approval views a parking field or garage has to answer, see apartment renderings.
Further reading on the blog: what a parking minimum costs you, measured in units and the parking nobody added up.
Frequently asked questions
What is Washington's parking cap for apartments?
Can a California city still require parking near transit?
Not as a minimum within one-half mile of a major transit stop, since January 1, 2023 under Gov. Code 65863.2 [1, 2]. Findings to impose parking there must be made in writing within 30 days, EV-charging and accessible-space requirements still apply, and a project may provide parking voluntarily [1, 12, 13].
How much does Florida's Live Local Act reduce required parking?
By 15 percent or more, for by-right affordable multifamily on commercial land, under Fla. Stat. 166.04151(7) as amended by SB 328 (2024) and SB 1730 (2025) [4].
Which U.S. city repealed parking minimums first?
Can I build apartments on commercial land in Texas without rezoning?
Can a state stop a city from requiring parking for an ADU?
Sources
- 1)AB 2097 Memo (October 2023), Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)How Does AB 2097 Impact Your California Municipality?, Burke, Williams and Sorensen. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)ESSB 5184, as passed by the Legislature (5184-S.PL), Washington State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)Live Local Act, City of Oakland Park, FL. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)TX Senate Bill 840 and Other Land Use Legislation Effective September 1 (neighborhood association summary, secondary), BVWNA. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Texas Enacts Critical Real Estate Reforms: Senate Bills 15, 17, 840 (July 2025), Foley and Lardner. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Eliminating Parking Minimums, National Apartment Association. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Eliminating Parking Mandates to Tackle the Housing Crisis (Fall 2025), NAIOP. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)California Assembly Bill 2097 (2022) (secondary), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Washington State Growth Management Program, June 2025: New TOD and parking laws, Washington State Department of Commerce (hosted by PSRC). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Parking reforms in Washington, United States, Parking Reform Network. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)Bill Text, AB-2097 Residential, commercial, or other development types: parking requirements, California Legislative Information. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)AB 2097 in the Coastal Zone (memo), California Coastal Commission. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)Why Cities Are Eliminating Parking Minimums (secondary), Eurotraffic. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Guidance for Accessory Dwelling Units in Washington State (June 2024), Washington State Department of Commerce. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)RCW 36.70A.681, current text (app.leg.wa.gov), Washington State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 197A (ORS 197A.425), Oregon State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Accessory Dwelling Units, Colorado Division of Local Government. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 19)HB 24-1152 fiscal note (February 21, 2024), Colorado Legislative Council Staff. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 20)MCA 76-2-345, Accessory dwelling units: regulations, restrictions, Montana Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 21)Laws 2024, Chapter 196 (HB 2720), accessory dwelling units, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
How these sources were chosen and when the page is reviewed: how we research.