Off-Street Parking Standards for the SF-5 District in Reno

In the City of Reno, the SF-5: Single-Family Residential district is classified as part of the Level 2 Parking District for the purpose of determining off-street parking requirements. Most standard residential dwellings in this district require one parking space for every 1,250 square feet of gross floor area, with a maximum requirement of three spaces per unit. While purely commercial retail uses are generally prohibited in the SF-5 district, allowed civic and institutional uses, such as schools and childcare centers, must provide parking based on specific formulas ranging from 1 space per 400 square feet to ratios based on classroom count.

Required Parking Ratios for the SF-5 District

The City of Reno Annexation and Land Development Code calculates parking requirements based on the specific use of the property. Because the SF-5: Single-Family Residential district is not located within the Downtown or Level 1 parking areas, it defaults to "Level 2 Parking District" standards [Section 18.04.705(a)(1)].

All square footage-based requirements are computed using the gross floor area of the use, excluding structured parking [Section 18.04.704(a)]. If a calculation results in a fraction of 0.50 or greater, the number is rounded up to the nearest whole number [Section 18.09.209].

Residential Parking Ratios

The following table outlines the minimum requirements for residential uses permitted or conditionally permitted in the SF-5 district:

Use Type	Level 2 Minimum Parking Requirement
Dwelling, Single-Family Detached	1 per 1,250 sq. ft. (not to exceed 3 per unit)
Dwelling, Single-Family Attached	1 per 1,250 sq. ft. (not to exceed 3 per unit)
Manufactured Home	1 per 1,250 sq. ft. (not to exceed 3 per unit)
Group Home	1 per 2 resident beds
Boarding or Rooming House	1 per 2.5 resident beds
Assisted Living Facility	1 per 1.5 resident beds

[Section 18.04.705, Table 4-6]

Civic and Institutional Parking Ratios

While standard commercial retail is not a primary use in the City of Reno's SF-5 district, the following allowed civic and institutional uses have these requirements:

Use Type	Level 2 Minimum Parking Requirement
Childcare Center	1 per 400 sq. ft.
Religious Assembly	1 per 300 sq. ft.
School, Primary	1 per classroom AND 1 per 100 students (design capacity)
School, Secondary	1 per 1.5 students, faculty, and staff (design capacity)
Public Park / Recreation Area	Discretionary (based on a demand study)

[Section 18.04.705, Table 4-6]

Parking Design and Location Standards

In the SF-5 district, the City of Reno imposes specific design standards to maintain the residential character of the neighborhood:

Garage Setbacks: Street-facing garages must be set back at least 20 feet, measured from the sidewalk (or planned sidewalk) to the face of the garage [Section 18.02.205, Table 2-8].
Prohibited Location: For single-family and duplex uses, off-street parking is strictly prohibited within the required front yard setback unless it is located on a legal driveway [Section 18.04.903(a)(3)].
Tandem Parking: Tandem parking (vehicles parked end-to-end) is permitted in the SF-5 district only when all involved spaces are assigned to the same residential unit [Section 18.04.709].
Driveway Width: For residential lots in the City of Reno, the width of a driveway at the curb cut must be between 12 feet and 30 feet, and there must be at least 28 feet between multiple curb cuts on the same property [Section 18.04.601(a)(1)].

Accessible and Bicycle Parking Requirements

Developments in the SF-5 district must also accommodate persons with disabilities and cyclists if they meet certain thresholds:

Accessible Parking: For residential projects with five or more units per lot, accessible spaces must be provided based on the total number of spaces. For example, 1 to 25 total spaces requires 1 accessible space [Section 18.04.705(b)].
Bicycle Parking: Residential "Household Living" uses (such as multi-unit developments) in Level 2 districts require 1 bicycle space per unit. For other non-residential uses, a minimum of two bicycle spaces is generally required [Section 18.04.705(c), Table 4-8].

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