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Parking Space Requirement Calculator

Work out parking space requirement instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Parking Space Requirement Calculator

Planning codes express parking demand as one space per unit of built-up area, with a further percentage added for visitors. The land or structure needed follows from the area per space, which at 25 square metres already includes the aisle and manoeuvring space rather than just the bay itself.

Formulas

Space count

Occupant spaces = ceil(built-up area / area per space); visitor = ceil(occupant x visitor share)

Area

Parking area = total spaces x area per space including circulation

Worked example

With the default values below, Parking Space Requirement Calculator returns Total parking spaces required of 33. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Built-up areaminimum 0.1 m²
3,000 m²
Built-up area per required spaceminimum 1 m²
100 m²
Visitor parking shareaccepts 0–50 %
10 %
Area per parking spaceminimum 5 m²
25 m²

Results

Total parking spaces required
33
Occupant spaces
30
Visitor spaces
3
Parking area including circulation
825 m²

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Space count
  3. 3Area
  4. 4Total parking spaces required= 33
  5. 5Occupant spaces= 30
  6. 6Visitor spaces= 3
  7. 7Parking area including circulation= 825 m²

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Preliminary estimate only. Parking provision must be confirmed against local development control regulations and accessible parking requirements.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Preliminary estimate only. Parking provision must be confirmed against local development control regulations and accessible parking requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Parking Space Requirement figure worked out?

Occupant spaces = ceil(built-up area / area per space); visitor = ceil(occupant x visitor share). Planning codes express parking demand as one space per unit of built-up area, with a further percentage added for visitors.

Why is 25 m² used per space when a car bay is 12.5 m²?

Aisles, ramps and manoeuvring space roughly double the footprint. Using the bay area alone understates the parking floor plate by half.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Built-up area, Built-up area per required space, Visitor parking share, Area per parking space. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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