Council adopts new off-street parking bylaw

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 28, 2026 1:00 PM

Summary

At their meeting on July 27, 2026, Nanaimo City Council adopted the Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2026 No. 7453. The bylaw modernizes parking regulations to better match land use, location, access to transit and real world parking demand.

The updated bylaw regulates off-street parking and loading requirements, including the number of parking spaces required for various land uses, as well as the design standards for parking areas. It improves mobility choice, supports urban development consistent with City Plan, encourages sustainable transportation and aligns with provincial direction for transit-oriented development.

The bylaw covers requirements for vehicle parking, loading space, accessible and mobility scooter parking, bicycle parking and transportation demand management. Some key changes include:

• updated rates for vehicles, bicycles and design requirements
• introduction of active transportation end-of-trip facilities to scale with developments based on land use
• updated loading requirements to better address pick-up and drop-off activities
• separated visitor parking supply from general vehicle parking requirements to ensure adequate visitor parking is provided
• accessible parking decoupled from the number of vehicle parking spaces provided to ensure provision in urban centres where parking minimums are eliminated
• flexibility to substitute mobility scooter parking for long-term bicycle for specific uses
• 20 per cent increase in bicycle parking requirements in urban centres

For more information, read the Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2026 No. 7453 on the City website.

Link to Strategic Plan: The updated bylaw supports City Plan's goal to reduce reliance on personal vehicles and better support walking, rolling, cycling and transit within Nanaimo.

Print News Release