Parking reform

Mandatory parking minimums quietly decide what gets built in most of America — and they decide against homes. Repealing them is the cheapest, most-proven housing reform on the menu.

Fix incentivesUpdated Jun 2026

What it does: Repeals mandatory parking minimums
Works at: City · State
Cost to government: ~$0 — it's a permission, not a program
First major win: Buffalo, 2017
Momentum: 80+ cities have acted

Why it matters

The problem

Minimums require a fixed number of off-street spaces per home or business, regardless of need. A structured space costs $28,000–$75,000 to build. On small lots the mandate doesn't make projects expensive — it makes them impossible.

The fix

Repeal the mandates and let builders, businesses, and residents decide how much parking each project needs. Lenders and buyers still demand parking where people drive — repeal just stops requiring it where they don't.

The misconception to defuse early: Removing parking minimums doesn't remove parking. Most post-repeal projects still include it — just sized to real demand instead of a decades-old formula.

Craft the policy

What separates versions that produce homes from versions that produce headlines.

Include

Repeal citywide, not just downtown
Carve-outs recreate the mandate block by block and invite a fight over every boundary. Full repeal is simpler to write, administer, and defend.
Example language: “No minimum off-street parking requirement shall apply to any land use.”
Cover every use, not just housing
Homes, shops, clinics, churches. Partial repeals leave adaptive reuse of older buildings illegal — often the projects that need relief most.
Keep accessibility requirements
Repeal governs how much parking is required, not who it serves. Where parking is built, accessible-space ratios (ADA) stay in force — say so explicitly to defuse the most sympathetic objection.
Make it self-executing
Effective on a date certain, no discretionary review or extra hearing for projects that use it. A repeal that must be asked for isn't a repeal.

Avoid

Don't swap in parking maximums
Trading one mandate for another creates a new enforcement fight and hands opponents a talking point. Let repeal stand on its own; maximums can be a later, separate debate.
Don't add in-lieu fees
Charging builders for spaces they don't build is just the parking tax in a new form — it keeps the cost in the rent.
Don't trade away street permits
Conditioning approval on banning new residents from street-parking permits creates two classes of neighbor and turns every project into a referendum on the newcomers.

After it passes — implementation checklist

1Set a clear effective date and publish updated checklists before it lands
2Brief permit-counter staff — most 'failed' repeals die at the counter, not the council
3Track outcomes from day one: permits filed, homes built, parking actually provided — the data defends the win

Make the case

“Parking mandates are a hidden tax on housing — every mandated space adds tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a home, whether or not the resident owns a car.”

“This doesn't ban parking. It stops the government from forcing you to build parking you don't need — builders keep providing it wherever people want it.”

“It's a zero-dollar housing policy: no subsidy, no new program, no staff. Just permission.”

Likely allies — and why they show up

Small builders & landlords: Mandates kill small infill projects first
Transit agencies: Riders and walkable stations over car storage
Climate groups: Less driving, less asphalt, less runoff
Preservationists: Historic buildings can't add lots — reuse depends on repeal
Small businesses: A required lot can cost more than the storefront
Fiscal conservatives: Markets, not mandates — and no budget line

Wins & momentum

2017Buffalo, NYFirst large U.S. city to repeal citywide
2021Minneapolis, MNCitywide repeal as part of the 2040 plan
2022CaliforniaAB 2097 — no minimums within ½ mile of transit, statewideYIMBY-backed
2023Austin, TXLargest U.S. city to repeal citywide at the time
2025Denver, COCitywide repeal, campaign led by YIMBY DenverYIMBY-backed
2025IllinoisStatewide near-transit repeal, won with Abundant Housing IllinoisYIMBY-backed

Related endorsements

When legislation carries this policy, our members vote on endorsing it — policy work and electoral work reinforcing each other.

Endorsed · 2025 federal slate

People Over Parking Act

Federal · 119th Congress

Would end parking mandates near transit nationwide.

Endorsed 2022 · now law

California AB 2097

State · California

No parking minimums within a half mile of transit — the statewide model other legislatures now copy.

Candidates who champion this policy appear in our voter guides

Research & resources

BookThe High Cost of Free ParkingDonald Shoup · UCLA
The foundational text on what mandates cost
DataParking mandates map & reform trackerParking Reform Network
Every U.S. reform, kept current
ResearchParking requirements and housing costsTerner Center, UC Berkeley
How mandates change what gets built
ResearchWho benefits when mandates fallSightline Institute
Cost savings passed through to rents

Related playbooks

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Legalize backyard cottages and in-law units on the lots people already own.

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Require job-rich, transit-rich areas to allow the homes their workers need.

Office-to-housing conversions

Make it easy to turn empty offices into apartments people actually live in.

Bringing this to your city council?

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