On-site car park requirements

To help reduce parking congestion on Wellington's often narrow roads, there are rules about on-site car parks when you open a business, redevelop a site, or alter or build a house.

How it works

An "on-site car park" is a car park that sits within the legal boundary of the property.

A car park should be at least 2.4m wide and 5.4m long, with a minimum of 300mm clearance on both sides for a car door to open. 

If you're planning to build a garage, the inside must be at least 3m wide and the doorway at least 2.4m wide.

Update to car parking requirements

From August 2020, you may no longer need a resource consent if your proposal doesn't meet the minimum car parking requirements of the Wellington City District Plan. This change is due to a National Policy Statement from the Ministry for the Environment. 

Until the District Plan is updated, the existing requirements – listed below – still technically apply. However, if car parking is the only part of your proposal that doesn't comply with the District Plan rules, you may not need to apply for a resource consent. For guidance, email planning@wcc.govt.nz

National Policy Statement on Urban Development car parking fact sheet – Ministry for the Environment

Residential sites

In most case, you must provide one on-site car park per housing unit.

Multi-unit developments

You must provide one on-site car park for each unit if you are building a multi-unit development.

If there will be seven or more units on the one site, you also need to provide an on-site visitor car park for every four units.

You don't need to provide any on-site car parks if you're splitting a building in the Inner Residential Area that was built before 27 July 2000 into two units and no on-site car parks are currently provided.

Multi-unit developments

Boarding houses

You must provide one on-site car park for every three bedrooms.

What's a boarding house?

Early childhood centres

You must provide one on-site car park for each staff member needed to run the centre at full capacity.

Commercial areas

There are no minimum car park requirements for a site in a commercial area (a site zoned as Business Area, Centre or in the Central Area). You'll need a resource consent if you plan to provide more than 70 car parks on-site.

You must have an on-site loading area that has space for service vehicles to manoeuvre – for example, to collect rubbish or unload deliveries.

When you need a resource consent

You'll need to apply for a resource consent if:

  • you can't meet the on-site car park or servicing requirements for your property
  • any car park is smaller than 2.4m wide by 5.4m long
  • you plan to provide more than 70 on-site car parks in a commercial area
  • you plan to build a car pad, car deck or garage on the road reserve.

Applying for a resource consent

Using Council land

If you plan to build a car pad, car deck or garage on the road berm or other area of Council road land next to your site instead of within the boundary, you will also need an encroachment licence. 

Car parks on road reserve must be at least 3m wide and 6m long.

Use road reserve for private purposes

Meet with us before you apply

We recommend you meet with us before you apply for your resource consent to discuss your plans and get some advice.

Resource consent pre-application meetings

Extra documents you may need for your resource consent application

Contact us

The Resource Consents team is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Phone: 04 801 3590

Email: planning@wcc.govt.nz

For transport enquiries, the Transport team is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Phone: 04 499 4444

Email: transportenquiries@wcc.govt.nz