Residential parking garages are treated as indoor spaces, whereas residential parking lots and carports are treated as outdoor spaces. All three types of parking facilities are required to meet either the residential or the nonresidential requirements, depending on what type of building they are associated with (see the tables above for a summary of requirements.)
Private garages and carport buildings are considered to be low-rise residential buildings and have to comply with requirements of §150.0.
Regardless of the classification of the associated building, any garage, parking lot, or carport for eight or more cars must comply with all applicable nonresidential lighting requirements in §110.9, §130.0, §130.1, §130.2, §130.4, §140.6, §140.7, and §141.0.
Garages on single-family sites with space for seven cars or less must comply with the residential lighting requirements in §150.0(k), which require all luminaires to be high efficacy and that at least one luminaire in each garage to be controlled by a vacancy sensor.
Parking lots and carports on single-family sites with space for seven cars or less must comply with residential outdoor lighting requirements.
Parking garage lighting Standards in low-rise multifamily buildings are determined in the same manner as common area lighting Standards. Buildings where interior common area is 20 percent or less of the total building area must use the residential Standards for parking garages. Multifamily buildings with three or less stories where interior common area is greater than 20 percent of the total building area must use the nonresidential lighting requirements for parking garages.
Parking lots and carports for low-rise multifamily buildings with space for seven cars or less must install all high efficacy luminaires per §150.0(k)1A, and must additionally comply with either the residential or nonresidential lighting requirements (§150.0(k)3B).
Garages and parking lots for high-rise multifamily buildings must comply with all applicable nonresidential lighting requirements in §110.9, §130.0, §130.1, §130.2, §130.4, §140.6, §140.7, and §141.0.
Example 6-20: Parking spaces
Question
I have a low-rise multi-family complex with a total of 20 parking spaces. However, the parking spaces are arranged throughout the site in groups of only four spaces each. Are these parking spaces required to comply with the nonresidential outdoor lighting requirements?
Answer
Yes, these spaces are required to comply with the Nonresidential Outdoor Lighting Standards. Parking lots and carports for a total of eight or more cars per site must meet the nonresidential outdoor lighting requirements, regardless of how the spaces are arranged on the site.