Class 1 is secure, weather-protected, long-term bike parking for people who leave a bike all day or overnight (residents, employees, transit riders). Class 2 is visible, openly accessible, short-term parking for visitors who lock up for a couple of hours. That is the working distinction every project team needs, and it comes straight from how cities and the state building code define the two terms.
The labels matter because the codes we cite, San Francisco’s and CALGreen, count Class 1 and Class 2 separately, with their own minimums. Get the split wrong on the plan and the project fails review, or worse, ships with the wrong equipment.
The definitions, with the code that says so
“Class 1” and “Class 2” are municipal terms. San Francisco defines them by number. The state code (CALGreen) describes the same two buckets but calls them “long-term” and “short-term.” Same idea, two vocabularies.
Class 1 (long-term)
San Francisco Planning Code Section 155.1(a), as quoted in the SF Planning Department’s Zoning Administrator Bulletin No. 9, defines it this way:
“Class One spaces are ‘spaces in secure, weather-protected facilities intended for use as long-term, overnight, and work-day bicycle storage by dwelling unit residents, nonresidential occupants, and Employees.'”
Source: SF Planning Code Sec. 155.1(a), quoted in SF Planning Zoning Administrator Bulletin No. 9 (September 2018)
The same bulletin spells out what physically counts:
“Class One bicycle parking includes bicycle lockers, bicycle rooms or cages where each bicycle can be individually locked.”
Source: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9 (September 2018), “Class One Bicycle Parking”
Class 2 (short-term)
“Class Two spaces are ‘spaces located in a publicly-accessible, highly visible location intended for transient or short-term use by visitors, guests, and patrons to the building or use.'”
Source: SF Planning Code Sec. 155.1(a), quoted in SF Planning Zoning Administrator Bulletin No. 9 (September 2018)
And what counts:
“Bicycle racks are the most common form of Class Two bicycle parking. Bicycle racks come in many forms and shapes. The most common types are the inverted ‘U’ and the circular racks.”
Source: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9 (September 2018), “Class Two Bicycle Parking”
The state code says the same thing in different words
CALGreen (the California Green Building Standards Code) does not use “Class 1 / Class 2.” It uses “short-term” and “long-term,” and the descriptions line up with San Francisco’s classes.
Short-term, CALGreen Section 5.106.4.1.1:
“If the new project or an addition or alteration is anticipated to generate visitors, provide permanently anchored bicycle racks within 200 feet of the visitors’ entrance, readily visible to passers-by, for 20 percent of the peak daily visitors, with a minimum of one two-bike capacity rack.”
Source: CALGreen Sec. 5.106.4.1.1 (via up.codes)
Long-term, CALGreen Section 5.106.4.1.2:
“Acceptable bicycle parking facility … shall be conveniently located near the street and shall meet one of the following: Covered, lockable enclosures with permanently anchored racks for bicycles; Lockable bicycle rooms with permanently anchored racks; or Lockable, permanently anchored bicycle lockers.”
Source: CALGreen Sec. 5.106.4.1.2 (via up.codes)
So when a city plan check asks for “Class 1” and the state code asks for “long-term,” they are asking for the same thing: covered, lockable, enclosed storage. Map the term to the function, not the label.
The APBP framing behind both
The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) frames the entire field around the same two-way split, on time and on user need:
“This guide divides bike parking into short-term and long-term installations. These two kinds of parking serve different needs … If users will typically be parking for two hours or longer, they are likely to value security and shelter above the convenience and ease that should characterize short-term parking.”
Source: APBP, Essentials of Bike Parking (2015), Introduction, p. 1
On short-term (Class 2):
“Short-term bike parking should be visible from and close to the entrance it serves … Short-term parking is designed to meet the needs of people visiting businesses and institutions … typically lasting up to two hours.”
Source: APBP, Essentials of Bike Parking (2015), Short-Term Parking, p. 2
On long-term (Class 1):
“Users of long-term parking generally place high value on security and weather protection. Long-term parking is designed to meet the needs of employees, residents, public transit users, and others … They often leave their bicycles unmonitored for a period of several hours or longer, so they require security and weather protection.”
Source: APBP, Essentials of Bike Parking (2015), Long-Term Parking, p. 3
Comparison table
| Class 1 (long-term) | Class 2 (short-term) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it serves | Residents, employees, nonresidential occupants, transit riders (SF Code 155.1(a); APBP p. 3) | Visitors, guests, patrons (SF Code 155.1(a); APBP p. 2) |
| How long | All work-day, overnight, several hours or longer (SF Code 155.1(a); APBP p. 3) | Transient, “up to two hours” (SF Code 155.1(a); APBP p. 2) |
| Where | Secure facility, near the street, often inside the building (SF Code 155.1(a); CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2) | Publicly accessible, highly visible, near the entrance, within 200 ft of visitor entrance (SF Code 155.1(a); CALGreen 5.106.4.1.1) |
| Security | Weather-protected, lockable enclosure; each bike individually lockable (SF ZA Bulletin No. 9; CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2) | Open access; a sturdy rack you lock to (SF ZA Bulletin No. 9; APBP p. 2) |
| Weather | Covered / sheltered (SF Code 155.1(a); CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2) | Generally exposed; weather protection optional (APBP p. 2) |
| Typical products | Bike lockers, bike rooms or cages, covered lockable enclosures (SF ZA Bulletin No. 9; CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2) | Inverted-U and circular (post & ring) racks (SF ZA Bulletin No. 9; APBP p. 2) |
GCS products mapped to each class
Ground Control Systems maps its own catalog to the two classes the same way the codes do.
Class 1 (long-term, secure, enclosed):
- Bike lockers. GCS positions its lockers “as high-security Class 1 long-term bike parking.” (Source: GCS, Bike Lockers vs Bike Rooms for Multifamily.) This lines up with the code: SF ZA Bulletin No. 9 lists bicycle lockers as Class One, and CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2 lists “lockable, permanently anchored bicycle lockers” as acceptable long-term parking.
- Bike rooms. GCS states “Bike Rooms and Bike Lockers satisfy Class 1, or long-term, parking requirements,” and elsewhere that “the three formats that satisfy long-term requirements are bike rooms, bike lockers, and high-security shelters.” (Source: GCS, Long-Term Bicycle Parking.) Matches SF ZA Bulletin No. 9 (“bicycle rooms or cages”) and CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2 (“lockable bicycle rooms with permanently anchored racks”).
- High-density racks inside a secure room: Offset Vertical Racks and Double Dockers (two-tier). GCS describes its Micromobility Hub as housing “built-in racks such as Offset Vertical Racks and Double Dockers,” achieving “higher density via vertical wall-mount or two-tier racks” inside enclosed, controlled-access space. (Source: GCS, Long-Term Bicycle Parking.) Vertical and two-tier racks are a Class 1 fit because the class is defined by the secure, enclosed, weather-protected facility around them, not the rack shape. SF ZA Bulletin No. 9 confirms that when Class One is provided as racks “in a garage, cage or otherwise locked room, any acceptable rack type … may be used.” The same bulletin caveats that vertical racks inside such locked rooms may satisfy up to only a third of the required Class One spaces.
Class 2 (short-term, visible):
- Visible inverted-U and similar surface-mount racks. GCS describes “Visitors Short-term Class 2 racks near entries.” (Source: GCS, Bike Lockers vs Bike Rooms for Multifamily.) Its Long-Term Bicycle Parking page separately uses the “standard hoop or wave racks at a building entry” framing. (Source: GCS, Long-Term Bicycle Parking.) Both match SF ZA Bulletin No. 9, which names “the inverted ‘U’ and the circular racks” as the most common Class Two form, and APBP, which lists the inverted-U and post & ring as short-term styles (p. 2).
The common mistake
The mistake that fails plan check: counting all bike spaces as one type. A planner pencils in a row of inverted-U racks at the entrance, hits the total space count, and assumes the project is done. It is not. The codes we cite, San Francisco’s and CALGreen, require a separate Class 1 (long-term) count with its own minimum, and a row of open racks does not satisfy it. As SF ZA Bulletin No. 9 puts it: “Bicycle racks can be used to satisfy the requirements for Class Two bicycle parking. When located in a locked area or attended facility, bicycle racks can also satisfy the requirements for Class One bicycle parking.” Open racks at the door are Class 2 only. The Class 1 requirement still needs a locker, a room, a cage, or racks inside a locked enclosure.
The second mistake: treating “long-term” as optional shelter. Class 1 is not “nicer Class 2.” It is a different facility with security and weather protection built in. CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2 is explicit that long-term parking must be a covered, lockable enclosure, a lockable room, or a locker. A canopy over a hoop rack does not make it Class 1.
FAQ
What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 bike parking?
Class 1 is long-term, enclosed, weather-protected, access-controlled storage for residents and employees (think lockers, bike rooms, and cages). Class 2 is short-term, publicly visible, open-access parking for visitors (think inverted-U and circular racks at the entrance). The terms come from municipal codes such as San Francisco Planning Code Sec. 155.1(a). (Sources: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9; APBP 2015.)
Is Class 1 / Class 2 the same as long-term / short-term?
Functionally, yes. “Class 1 / Class 2” is municipal terminology (used by cities like San Francisco). California’s state code, CALGreen, describes the same two categories as “long-term” (Sec. 5.106.4.1.2) and “short-term” (Sec. 5.106.4.1.1). Class 1 maps to long-term, Class 2 maps to short-term. (Sources: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9; CALGreen via up.codes.)
What products count as Class 1 bike parking?
Bicycle lockers, bicycle rooms or cages where each bike can be individually locked, and covered lockable enclosures with anchored racks. CALGreen 5.106.4.1.2 accepts covered lockable enclosures, lockable bike rooms with anchored racks, or lockable anchored lockers. Inside a locked room, vertical and two-tier racks also qualify, though SF ZA Bulletin No. 9 caveats that vertical racks may satisfy up to only a third of the required Class 1 spaces. (Sources: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9; CALGreen via up.codes.)
What products count as Class 2 bike parking?
Bicycle racks placed in publicly accessible, highly visible locations near the entrance. The most common types are the inverted “U” and the circular (post-and-ring) rack. CALGreen 5.106.4.1.1 calls for permanently anchored racks within 200 feet of the visitors’ entrance, readily visible to passers-by. (Sources: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9; CALGreen via up.codes.)
Can one rack satisfy both classes?
A standard rack satisfies Class 2. The same rack can count toward Class 1 only when it is placed inside a locked area or attended facility. Open racks at the door never satisfy the Class 1 requirement on their own. (Source: SF Planning ZA Bulletin No. 9.)
Why does the long-term (Class 1) count matter so much?
Get the split right before it hits the plan
Two ways to move:
- Confirm your Class 1 / Class 2 counts. Send your jurisdiction and unit or occupant count, and GCS will help map the required long-term and short-term spaces to specific equipment before the plan goes out.
- Spec the Class 1 facility. Whether it is bike lockers, a bike room, or a high-density enclosed hub, GCS will scope the secure, weather-protected solution that satisfies the long-term requirement.
Contact Ground Control Systems, Sacramento CA, at 800-630-7225.