Reviewed against the current San Francisco Planning Code on May 28, 2026. The bicycle parking requirements are in Planning Code Sections 155.1 and 155.2. Section 155.2 was most recently amended by Ordinance 245-25 (effective January 12, 2026) and Ordinance 13-26 (effective March 16, 2026). Requirements change. Always confirm the current Planning Code with the San Francisco Planning Department at permit time. This article is planning guidance, not legal or permit advice.
Short answer
San Francisco sets bicycle parking minimums in Planning Code Section 155.2 (the required quantities are in Table 155.2), and the design and security standards in Planning Code Section 155.1. The code splits parking into Class 1 (secure, weather-protected, long-term) and Class 2 (visible, publicly accessible, short-term). For most new multifamily buildings the baseline is one Class 1 space per dwelling unit plus one Class 2 space per 20 units. Office and retail are sized by floor area. San Francisco’s Section 155.2 also ties into the state CALGreen code, including a minimum bicycle-parking floor, so confirm both the local count and current CALGreen at permit time.
Class 1 versus Class 2 in San Francisco
San Francisco defines the two classes in Planning Code Section 155.1:
- Class 1: secure, weather-protected, long-term storage for residents, occupants, and employees. In a building this is the bike room, the bike-locker wall in the garage, or a secured per-floor room.
- Class 2: publicly accessible, highly visible racks for short-term visitor and guest parking. These go at the entrance and other visible points near the public way.
This Class 1 / Class 2 split is the same framework California uses statewide, which is why it lines up with the California multifamily bike parking overview. What is specific to San Francisco is the ratios and where the city expects each class to live.
What San Francisco requires, by use type
The table below restates the minimums in Table 155.2 in plain English, using the exact numbers from the code. For uses not shown here (industrial uses, institutional uses, hotels and motels, and others), pull the row directly from Table 155.2.
| Use | Class 1 (secure, long-term) | Class 2 (visible, short-term) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwelling units, lots with 3 units or fewer | No racks required; provide one secure, weather-protected space per unit meeting the dimensions in Zoning Administrator Bulletin No. 9, not used for car parking | None | Sec. 155.2, Table 155.2 |
| Dwelling units (including SRO and student-housing dwelling units) | One per dwelling unit; for buildings over 100 units, 100 spaces plus one for every four units over 100; student-housing dwelling units add 50 percent | One per 20 units; student-housing dwelling units add 50 percent | Sec. 155.2, Table 155.2 |
| Office | One per 5,000 square feet of Occupied Floor Area | Minimum two for any office over 5,000 square feet, plus one for each additional 50,000 square feet | Sec. 155.2, Table 155.2 |
| Retail sales and services (uses not otherwise listed) | One per 7,500 square feet of Occupied Floor Area | Minimum two; one per 2,500 square feet; over 50,000 square feet, 10 spaces plus one per additional 10,000 square feet | Sec. 155.2, Table 155.2 |
| All other uses | See Table 155.2 | See Table 155.2 | Sec. 155.2, Table 155.2 |
When San Francisco requires bicycle parking
Section 155.2(a) applies the bicycle parking requirements, regardless of whether off-street automobile parking is available except where indicated, in any of these cases:
- A new building.
- The addition of a dwelling unit to an existing building where off-street vehicle parking exists.
- An addition to a building or lot that increases the building’s gross floor area by more than 20 percent.
- A change of occupancy or increase in intensity of use that would increase the total required bicycle parking spaces (Class 1 and Class 2 in aggregate) by 15 percent.
- Where the Department of Building Inspection determines that an addition or alteration meets the bicycle parking thresholds set in Section 5.106.4 of the 2013 California Green Building Standards Code (CalGreen) (California Title 24, Part 11), as amended from time to time.
- The addition or creation of new Gross Floor Area, or an increase in the capacity of off-street vehicle parking spaces, for an existing building or lot, regardless of whether such vehicle parking is considered accessory or a principally or conditionally permitted use.
Some projects are exempt. Section 155.2(f) states that Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse projects are not subject to Section 155.2, in accordance with Section 210.5. Confirm the current exemptions in Section 155.2 for the specific project.
What the multifamily number looks like in practice
Take a 120-unit apartment building. Applying the Section 155.2 dwelling-unit formula:
- Class 1: 100 spaces for the first 100 units, plus one space for every four units over 100. That is 100 plus (20 / 4 = 5), so 105 Class 1 spaces.
- Class 2: one per 20 units, so 6 Class 2 spaces.
That is 105 secured long-term spaces to fit somewhere in the building. On a tight San Francisco floor plate that is the number that drives the bike-room conversation, and it is why the bike program needs to be in the plan before the floor plan is locked. Confirm the exact count with Planning, because student housing adds 50 percent and a CALGreen-linked trigger can change which projects are covered.
How San Francisco relates to CALGreen
San Francisco’s Planning Code Section 155.2 sets the local bicycle parking minimums, and it connects to the statewide green building code (CALGreen) in two ways. First, one of the Section 155.2(a) applicability triggers is whether an addition or alteration meets the bicycle parking thresholds in CALGreen Section 5.106.4 (California Title 24, Part 11). Second, Section 155.2 includes a calculation floor: total bicycle parking may not be less than five percent of the automobile parking spaces for the building as required by CALGreen Section 5.106.4. So CALGreen can both affect whether the requirement is triggered and set a minimum floor, while Table 155.2 sets the use-based count. For the statewide CALGreen framework, see the California multifamily bike parking overview. Confirm current CALGreen thresholds and the San Francisco table at permit time. For a nearby California city, see our Los Angeles bicycle parking code guide.
See all our California bike parking code guides for the other metros and the statewide CALGreen layer.
Where each class goes in a San Francisco building
- Class 1 usually lands as a ground-floor or garage-level bike room near the entry, a wall of bike lockers in the garage, or a long-term bike room layout using high-density vertical or two-tier racks. The room has to hit the count and still pass an accessibility and path-of-travel check.
- Class 2 is visible bike parking racks at the entrance, sized to the floor-area formula for the use.
What to send Ground Control Systems for a compliant layout
We do not set your code count. The count is the project team’s call with the Planning Department and the code consultant. What we do is make the layout work once the count is known. Send us:
- The project address and the use (residential unit count, or office / retail occupied floor area).
- The floor plan or a program sketch showing where a bike room or rack zone could go.
- Whether the project is pursuing LEED, which can set its own bike-parking threshold.
We come back with a bike-room layout, the product mix that fits the floor plate (vertical, two-tier, lockers, floor-mount racks, and scooter racks where relevant), the Class 1 and Class 2 split on the plan, and a quote. Reach us at 800-630-7225, info@groundcontrolsystems.com, or the contact page. The Download Center has CAD files and product specifications. For layout and code-support help, see services.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How many bike parking spaces does a San Francisco multifamily building need?
For most new multifamily buildings, Planning Code Section 155.2 requires one Class 1 (secure, long-term) space per dwelling unit, with a step-down above 100 units (100 spaces plus one for every four units over 100), plus one Class 2 (visible, short-term) space per 20 units. Student-housing dwelling units add 50 percent. Confirm the count with Planning.
Q: What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 in San Francisco?
Section 155.1 defines Class 1 as secure, weather-protected, long-term storage for residents, occupants, and employees, and Class 2 as publicly accessible, highly visible racks for short-term visitor parking. Most projects need both.
Q: How is office and retail bike parking sized in San Francisco?
By occupied floor area. Office requires one Class 1 space per 5,000 square feet; retail sales and services uses not otherwise listed require one Class 1 space per 7,500 square feet, with separate Class 2 formulas. The exact figures are in Table 155.2.
Q: When is bicycle parking required for an existing building?
Section 155.2(a) lists the triggers: a new building; the addition of a dwelling unit where off-street vehicle parking exists; an addition that increases gross floor area by more than 20 percent; a change that increases the total required bicycle spaces by 15 percent; a Department of Building Inspection determination tied to CALGreen Section 5.106.4 thresholds; and the addition of new Gross Floor Area or an increase in off-street vehicle parking capacity. Some projects, such as Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse under Section 155.2(f) (in accordance with Section 210.5), are exempt.
Q: Is this legal advice?
No. This is a plain-language overview of how San Francisco structures its bicycle parking requirements. It is not legal or permit advice and is not a substitute for the current Planning Code text. Confirm specifics with the San Francisco Planning Department and your project’s code consultant.
Sources
- San Francisco Planning Code, Section 155.1, Bicycle Parking: Definitions and Standards: codelibrary.amlegal.com Sec. 155.1
- San Francisco Planning Code, Section 155.2, Bicycle Parking: Applicability and Requirements for Specific Uses (including Table 155.2): codelibrary.amlegal.com Sec. 155.2
- San Francisco Planning, Zoning Administrator Bulletin No. 9, Bicycle Parking Requirements: Design, Layout, and Calculation: ZAB No. 9 (PDF)
- California CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11), California Building Standards Commission: dgs.ca.gov CALGreen