LEED Credit Calculations For Preferred Parking


Some credits in the Location and Transportation credit category, such as the Reduced Parking Footprint credit or the Green Vehicles credit, require projects to assign preferred parking locations for particular vehicles. In this article, we will go over the LEED requirements for determining the preferred parking locations.

When determining the preferred parking locations, project teams should consider the following requirements:

First, the preferred parking spaces should have the shortest walking distance to the main entrance of the project (exclusive of spaces designated for people with disabilities).

If parking is provided in a multilevel facility, the preferred spaces should be located on the level that is closest to the main entrance of the building. If there are different parking areas for different kinds of building users (customer parking, staff parking, etc.), then a project either can distribute the required preferred parking spaces proportionally across each different type of parking area, or it can provide one general preferred parking zone with enough parking space for all user types and can still separate the remaining parking spaces by user type.

The Reduced Parking Footprint credit requires projects to assign preferred parking locations to carpool or vanpool vehicles, while the Green Vehicles credit requires projects to assign preferred parking locations to green vehicles. Projects pursuing both credits will need to provide a higher number of preferred parking spaces. And when locating these parking spaces, it is up to the project teams to decide whether to place the “green vehicles” preferred parking closer to the main entrance or the “carpool” preferred parking closer to the main entrance. Some project teams may locate the green vehicles’ preferred parking spaces closer to the main entrance and locate the carpool vehicles’ preferred parking spaces next to them. Other project teams may decide to do the opposite.

Finally, projects pursuing both the Reduced Parking Footprint credit and the Green Vehicles credit can also combine the signage that indicates preferred parking locations—if that’s needed.