Congratulations! You are following your passion and opening your own yoga gym right here in Los Angeles. Before you get ready to hang out your shingle and welcome your fellow sun salute-enthusiasts into your gym, there are a few things you need to know about Los Angeles yoga gym parking requirements and permits for your business. Follow these guidelines to make sure your studio’s parking zone is within Los Angeles regulations, and you’ll be on your way to business-owner nirvana. Namaste!

• Make sure you have the required number of parking spaces– First things first, the City of Los Angeles requires that any operating health or athletic club, gym or similar type of building have one parking space for every 100 square feet. That means that if your yoga studio is a 2000-square foot storefront, you need to have at least 20 available parking spaces. However, if your studio is tiny, you may get a break. Los Angeles parking regulations dictate that any dance or yoga studio smaller than 1000 square feet only needs one parking space for every 500 square feet, or no greater than two parking spots!
• Check with your zoning committee about your specific location requirements– Certain neighborhoods have minimum parking requirements and allow street parking which eliminates or greatly reduces the necessity for off-street parking provided by the local businesses.
• Keep in mind that the parking landscape is changing in L.A.- There is currently a proposed ordinance to decrease parking requirements for the city of Los Angeles, meaning that in time, the minimum parking requirements may decrease in order to make it easier to develop commercial and residential buildings. The ARO, or Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, was enacted by the City of Los Angeles in 1999 to exempt the buildings downtown from minimum parking requirements, among several other things, in an attempt to revitalize the downtown Los Angeles areas and encourage development of commercial and residential real estate. The ARO accounted for over 75 percent of housing construction between 2000 and 2010, so there is evidence that reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements can benefit the city and help it to thrive. In other words, minimum parking requirements may one day be a thing of the past. For now, though, it is important to follow the outlined parking regulations when planning your yoga gym.

Need help with obtaining zoning permits for parking or anything else to do with your business? Permit Place can help! Contact our Los Angeles offices today to speak with a representative about how we can assist you.