Bike-Friendly Buildings in Chicago: What the Zoning Code Requires

A bike-friendly building has somewhere safe to leave the bike. In Chicago that is partly a matter of law. The city writes bike parking into its zoning code, and the rules decide how many spaces a new building must supply, how big they are and where they can go.

What the ordinance requires

The rule sits in section 17-10-0300 of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance. Bike parking follows the off-street parking ratios of the code’s parking chapter.¹

Unless otherwise expressly stated, whenever bicycle parking is required, at least 2 bicycle spaces must be provided.¹

Two limits bracket that floor. No use is required to provide more than 50 bike spaces.¹ The Zoning Administrator may approve an administrative adjustment that reduces the number a particular use must provide.¹

How the count is set

The count is not a flat figure. The final column of each off-street parking schedule sets a minimum bike ratio for its parking group.² In most cases it is keyed to the number of car spaces the building provides.

Use (neighborhood districts)	Minimum bike parking
Multi-unit housing, 8+ units	1 per 2 auto spaces2
Single-room occupancy, 8+ units	1 per 2 auto spaces2
Elderly housing, 8+ units	1 per 4 auto spaces2
Offices and financial services	1 per 10 auto spaces2
Hotels and motels	1 per 10 auto spaces2
Retail and restaurants	1 per 5 auto spaces2

Detached houses, two-flats and townhouses carry no bike requirement.² Downtown, the schedule sets no automobile minimums in the D-7, D-12 and D-16 districts apart from a few exceptions such as hotels with large meeting space and theaters seating more than 1,000.²

Design and location rules

The ordinance is specific about what counts.

• Size. Nonresidential spaces must be at least 2 feet wide and 6 feet long, with 7 feet of overhead clearance.¹
• Racks. Fixtures must be of a CDOT-approved design and affixed to the ground or a building, so a bicycle can be locked to them.¹
• Placement. Spaces may be indoors or outdoors, on private property unless the CDOT Commissioner approves the public way.¹
• Signs. If the spaces are not visible from the street, signs must show where they are.¹
• Surface and light. The area must be paved, drained and well lighted.¹
• Car-space swap. A nonresidential use may convert up to 2 required car spaces into bike parking.¹

Residential buildings get more latitude. Required spaces may sit in garages, storage rooms and other secure areas residents can reach, and racks are not required.¹ Space inside a dwelling unit or on a balcony does not count.¹

Garages with lockers

Large public garages carry their own rule. A non-accessory parking facility with more than 250 spaces must provide bike parking equal to 2 car spaces.¹ That space must hold lockers, hard covers or shells, or similar devices that let a bike be covered and locked individually.¹

Public racks and corrals

Where a building cannot or does not provide parking, the city does. Chicago has installed over 15,000 public racks and over 80 on-street corrals.³ The Bike Parking Program has had a yearly goal of installing hundreds of racks since 1993.³

CDOT recommends an inverted U rack made of galvanized steel.³ A corral gives parking for 10 or more bikes in the space one car usually fills.³ CDOT furnishes and installs a standard red 10-bike corral for $3,300.⁵ Custom branding typically adds about $700.⁵ Corrals need a maintenance agreement and aldermanic approval.³

Racks follow siting rules:

• The sidewalk must be at least 10 feet wide.⁴
• The rack must sit at least 40 feet behind bus stop signs and shelters.⁴
• It must be at least 6 feet from CTA subway exit portals.⁴

CDOT generally does not install racks in primarily residential areas.⁴ Installation takes a few weeks to several months.⁴ For where to lock up downtown, see bike parking downtown, and for what to lock with, bike locks for Chicago.

Where the ordinance stops

In 2014 Active Transportation Alliance said many buildings still lacked secure bike parking, and that the Building Owners and Managers Association was inclined to let the market decide.⁶ The group noted that San Francisco and New York adopted ordinances requiring secure parking at certain office buildings, waived where the building lets tenants bring bikes into their offices.⁶

If you commute, ask your property manager. The group wrote that more buildings were providing secure parking at the behest of current and prospective tenants.⁶ Secure parking matters most when a bike sits for 8 hours or more.⁶ Employers have their own reasons to supply it, laid out in why employers should promote bike commuting. The rest of the guides are in the commuting hub.