From Minimums to Maximums: Evaluating the Impact of Raleigh’s Parking Reform on Residential Parking Supply

This study evaluates the effects of parking reform in Raleigh, where minimum parking requirements were removed in select districts in 2020 and citywide in 2022 — alongside the introduction of parking maximums. Using publicly available Administrative Site Review documents, we construct a dataset of residential developments approved between 2018 and 2025 and conduct a comparative analysis of parking provision across differing regulatory regimes. We find that the average number of parking spaces provided across developments approved after the removal of minimum parking requirements was 27% lower than the average provided across developments approved under minimum requirements. Following the citywide removal of minimums, 67% of developments supplied less parking than previously permitted, indicating that earlier regulations induced excess parking provision. Additionally, 22% of developments approved prior to the adoption of parking maximums would exceed the limits later imposed. These findings show that Raleigh's previous parking requirements forced developers to build more parking than the market demanded, and that recent reforms have meaningfully reduced supply.