Questions & Answers

How many car parking spaces are required for a dual occupancy?

For a dual occupancy, the parking requirements depend on the residential zone and the number of bedrooms in each dwelling.

For RZ1 and RZ2:

  • At least 1 car parking space per dwelling.
  • Plus 1 additional space for every five 2-bedroom dwellings.
  • Plus 1 additional space for every three dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms.

For a typical dual occupancy of only two dwellings, this means the starting requirement is 2 parking spaces in total — one for each dwelling. Additional parking is calculated across the development according to the bedroom-based rates above.

For RZ3, RZ4 and RZ5, the same resident parking rates apply. Visitor parking is additionally required where a development contains 4 or more dwellings, so this visitor-parking requirement would not normally apply to a two-dwelling dual occupancy.

Reference: Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026 (NI2026-303) – Parking Provision Rates for Residential Zones & Requirement 27.3 Car Parking – https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/View/ni/2026-303/current/PDF/2026-303.PDF

Last reviewed: 27 August 2026 Information current as at: 1 September 2026

Short Answer

A dual occupancy requires at least 1 car parking space per dwelling, meaning at least 2 spaces for two dwellings. Additional parking may be required depending on the number of bedrooms.

Detailed Explanation

For dual occupancy development, a minimum of 1 resident car parking space per dwelling is required.

Additional resident parking is required at the rate of:

  • 1 additional space per five 2-bedroom dwellings; and
  • 1 additional space per three dwellings containing 3 or more bedrooms.

These rates apply in RZ1–RZ5. In RZ3–RZ5, visitor parking applies where the development comprises 4 or more dwellings and therefore does not ordinarily apply to a dual occupancy consisting of two dwellings.

The parking spaces must also satisfy the applicable location and design requirements, including Requirement 27.3, which permits tandem parking only where the tandem spaces belong to the same dwelling.

Key Point

No minimum block size does not remove the need for planning assessment.

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