Model Ordinance governing parking facilities (M-GarVO)

Commission for Building Control

Model

of an ordinance governing the construction and operation

of garages and parking spaces

(Model Ordinance governing parking facilities M-GarVO)

Version 19 March 2021

Part I

Land Ordinance

governing the construction and operation of parking structures and parking facilities

(Parking structures and parking facilities Ordinance – GarStellVO –)

Dated 8 December 2022

Contents overview

Part 1
General provisions

§ 1 Scope

(1) The Ordinance applies to parking spaces and garages within the meaning of § 2(7) and § 49 of the Model building regulations.

(2) The Ordinance does not apply to buildings and parts of buildings for the storage of:

1. Service vehicles used for fire, civil protection or rescue services; and

2. Machinery or agricultural and forestry tractors.

3. Operational vehicles in workshops and storage rooms of craft trade enterprises, if the storage space in the working area is less in relation to the floor space of the work area.

§ 2 Terms and general requirements

(1) Open medium-sized and large garages are garages with unlockable openings with a total size of at least one third of the total surface area of the perimeter walls, leading directly into the open on each storey, where at least two opposing perimeter walls are no more than 70 m apart from the openings leading out into the open and where there is permanent transverse ventilation.

(2) Open small garages are small garages with unlockable openings with a total size of at least one third of the total surface area of the perimeter walls, leading directly into the open.

(3) Enclosed garages are garages which do not meet the requirements set out in paragraphs 1 and 2.

(4) Overground garages are garages whose floor is on average not more than 1.50 m below ground level.

(5) Automatic garages are garages without passenger or vehicle traffic in which the motor vehicles are transported with mechanical conveyor systems from the garage entrance to the garage parking spaces and are also transported back to the garage exit for collection.

(6) A parking space is an area used to park a motor vehicle in a garage or on a parking place.

(7) The usable area of a garage is the sum of all the connected areas of the garage parking spaces, parking spaces for bicycles, trailers and small electric vehicles and the traffic areas. The usable area of an automatic garage is the sum of the areas of all the garage parking spaces. Parking spaces on roofs (roof parking spaces) and the associated traffic areas are not included in the usable area, unless otherwise specified.

(8) There are garages with a usable area of

1. up to 100 m² small garages,

2. over 100 m² up to 1 000 m² medium-sized garages,

3. over 1 000 m² large garages.

(9) Unless otherwise provided for in this Ordinance, the requirements of the Model building regulation applicable to such components in buildings from building class 5 shall apply to components supporting, reinforcing and sealing off garages.

The concessions in § 29(6), § 30(3) sentence 2, § 31(4) subparagraphs 1 and 2, § 36(1) sentence 2 no. 2, § 39(1) sentence 3, no. 4, § 40(1) subparagraphs 1 and 3, as well as § 41(5) subparagraphs 1 and 3 of the Model building regulation (MBO) shall not apply.

Part II

Building regulations

§ 3 Entrances and exits

(1) There must be entrances and exits of at least 3 m in length between garages and public traffic areas.

(2) In front of the installations, such as barriers or gates, which temporarily hinder access to the garage, there should be a stacking area for waiting motor vehicles, if necessary due to safety considerations or to ease the traffic.

(3) The access lanes of entrances and exits in front of medium-sized and large garages shall be at least 2.75 m wide; the radius of the inner edge of the access lane shall be at least 5 m. A width of 2.30 m is sufficient for access lanes in the area of entry and exit barriers. Wider lanes shall be provided on bends with inner radii of less than 10 m, if necessary for the sake of traffic safety.

(4) Large garages must have separate lanes for entry and exit.

(5) In the case of large garages, a footpath at least 0.80 m wide is required alongside the entrance and exit access lanes. The footpath must be raised in relation to the access lane or demarcated as safe from traffic.

(6) In the cases referred to in paragraphs 3 to 5, roof parking spaces and the associated traffic areas shall be included in the usable area.

(7) Paragraphs 2 to 5 shall apply mutatis mutandis to entrances and exits of parking places.

§ 4 Ramps

(1) Ramps of medium-sized and large garages shall not be inclined at an angle of more than 15%. The width of the lanes on these ramps shall be not less than 2.75 m, and at least 3.50 m in helical ramp areas. Helical ramp sections must have a transverse slope of at least 3 %. The radius of the inner edge of the access lane must be at least 5.0 m.

(2) Between a public traffic area and a ramp with a slope of more than 10%, there must be a less inclined area with an inclination of not more than 5% and at least 3 m in length.

(3) In large garages, ramps used by pedestrians must have a footpath at least 0.80 m wide, which is raised in relation to the access lane or is demarcated as safe for traffic. On ramps which may not be used by pedestrians, this prohibition must be displayed.

(4) Paragraphs 1 to 3 shall apply mutatis mutandis to ramps of parking places.

(5) Power-driven inclined lifting platforms are not ramps.

§ 5 Parking spaces and lanes

(1) An essential parking space must be at least 5 m long. The width of a parking space must be at least:

1. 2.30 m, if there is no longitudinal side,

2. 2.40 m, if there is one longitudinal side,

3. 2.50 m, if each longitudinal side

of the parking space at a distance of up to 0.10 m is restricted by walls, columns, other components or installations.

4. 3.50 m if it is intended as a barrier-free parking space.

In the case of sentence 2 nos 1 to 3, parking spaces on power-driven lifting platforms shall only be 2.30 m wide. Sentences 1 and 2 shall not apply to parking spaces on horizontally movable platforms and to these platforms.

Parking spaces on power-driven, inclined lifting platform are not permitted in generally accessible garages.

(2) Access lanes must, if they are used directly to enter and exit parking spaces, meet at least the width requirements in the following table; Intermediate values shall be interpolated linearly.

Arrangement of the parking spaces
to the lane at the angle of Required lane width (m)
with a parking space width of: 2.30 m 2.40 m 2.50 m 90° 6.50 6.00 5.50 45° 3.50 3.25 3.00
§ 1 Scope

§ 2 Definitions and general requirements

Part 2
Construction

§ 3 Entrances and exits

§ 4 Ramps

§ 5 Parking spaces and driving aisles

§ 6 Clearance

§ 7 Walls, supports, ceilings, roofs

§ 8 Outer walls

§ 9 Partitions, other inner walls and gates

§ 10 Outer enclosing walls

§ 11 Walls and ceilings of small parking structures

§12 Fire compartments

§ 13 Connections to parking structures and between parking structure storeys

§ 14 Emergency routes

§ 15 Lighting, safety lighting

§ 16 Ventilation

§ 17 Fire extinguishing systems, smoke removal

§ 18 Fire alarm systems, indoor radio systems

§ 19 Emergency power supply systems

§ 20 Installations and technical systems

Part 3
Operation

§ 21 Parking structures and parking facilities operation

Part 4
Building documents, tests

§ 22 Building documents, fire brigade plans

§ 23 Tests

Part 5
Final provisions

§ 24 Further requirements

§ 25 Regulatory offences

§ 26 Transitional provisions

§ 27 Amendment of the Land Ordinance governing the inspection of technical systems

§ 28 Entry into force

Pursuant to Section 87(1)(1)(1), (5) and (6) as well as (2), first sentence and (4)(3) of the Rhineland-Palatinate Land Building Regulations of 24 November 1998 (Law and Ordinance Gazette [GVBl.], p. 365), as last amended by Article 1 of the Law of 7 December 2022 (Law and Ordinance Gazette [GVBl.], p. 403), BS 213-1, is hereby prescribed:

Part 1
General provisions

Scope

The Ordinance applies to parking facilities and parking structures within the meaning of § 2(8) and § 47 of the Rhineland-Palatinate Land Building Regulations (LBauO) of 24 November 1998 (Law and Ordinance Gazette [GVBl.], p. 365, BS 213-1), as amended.