Kansas City, KS Places Moratorium on Mandatory Parking Minimum Rules
Published on July 17, 2025
Original Press Release Source: Victory: Kansas City Places Moratorium on Mandatory Parking Minimum Rules - Institute for Justice
Release Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Kansas City, KS - Today, a new resolution went into effect placing a three-year moratorium on Kansas City, Kansas’ parking minimum rules for affected properties east of Interstate 635. The Institute for Justice (IJ), which worked with city officials on this reform, applauds its passage.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas adopted a City Ordinance that puts in place a three year moratorium on minimum parking requirements for all commercial construction and business uses, and for mixed-use buildings up to six units. The moratorium covers the area east of Interstate 635, which is about half of the total area of the city and encompasses the traditional downtown, as well as several other older traditional commercial corridors.
“Parking minimums cost small businesses significant amounts of money, prevent them from using their land in the way they see fit, and deprive cities of connectivity,” said IJ Activism Policy Associate Dylan DelliSanti. “At the end of the day, businesses know how many parking spots they need in order to meet customer demands. There’s no need for cities to set an arbitrary number of parking spaces.”
Previously, Kansas City, Kansas required businesses, such as bookstores, bars, and barbershops, to provide four parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. Some businesses even had special parking requirements, such as bowling alleys, which had to provide five spaces per alley.
Throughout the United States, dozens of cities have eliminated or drastically reduced parking mandates, as activists and business owners have spoken out about the negative consequences of these rules.
“Small businesses are a cornerstone of our community,” said Alan Howze, Assistant County Administrator and staff member to the Mayor’s Business Development Task Force. “By removing expensive parking mandates, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, has taken a meaningful step in removing barriers to entrepreneurship and allowing local businesses to start, grow and thrive.”
The reform was championed by the Mayor’s Business Development Task Force, with input from department employees and business owners. Mayor Tyrone Garner praised their hard work, speaking to “the power of collaborations and having people around the table come up with real solutions to real problems that impact people’s lives every single day.”
The moratorium will remain in place until July 17, 2028, or until a new zoning code is adopted.
This was a part of IJ’s “Cities Work” project, through which IJ works with officials in cities throughout the country to make it cheaper, faster, and simpler to start a business.
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