DRIVE-THROUGH ESTABLISHMENT REGULATIONS FOR SIMILAR
JURISDICTIONS
CITY Banned: Y/N DEFINITION POLICY
OBJECTIVES
CUP: Y/N BUFFER
APPROACH
QUEUING
LENGTH/DESIGN
STANDARDS
BURBANK Y “Restaurant w/
Drive-through”,
“Drive-through
Establishments”
Parking and
Circulation
conflicts
Y: (C-2 to C-4, M-1
to M-2, MDC-2 to 4,
MPC-2 to MPC-3,
AP, RR)
N 10-1-1608/1609:
Differentiates
between a drive-
through
restaurant and a
residentially
adjacent drive-
through
establishment.
STACKING
DISTANCE. “The
on-site vehicular
waiting lane shall
be a minimum
length of 160 feet
as measured
along the
centerline from
the point of entry
or the beginning
of a drive-through
lane, to the center
of the farthest
service window
area (the
ATTACHMENT 4-1
“stacking
distance”).”
GLENDALE N “Drive-through
customer”
defined, but not
“drive-through”,
classified as
(counter-service
w/ limited
seating, fast-food
or full service)
N/A N; By-Right in most
Commercial Zones,
some
Administrative Use
Permits in C1 & CR
N Vehicular waiting
lane of a min. of
9’ wide and 100-
200’ measure
from the service
window or a min.
of 60’-120’ for
other uses. Min.
of 60’ in all
scenarios. Drive-
through lanes are
not permitted in
the Downtown
Specific Plan.
PASADENA N “Fast food and
formula fast food
restaurants and
drive-through.”
Encourage
walking by
creating spaces
for pedestrian
activity and
minimizing
vehicular
intrusions
Y: Separated
between restaurant
and non-
restaurants.
Allowed by CUP in
CL, CL-2, CG, IG, and
EC-MU-G Zones.
A fast food or
formula fast food
restaurant with
drive-through
service shall not
be closer than 500
feet from the
following uses: a
park and
recreation facility;
a public or private
school; or another
fast food or
formula fast food
restaurant with
In the East
Colorado Specific
Plan (Specific
Plans being more
restrictive.) Drive-
through
businesses. The
number of
queuing positions
or service
windows for any
use that provides
drive-through
services may be
increased with the
approval of a
ATTACHMENT 4-2
drive-through
service.
conditional use
permit; however,
the gross square
footage of such
business shall not
be increased.
CITY OF LOS
ANGELES
N “Drive-through
fast-food
establishment.”
Light, noise, and
visual impacts of
trash and
enclosures,
driveways, lights,
parked cars and
trees should
have minimize
disturbance.
Y: By-Right in all “C”
zones, except “CR”
Zones
N No specific
driveway
standards for fast-
food
establishments. A
min. of 6 spaces
for the first acre
of the lot in “M”
Zones for drive-
through recycling
sorting facilities.
SANTA CLARITA N “Drive-Through
(No Seating)” and
“Fast Food with
Drive-Through”
Circulation and
Stacking of cars
Y; Either by CUP in
Neighborhood
Commercial Zones
or the more likely
scenario of a MUP
in all other
Commercial zones.
N No Less than 200’.
Stacking of 4
between the
order board and
pick up window
and 6 behind the
order board.
LONG BEACH Y “Drive-Through
Facilities”
(Includes fast-
food, banks, dry
cleaners,
mortuaries and
pharmacies.)
development
impacts,
operational
elements, site
and built design
elements, and
safety.
Y:Dependent on
findings in section
21.45.130
That said facility is
not located in an
area of existing
overconcentration
of drive-through
facilities and is not
located within a
Additional
Standards within
“Drive-Through
Guidelines”. No
double stacked
drive aisles and
must allow for a
ATTACHMENT 4-3
500-foot radius of
a school or park
unless mitigating
f
actors exist.
minimum of four
vehicles to queue.
MARIN COUNTY N “Drive-in” and
“Drive-Thru”, and
“Restaurants,
drive-in, take-out,
fast food.”
Examples of
facilities included
under this land
use are fast-food
restaurants,
drive-through
photo processing
facilities, coffee
sales, dairy
product stores,
pharmacies, etc.
N/A Y: Uses are
permitted only in
planned
commercial district
(CP-5), all others
are by CUP. For
commercial uses at
lower densities, a
CUP is required.
N n/a
SANTA BARBARA Y “Drive-through
Facility” (banks
and other
financial
institutions, fast
food
establishments,
and film
deposit/pick-up
establishments,
but shall not
include drive-in
Traffic
mitigation, Litter,
Public Safety
N: Overall city-wide
ban.
N No new or
expanded drive-
through facility
shall be permitted
in any zone of the
City. Existing
financial
institution drive-
through facilities
may be replaced
in kind with
automated teller
ATTACHMENT 4-4
movies, gasoline
stations, or car-
wash operations.)
machines as long
as the number of
drive-through
lanes does not
increase.
SAN JOSE Y “Drive-through
uses” (With the
exception of
gasoline stations)
N/A Y:CN, CG, PQP, CIC,
TR Zones
(Transit/Residential)
“No drive-through
use shall be
allowed unless the
drive-through
service window is
separated from
the main street by
a minimum of one
hundred feet and
a building.”
The drive-through
stacking lane shall
be separated
physically from
the user's parking
lot and shall have
a capacity of:
1. Financial
Institutions—8
cars per lane or 16
total*; 2.
Restaurants—8
cars per lane*; 3.
Photo Uses—2
cars per lane*; 4.
Self-Service Car
Washes—5 cars
per lane*; 5. Full-
Service Car
Washes—15 cars*
(may be in
multiple lanes); 6.
Other—Capacity
requirement to be
determined on an
individual basis.
*Allow 20 feet per
car* The storage
ATTACHMENT 4-5
required for
savings and loans
may be less than
for banks, and
should be
reviewed on an
individual basis.
Eight (8) vehicles
per lane for a
drive-through
restaurant is a
maximum. Certain
types of fast-food
restaurants may
require less
storage if
substantiated by
acceptable data.
LAGUNA HILLS N “Drive-thru”:
Separates into
“Restaurant, fast
food/drive-thru”
OR “Restaurant,
fast food/no
drive-thru”
N/A Y: In some zones,
either a CUP or Site
Development
Permit is req.
dependent on if
there is a drive-thru
N N: Reviewed case
by case.
PLACENTIA N “Drive-Through”
vs. “Drive-in”
N/A Y; T-C (Town
Center), NC, CM, SF-
C. Not permitted in
certain Specific Plan
Areas, and Specific
Parcels called out in
Municode
N Drive-through
establishments—
A drive-through
lane with space
for a minimum of
seven (7) vehicles
shall be provided
ATTACHMENT 4-6
separate from
other on-site
circulation
requirements;
Eating and
drinking places
and fast food
places—One (1)
space for each
sixty (60) square
feet of customer
area plus one (1)
space for each
four hundred
(400)
s
quare feet
o
f noncustomer
area. (Shared
parking may be
considered in
calculating the
number of parkin
g
s
paces required if
t
he planning
c
ommission finds
that adequate
parking is
provided for each
use due to
different
operating hours
or othe
r
c
haracteristics.
Any request for
consideration of
ATTACHMENT 4-7
shared parking
shall be
accompanied by a
parking demand
study and parking
survey as
approved by the
Director of
Development
Services);
ATTACHMENT 4-8