Accessible Car Parking in NSW: How Many Spaces, Which AS 2890.6, and What Certifiers Check
The National Construction Code still references the 2009 edition of AS/NZS 2890.6 for accessible carparking under clause D4D6, even in NCC 2025. Your development consent or council DCP might name the 2022 edition instead. Here is how many spaces a building needs, which edition applies, and what Sydney Access Consultants checks before a Construction Certificate and at Occupation Certificate.
This page is for architects, builders' design managers, developers and traffic engineers laying out a basement or at-grade car park in New South Wales. It covers the D4D6 ratio by building class, the edition trap between AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 and AS 2890.6:2022, the path of travel from the space to the entrance, and the defects we see at OC. We do not issue mobility parking permits. That is a Service NSW process.
The short answer
Under NCC clause D4D6, the number of accessible carparking spaces depends on the building class and the total number of spaces. Offices, factories, warehouses, schools and many aged-care or hospital areas need one accessible space for every 100 car spaces or part thereof. Shops, clinics and most assembly buildings need one for every 50, up to 1,000 spaces. Hotels and boarding houses use a proportion of accessible rooms. The NCC Deemed-to-Satisfy reference for the space itself is AS/NZS 2890.6:2009. A consent condition or DCP can require the 2022 edition or a higher count.
How many accessible spaces (D4D6)
D4D6(1) requires accessible carparking spaces in a Class 7a building required to be accessible, and in a carparking area on the same allotment as a building required to be accessible. They must comply with AS/NZS 2890.6, except that signage is not needed where there are five or fewer spaces in total. Spaces are not required where a parking service is provided and the public has no direct access to the spaces (for example, a valet car park).
D4D6(2) sets the number for each class of building the car park serves:
| Building class / type | Accessible spaces required |
|---|---|
| Class 1b and 3: boarding house, guest house, hostel, backpackers, residential part of hotel or motel | Total spaces multiplied by the share of accessible sole-occupancy units or bedrooms, rounded up |
| Class 3: residential part of a school, accommodation for the aged, disabled or children, health-care staff accommodation, detention centre | 1 per 100 or part thereof |
| Class 5, 7, 8 or 9c | 1 per 100 or part thereof |
| Class 6 (shops) | 1 per 50 up to 1,000 spaces, then 1 per additional 100 |
| Class 9a hospital (non-outpatient) | 1 per 100 |
| Class 9a hospital outpatient, clinic or day surgery not part of a hospital | 1 per 50 (then 1 per 100 over 1,000 for outpatient) |
| Class 9a nursing home | 1 per 100 |
| Class 9b school | 1 per 100 |
| Class 9b other assembly buildings (churches, clubs, gyms) | 1 per 50 (then 1 per 100 over 1,000) |
These ratios come from NCC 2022 Volume One, Part D4, as applied in New South Wales under Amendment 2 until 1 May 2027. The same structure appears in NCC 2025. Always check the NSW state-variation tab for the project.
Multi-class buildings
The ABCB Guide to D4D6 says that if a car park serves a multi-classified building, calculate the spaces for each classification served. At least one AS/NZS 2890.6 space is required in any car park covered by D4D6, but signage and markings are only required above five spaces in total.
Small car parks
Where there are five or fewer spaces in total, the accessible space does not need signage reserving it for people with a disability. One compliant space is still required if D4D6 applies.
Worked examples
A Class 9b place of worship rebuild with a 60-space car park needs two accessible spaces (1 per 50). A school hall upgrade that adds parking to an existing school car park is calculated at 1 per 100. A medical clinic (Class 9a outpatient or clinic) is 1 per 50. These are anonymised ratios only. Project-specific numbers belong in the access report.
Sector pages cover the rest of the access path: places of worship, hospitals, childcare, gyms and industrial exemptions.
Which AS 2890.6 edition applies
NCC Schedule of referenced documents lists AS/NZS 2890 Part 6, 2009 for clause D4D6 in both NCC 2022 and NCC 2025. That is the Deemed-to-Satisfy baseline. AS 2890.6:2022 was published on 11 November 2022 and supersedes the 2009 edition as a Standard, but it is not the NCC reference. Some web summaries have incorrectly claimed NCC 2025 adopted the 2022 edition. Check the Schedule page on the ABCB site for the edition in force.
The 2022 edition applies where a development consent, council DCP or client brief calls it up, or where it is used to support a Performance Solution. Inner West DCP Part 2.5, for example, has required at least 20 percent of car parking to be accessible and designed to AS 2890.6 for certain development types. Some City of Sydney consents have required AS/NZS 2890.1, 2890.2 and 2890.6 compliance before a Construction Certificate, with the traffic consultant assessing against the 2022 edition. Check the conditions before detailing the car park.
Industry commentary (for example, the ACA Access Insight Winter 2024 piece by Howard Moutrie) notes that the 2022 edition is not mandatory under the BCA but can inform a Performance Solution. Changes include clarifying that the side shared area cannot sit in an aisle, bollard and luminance-contrast details, a 1,600 mm parallel-parking shared area, a reduced headroom zone, and limits on kerb-ramp encroachment into the shared area. Verify every dimension against the licensed Standard. We do not link unofficial copies.
When the edition is unclear, the practical approach is to design to the more onerous requirement of the two editions so that either a 2009 or a 2022 condition can be met without redrawing. Confirm that approach with the certifier early.
Space, shared area and headroom: what to show on the drawings
Under AS/NZS 2890.6:2009, a typical 90-degree accessible space is 2.4 m wide by 5.4 m long, with a shared area of the same size on one side. The dedicated space and shared area are on the same level. A bollard is located in the shared area. Headroom of 2.5 m is required over the space and shared area. Pavement slope is limited (generally 1:40 or 1:33 for outdoor bitumen). Parallel spaces are longer and have a shared area on the non-traffic side.
The 2022 edition clarifies shared-area location, adds a distance rule to the accessible entrance (generally within 50 m, or 100 m with a rest point), and adjusts headroom and bollard provisions. Drawings must show the edition used, the space and shared-area dimensions, bollard location and contrast, headroom sections, fall, and the continuous accessible path from the shared area to the entrance or lift. For the bollard band's luminance contrast, see luminance contrast under AS 1428.
The part most reports get stuck on: getting from the space to the door
The accessible path of travel from the shared area to the principal pedestrian entrance or lift is where most access-report comments land. Typical issues in NSW basements and at-grade car parks include the shared area dropping to the driveway, a kerb ramp sitting inside the shared area, or the path to the lift crossing a ramp. TGSIs are required at kerb ramps and crossings where the NCC and AS 1428.4.1 call them up. See the TGSI compliance page for details.
The Premises Standards and NCC require a continuous accessible path of travel. In a basement the path often runs through the lift lobby. Document the levels, the kerb ramps and the clear width so the certifier can follow it.
Residential car parks (Class 2) and adaptable units
D4D6 does not set a Class 2 ratio. Accessible spaces in apartment car parks usually come from the DCP and any adaptable-housing conditions under AS 4299. Those requirements belong on the adaptable housing page. See adaptable housing.
What the certifier checks at CC and OC
At Construction Certificate the certifier looks for the space-count calculation against D4D6, the layout dimensions and shared areas, the edition stated on the drawings, headroom sections, signage and line-marking notes, and the path of travel. At Occupation Certificate the built check covers bollard presence and location, shared-area level and fall, line colour and symbol, headroom lost to services, and the path from the space to the entrance or lift. Common defects we see are a missing or wrongly placed bollard, a shared area that is not level, wrong line colour, headroom reduced by services, and a missing International Symbol of Access.
How Sydney Access Consultants helps
Sydney Access Consultants reviews car-park layouts at DA, CC and CDC stage and includes a car-park schedule in the access report. We also carry out pre-OC audits of the built spaces. Where an existing car park cannot reasonably meet the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions, a Performance Solution may be available. See what is an NCC Performance Solution and Performance Solutions.
Start with a drawings review. Related pages cover DA versus CC access reports and what certifiers want in an access report.
Work is based in Hurstville for metropolitan Sydney, with a focus on Cronulla, the Sutherland Shire and Georges River. On the Mid North Coast, Sandy Grey works from Black Beach. Call (02) 9586 3111.
Frequently asked questions
How many accessible car parking spaces are required in NSW?
It depends on the building class under NCC clause D4D6. Offices, factories, warehouses, schools, aged care and hospital in-patient areas need 1 accessible space for every 100 car spaces or part of 100. Shops, clinics, outpatient areas and most assembly buildings, such as churches, clubs and gyms, need 1 for every 50, up to 1,000 spaces. Hotels and boarding houses are calculated from the proportion of accessible rooms. Council DCPs and DA conditions can require more.
Which version of AS 2890.6 applies to accessible parking?
For NCC compliance, the referenced edition is still AS/NZS 2890.6:2009. Both NCC 2022, which NSW uses until 1 May 2027, and NCC 2025 list the 2009 edition for clause D4D6. The newer AS 2890.6:2022 applies when a development consent, council DCP or client brief calls it up, and it can support a Performance Solution. Check the DA conditions before the car park is detailed, because some Sydney consents now name the 2022 edition.
Do small car parks need an accessible space?
Yes, if the car park serves a building required to be accessible. The ABCB Guide says at least one space complying with AS/NZS 2890.6 is needed in any car park covered by D4D6. The concession is only for signage: where there are 5 car spaces or fewer in total, the accessible space does not need signage reserving it for people with a disability. Valet car parks without public access to the spaces are excluded.
See the NCC Part D4 clause map for the full Part overview.