What is the parking fee, how is it calculated? The (A+B)×20×Y formula, who pays, how much in which municipality? 2026 current Parking Regulation guide.

If the mandatory parking requirement cannot be met on the plot when building a new building, a parking fee is paid to the municipality for each unmet parking space. The fee is calculated using the (A + B) × 20 × Y formula; the recipient is the contractor/building owner, and the collected amount is used solely for the construction of regional/general parking lots.

Every building owner and contractor starting a new building project often encounters the same question during the licensing phase: “I cannot fully meet my parking requirement on my plot, how much parking fee will I pay to the municipality?” In this article, we explain in simple terms, based on official legislation, what the parking fee is, on what legal basis it is collected, and how it is calculated.

What is the Parking Fee? Legal Basis

The parking fee is regulated by the Parking Regulation, which was enacted based on Articles 37 and 44 of the Construction Law No. 3194. The basic rule of the Regulation is clear: the parking requirement of those using a building must, as a rule, be met within the building or on its own plot (Art. 4). However, if this requirement cannot be met entirely or partially due to the size of the plot, its frontage, ground structure, or attached building conditions, a place is allocated from the regional parking lot by paying a parking fee to the administration for the unmet parking spaces.

This collected fee is gathered in a special parking account opened in a public bank and, as per Article 13 of the Regulation, can only be used for district and general parking facilities (land acquisition and parking construction); it cannot be spent for any other purpose. The compliance of this expenditure with its purpose is supervised by the Ministry of Interior.

When Does the Parking Fee Become Relevant?

The parking fee only becomes relevant in certain situations. According to Article 4 of the Regulation, cases where the parking requirement cannot be met on the parcel include the following:

The inability to provide the minimum required parking and maneuvering area due to the parcel’s area/frontage dimensions, as confirmed by a technical report,

The inability to construct parking on a parcel containing a registered cultural asset,

The inability to construct a basement floor due to geological/topographical structure or high groundwater level,

Having frontage on a pedestrian street, a street with stairs, or a street closed to traffic,

In attached building systems, descending below the foundation level of neighboring buildings poses a static risk.

In these cases, alternatives such as shared parking / neighboring parcel parking / intra-block parking are first attempted; if these are not possible, the administration allocates a space from the district parking lot in exchange for a fee. We have detailed the inability to meet the requirement on the parcel and the order of solutions in a separate article.

How is the Parking Fee Calculated? (A + B) × 20 × Y Formula

According to the 11th paragraph of Article 12 of the Regulation, the unit parking fee is determined by the following formula:

Unit Parking Fee = (A + B) × 20 × Y

A – Land Share

It is obtained by dividing the real estate tax value of the land determined for the district/general parking lot by the area subject to the floor area calculation specified in the plan. An important detail: As emphasized in the audit findings of the Court of Accounts, in the calculation of the land share, the value of the land belonging to the district parking lot, not the structure subject to a license, must be used; otherwise, the application will result in an incorrect and objectionable accrual.

B – Building Share

This is the cost corresponding to the unit price for parking lots, as stated in the “Communiqué on Approximate Unit Costs of Buildings to be Used in the Calculation of Architectural and Engineering Service Fees” published by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for the year in which the building permit was issued. Since this communiqué is updated annually, the cost increases year by year.

20 – Unit Parking Area (m²)

Refers to a unit parking area of at least 20 m², including the maneuvering area for passenger cars. In mechanical and elevator parking lots, the dimensions shown in the approved project can be taken as a basis.

Y – District Group Ratio

The municipal/provincial general assembly, if deemed necessary, divides settlement areas into 5 groups and applies rates of 100%, 90%, 80%, 70%, and 60% respectively for each group. Administrations are authorized to reduce the number of groups and increase the rates by assembly decision. Therefore, two parcels of the same size may pay very different parking fees in different regions.

What does it mean in practice? Since items A and B in the formula depend on official values updated annually, the parking fee is not a fixed amount. The only reliable way to find the correct amount is a calculation based on the current parking fee tariff and the assembly decision of the relevant municipality where your project is located.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What exactly is a parking fee?

A parking fee is a public obligation paid to the administration for each unprovided parking space when the mandatory parking requirement for new building construction cannot be met on the parcel or within the building itself. This fee is determined in accordance with Article 12 of the Parking Regulation and is used solely for regional/general parking facilities.

How is the parking fee calculated?

The unit parking fee is calculated using the formula (A + B) × 20 × Y. Here, A represents the land share, B the building share, 20 the unit parking area including maneuver (m²), and Y represents the rate applied according to the zone group determined by the municipal council (between 60% and 100%).

Who pays the parking fee; apartment owners or the contractor?

The liable party for the fee is the construction permit holder (property owner or contractor). The parking fee is part of the construction cost; apartment owners do not pay an additional parking fee to the municipality after occupancy. Only the operating/maintenance costs of the parking lot, which is a common area of the building, are shared as common expenses according to the Condominium Law.

Is the parking fee the same in every municipality?

No. Municipal councils can divide settlement areas into 5 groups and apply different rates (60%–100%) for each group. Furthermore, since the real estate tax value of the land and the approximate unit construction costs published by the Ministry are updated annually, the fee varies significantly from district to district and year to year.

Is the parking requirement reduced for small parcels?

Yes. In parcels smaller than 9 meters in frontage or 250 m² in area, if at least half of the parking requirement can be met within the parcel, the residential parking requirement can be reduced by up to 50%. In existing parcels smaller than 120 m² and 3 stories or more, the requirement can be met from a regional/general parking facility for a fee, upon request.

Why is Expert Legal Assistance Necessary?

The calculation of parking fees requires the correct combination of several official values (property tax value, approximate unit cost of construction, council decision group rate). In practice, it is often observed that municipalities issue high accruals based on incorrect land shares or wrong group rates. Therefore, auditing the accrual and objecting if necessary requires professional support.

2M Hukuk Law Office provides end-to-end legal support to property owners, contractors, and unit owners in disputes related to parking fees, zoning, and condominium ownership. As an Istanbul condominium law lawyer, Tuzla condominium lawyer, Istanbul urban transformation lawyer, Tuzla real estate lawyer, and Istanbul zoning law lawyer; we offer services for auditing parking fee accruals during the licensing phase, correcting erroneous calculations, and managing administrative application/litigation processes.

Our office also provides support to unit owners and property owners in management plan, common area, and parking allocation disputes within the scope of site and apartment consultancy; and as a parking fee lawyer, in objections to municipal accruals and refund requests. Our service network covers the Anatolian Side of Istanbul, primarily Tuzla, Pendik, Kartal, Maltepe, and the Gebze / Kocaeli line.

Our Related Articles

In connection with this topic, you can also review the following content in our office’s blog section:

For an assessment regarding your parking fee accrual, license, and occupancy permit process, you can reach us through our contact page; to get information about our team, you can visit our team section.

Legal Basis and Official Sources

Legal warning: This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Since parking fee amounts vary according to municipal council decisions and annually updated values, you should definitely consult an expert lawyer for your specific case.