Parking provisions range from surface parking lots serving large venue entertainment complexes (such as the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa and the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston) to multi-level structures incorporating loading/unloading docking areas (serving hospitals and major retail establishments). Parking provisions are determined in terms of design, layout, inventory utilization, time restrictions, revenue forecasts, in addition to identification of community impacts and related traffic infrastructure.

In particular, parking requirements for institutions are complex because there are shared stalls with high turnover rates (i.e. staff, visitors, patients, etc.) and are highly dependent on the institution type. Parking studies determine required parking provisions or include inventories of existing facilities such as: number and types of parking spaces, parking lot utilization, time restrictions and fees.