--- title: "drive-up storage: Definition and Meaning | NPSA" description: "Drive-up storage is a self-storage unit on the ground level with an outside door, so a customer can park a vehicle next to or in front of it." url: https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/drive-up-storage publisher: National Portable Storage Association (NPSA) phone: "(816) 960-6552" email: info@npsa.org --- Moving and self-storage # drive-up storage Drive-up storage is a self-storage unit on the ground level with an outside door, so a customer can park a vehicle next to or in front of it. It works like a small garage. Some sites also offer drive-up units inside a covered building. ## Why it matters Drive-up access makes it easy to load heavy items such as furniture, tools and equipment, since there are no elevators or long hallways. Extra Space Storage notes that many drive-up units sit in ground-level rows with wide aisles, and that larger sizes are common. These units are usually not climate controlled, so sensitive items may need a different unit. A common mistake is to assume all outdoor units have the same access hours or security. Ask about gate hours, lighting and cameras. Drive-up access is also the main thing that portable storage offers at your own address, since the container comes to you. [Read: Mobile self storage](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/mobile-self-storage) Definition source: [extraspace.com](https://www.extraspace.com/self-storage/storage-tips/drive-up-access/) ## Related terms [### self-storage facility A self-storage facility is a business that rents secure space where customers store and retrieve their own goods. U.S. industry codes describe it as renting space such as rooms, compartments, lockers, containers or outdoor space. The customer holds the key or code and visits the site to use the space.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/self-storage-facility)[### storage unit A storage unit is a rented space for keeping personal or business goods. It may be a room, a locker, a container or an outdoor space. Customers fill it, lock it and come back for the goods later. The word covers both fixed units at a facility and portable ones.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/storage-unit)[### climate controlled storage Climate-controlled storage is indoor storage built to hold a more even temperature, and sometimes humidity, than an ordinary unit. Facilities describe it with words such as air-conditioned, heated or humidity-controlled, and features differ by site, so a customer should ask what the unit actually offers.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/climate-controlled-storage)[### mobile self-storage Mobile self-storage is a service where an empty storage unit is delivered to your location. You load it at your own pace, and the company picks it up and moves it to a new place for unloading or to storage. NPSA describes it as removing the hassles of traditional static self-storage facilities.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/mobile-self-storage)[### on-site storage On-site storage means keeping a portable storage container on the customer's own property, such as a driveway or a job site. The provider delivers the container, the customer loads and locks it, and the container stays there until the customer wants it moved or picked up.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/on-site-storage)[### portable storage Portable storage is storage in a container, trailer or similar unit that can be moved to the customer's site or elsewhere. NPSA describes portable storage containers as ISO shipping containers retired from international shipping and offered for rent and purchase on the domestic market. NPSA also includes trailers and mobile offices in the industry.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/portable-storage) [All 220 terms](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary) Need storage? ## Get quotes from NPSA member companies Tell us what you need and where. A member company that serves your area will contact you. [Request a quote](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/request-a-quote)[Which unit do I need?](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/find-storage) For the industry ## Grow your portable storage business with NPSA Members get event rates, the Community Forum, the directory listing and leads from this website. [Join NPSA](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/join-us)[See member benefits](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/member-benefits)