ORDINANCE NO. _______
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE,
CALIFORNIA, PROHIBITING THE DEPLOYMENT AND OPERATION OF PERSONAL
DELIVERY DEVICES ON PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
OPERATING AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY
WHEREAS, the City of Glendale has a substantial governmental interest in protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of persons using the City's streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps, pedestrian paths of travel, parkways, and other portions of the public right-of-way; and
WHEREAS, the public right-of-way is a limited public resource that must safely accommodate pedestrians, persons using wheelchairs and other mobility devices, persons with visual, hearing, cognitive, and other disabilities, older adults, children, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, emergency responders, public works and utility operations, commercial loading, refuse collection, deliveries, outdoor dining, street furniture, trees, landscaping, and other public and private uses authorized by law; and WHEREAS, personal delivery devices, commonly described as food delivery robots or sidewalk delivery robots, are motorized devices used or intended to be used to transport food, packages, merchandise, or other items for commercial delivery, and may be operated remotely, semi-autonomously, autonomously, or by a combination of remote-control and automated functions; and
WHEREAS, personal delivery devices are an emerging technology operation of which in the public right-of-way may provide convenience to consumers and businesses, but also raises unresolved local issues regarding pedestrian safety, accessibility, traffic control compliance, right-of-way obstruction, device size and speed, stopping and dwelling, interaction with driveways and alleys, crosswalk operations, emergency response, insurance, indemnity, data reporting, enforcement, and operator responsibility; and
WHEREAS, the City has observed, received reports of, or has reason to anticipate the deployment of personal delivery devices on sidewalks and other portions of the public right-of-way in Glendale; and
WHEREAS, local operating standards and an enforceable regulatory program are necessary to avoid conflicts between personal delivery devices, on the one hand, and pedestrians and other lawful users of the public right-of-way, on the other hand, particularly in commercial districts, transit-adjacent areas, high-pedestrian corridors, narrow sidewalks, construction zones, special event areas, and locations with existing sidewalk congestion; and
WHEREAS, maintaining a clear and accessible pedestrian path of travel is essential to ensuring that sidewalks and crossings remain usable by persons with disabilities, including persons using wheelchairs, walkers, canes, service animals, or other mobility aids, and by persons with visual or hearing impairments who may have difficulty detecting, anticipating, or avoiding a motorized device operating on a sidewalk or at a crosswalk; and
WHEREAS, personal delivery devices may stop, dwell, queue, stage, park, or become disabled in locations that obstruct sidewalks, curb ramps, building entrances, transit stops, crosswalks, driveways, fire access areas, loading zones, outdoor dining areas, or other locations where obstruction may create safety, accessibility, or operational impacts; and
WHEREAS, the City requires time to evaluate through a pilot program whether, and under what conditions, personal delivery devices may safely and appropriately operate in Glendale's public right-of-way; and
WHEREAS, entering into short-term operating agreements with a limited number of operators will enable the City to evaluate the efficacy of conditions such as geographic limitations, fleet caps, speed limits, insurance requirements, indemnification requirements, data reporting requirements, device identification requirements, local- contact requirements, enforcement mechanisms, and removal procedures; and WHEREAS, allowing deployment and operation of personal delivery devices outside the framework of a short-term operating agreement with the City could result in operational patterns, business reliance, public expectations, or right-of-way impacts that may make later, permanent regulation more difficult and undermine the City's ability to protect pedestrian safety, accessibility, and the orderly management of the public right- of-way; and
WHEREAS, the prohibition imposed by this Ordinance is limited in scope and duration, applies only to the deployment or operation of personal delivery devices in the public right-of-way absent an operating agreement with the City, does not prohibit traditional human delivery services, and does not regulate the content of speech or favor or disfavor any particular business based on viewpoint, message, or commodity delivered; and
WHEREAS, the Council finds this Ordinance is a reasonable and necessary measure to protect the public health, safety, and welfare while the City develops a permanent regulatory approach tailored to Glendale's local conditions; and WHEREAS, the Council finds that this Ordinance is necessary to protect pedestrian safety, accessibility for persons with disabilities, the orderly use and management of the public right-of-way, and the City's ability to adopt and enforce
1 6
9 1
8 regulations before personal delivery devices become more widely deployed within the City; and
WHEREAS, the Council finds that the adoption of this Ordinance is consistent with the City's police powers and its authority to regulate the use of City streets, sidewalks, and other public places in order to protect public health, safety, welfare, accessibility, and the orderly use of the public right-of-way; and WHEREAS, the Council finds that the absence of this Ordinance creates a present risk that personal delivery devices may operate on sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, parkways, transit stops, and other portions of the public right-of-way in a manner that obstructs pedestrian travel, interferes with disability access, creates conflicts with pedestrians and vehicles, or impairs the orderly and safe use of the public right-of-way.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are true and correct.
SECTION 2. As used herein, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them, unless otherwise noted:
“Personal delivery device” (“PDD”) means any motorized device, excluding any conveyance regulated under the California Vehicle Code, that is manufactured for transporting goods, products, or other items on a public right-of-way and equipped with automated and/or manual operation technology, including software and hardware, and which may be a device that operates with the remote support and supervision of a human, or a device that operates without the remote support and supervision of a human.
“Public right-of-way” means any public highway, street, alley, sidewalk, parkway, paseo, and all extensions or additions thereto which is either owned, operated, or controlled by the city, or is subject to an easement or dedication to the city.
SECTION 3.Except pursuant to an operating agreement with the city, no person shall deploy or operate, or cause to be deployed or operated, a personal delivery device on any public right-of-way in the city.
SECTION 4.A violation of this Ordinance is punishable under Chapter 1.20 and/or pursuant to the administrative code enforcement remedies and procedures under Chapter 1.24 of the Glendale Municipal Code, 1995, or any successor legislation.
SECTION 5. Compliance with California Environmental Quality Act. The City Council finds and determines that this Ordinance does not constitute a “project” pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378, subdivision (a). Pursuant to CEQA 1 6
9 1
8 Guidelines section 15378, subdivision (b)(2), a “project” does not include continuing administrative and maintenance activities, including general policy or procedure making, except as applied to specific instances not germane to this Ordinance.
Even if it is a “project,” the City Council finds and determines that this Ordinance is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15301, in that it consists of the operation of existing public facilities or topographical features, namely, existing highways and streets, sidewalks, and similar facilities, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. Moreover, the City Council finds and determines with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment; thus, it is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061, subdivision (b)(3).
SECTION 6. Severability. This Ordinance is adopted under the authority of the Charter of the City of Glendale and state law. If any section, subsection, clause or phrase is declared invalid or otherwise void by a court of competent jurisdiction, it shall not affect any remaining provisions hereof. In this regard, the City Council finds and declares that it would have adopted this measure notwithstanding any partial invalidity hereof.
SECTION 7. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty (30) days after the date of its passage.
Passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Glendale on the _____ day of _______________, 2026.
____________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________
City Clerk
1 6
9 1
8 STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS.
CITY OF GLENDALE )
I, Suzie Abajian Ph.D., City Clerk of the City of Glendale, certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. ___________ was passed by a majority vote of the Council of the City of Glendale, California, at a regular meeting held on the _____ day of _____________, 2026, and that the same was passed by the followed vote.
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
______________________________
City Clerk