***NOT YET APPROVED***
1 0160153_kb_20251125_ay
Ordinance No. _____
Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending the Fiscal Year 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule to Update Fees for Service in the Planning and Development Services Department
The Council of the City of Palo Alto ORDAINS as follows:
SECTION 1. Findings and Declarations. The City Council finds and declares as follows:
A. The Department of Planning and Development Services charges user fees to applicants requesting planning entitlements and related services.
B. On June 16, 2025, the City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule, reflecting updated fees for the Planning and Development Services Department.
C. The City of Palo Alto has an interest in encouraging day care uses; this interest was inadvertently not reflected in the Adopted FY 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule.
D. The Adopted FY 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule also inadvertently omitted a provision for alternative fee arrangements and the fee for a noise exception permit.
E. The City now desires to amend the FY 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule.
F. In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8 of Division 1, of Title 7, commencing with Section 66016 of the Government Code, as applicable, the Council did on December 15, 2025, hold an open and public meeting on the proposed amendments to the Municipal Fee Schedule, after publication of notice and after availability of the data supporting the amendments was made available to the public at least 10 days prior to the hearing.
G. Fees in the Municipal Fee Schedule are for government services provided directly to the payor that are not provided to those not charged. The amount of this fee does not exceed the reasonable costs to the City of providing the services. Consequently, pursuant to Art.
XIII C, Section l(e)(2), such fees are not a tax.
H. The amount of new or increased fees and charges is no more than necessary to cover the reasonable costs of the governmental activity, and the manner in which those costs are allocated to a payer bears a fair and reasonable relationship to the payer's burden on, or benefits received from, the governmental activity.
SECTION 2. The Council of the City of Palo Alto amends the Fiscal Year 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule by adopting service fees for the Planning and Development Services Department as set forth in Exhibit “A” and incorporated here by reference to reflect its interest in encouraging day care uses.
***NOT YET APPROVED***
2 0160153_kb_20251125_ay
SECTION 3. The Council finds that this ordinance is not a “project” under CEQA because it has no potential for resulting in either a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect change in the environment.
SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be effective upon adoption as an amendment to the City’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Pursuant to Government Code Section 66017, all Planning and Development Services Department fees relating to a “development project,” as defined in Government Code Section 66000, shall become effective no sooner than sixty (60) days from the date of adoption.
INTRODUCED and PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
____________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
____________________________ ____________________________ Assistant City Attorney City Manager
____________________________
Director of Planning and
Development Services
***NOT YET APPROVED***
3 0160153_kb_20251125_ay
Attachment A
Fee Category and Fee Title FY 2026 Cost ($) Unit Note:
Building Permit Fees
Alternative Fee Arrangement If project is out of scope from a traditional building structure and/or additional services are required, then an alternative fee arrangement may be established by the Chief Building Official to achieve cost recovery. This exception may apply in cases when construction valuation (commercial), square footage (residential), or stand-alone fees are not practicable for the project.
Construction and Demolition
Demolition Permit
(Replaces “Building Demolition Permit”) 1,195 per permit Price does not include C&D Fees Noise Exception 211 each
Use Permit
Conditional Use Permit - Day Care Center 219 each