ORDINANCE NO. 7769
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING A 45 -DAY MORATORIUM
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OR EXPANSION OF WOODEN PALLET
STORAGE YARDS WITHIN CITY LIMITS DURING THE PENDENCY OF
THE CITY' S REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF PERMANENT ZONING
REGULATIONS FOR SUCH USES.
WHEREAS, the City of Riverside (" City") is a municipal corporation and charter city duly organized under the constitution and laws of the State of California; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the City' s police power, the City Council of the City of Riverside City Council") hasthe authority to enactandenforceordinancesandregulations to protect thepublic health, safety, andgeneralwelfare of the community; and WHEREAS, Government Code section 65858 authorizes the City Council to adopt, as an urgency measure, an interim ordinance that prohibits useswhich may conflict with a contemplated generalplan, specificplan, or zoningproposalthatis beingconsideredby the City Council, Planning Commission, or planning staff; and
WHEREAS, the Riverside Municipal Code lacks specific regulatory and zoning standardsto assurethat wooden pallet storageyards do not adversely affect the health, safety, and welfare of the public; and
WHEREAS, the issuance of permits for wooden pallet storageyards without having zoning andregulatorystandardsin place, threatensthe public health, safety, andwelfare for the following reasons:
Fire Risk: Wooden pallet storageyards present an obvious fire hazard due to the storage of largequantitiesof wood, a combustiblematerial, at a singlesite. Within thepastfew yearsthere havebeenmultiple fires associatedwith pallet yardsin nearbycities that have causedmillions of dollars in losses.
Stacking Hazards: Wooden pallet storageyards often storewooden pallets in high stacks.
Without adequate regulation of the location, height and volume of these stacks, or the separation betweenthesestacks, thehealth, safety, andwelfareof thepublic maybe endangered. Theimproper
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
21VGRSIDR. CA 92522
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
or unsafe stacking of wooden pallets may be a falling risk, endangeringemployees, and visitors to thesesites, or maybecomeafire hazard, endangeringthepublic andneighboringproperties; and WHEREAS, the City desiresto adoptaninterim urgencymoratoriumordinanceprohibiting the establishmentor expansionof wooden pallet storageyards, pending study and adoption of zoning andregulatorystandardsto protectthepublic health, safety, andwelfare; and WHEREAS, theCity intendsto studytheissuesassociatedwith woodenpalletyardsincluding new developmentstandardsthatmaybeimposedon their operationto mitigateanypotentialimpacts.
This could includeevaluatingall landuse districtsin which woodenpallet yardsarepermittedfor suitability and evaluatingdevelopmentstandardsand best practicesfrom other jurisdictions to determine if they would be appropriate City wide; and
WHEREAS, Government Code Sections 36934, 36937, and 65858 expressly authorize the City Councilto adoptanurgencyordinancefor theimmediatepreservationof thepublicpeace, health, or safetyandto prohibit a usethatis in conflict with a contemplatedgeneralplan, specificplan, or zoning proposalthat the legislative body, planning commission, or the planning departmentis considering or studying or intends to study within a reasonabletime; and WHEREAS, after undertaking this study, the City intends to enact regulations specific to wooden pallet storageyards. The City intends to undertake the required study within a reasonable time. In the interim, it is necessaryto establish a moratorium on the development of new wooden pallet storageyards or the expansionof existing wooden pallet yardsin orderto prevent a conflict with the contemplatednew policies or regulations; and
WHEREAS, if necessary, thismoratoriummaybe extendedasprovidedby law; and WHEREAS, continued approval of entitlements, building permits, or other approvalsfor new or expandedwoodenpallet storageyardsposesacurrentandimmediatethreatto publichealth, safety, or general welfare; and
WHEREAS, as a result, there is an urgent necessity to establish a temporary, forty- five ( 45) calendardaymoratoriumonthe establishmentof new woodenpallet storageyardswithin the City, pending the completion of the City' s study; and
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
2 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
22 23
24 25
26 27
28 WHEREAS, the City has a compelling interest in protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of its residentsand businesses, and preservingthe peaceandintegrity of neighborhoods within the City; and
WHEREAS, to protectthe City's investmentin its planning efforts, ensurethattheCity' s long-term planninggoals and strategiescan be achievedin an effective and timely manner, and to avoida currentandimmediatethreatto the public health, safety, andwelfare, the City proposes adopting a moratorium on the establishmentof new wooden pallet storageyards within the City; and WHEREAS, it is necessaryto protect the health, safetyandwelfare, specificallythe City andthepublic's interestsin theCity' s aesthetic, economic, health, safetyand communitycharacter, until additional staff review has been completed and any necessarylocal regulationsor code revisions have been revised, adopted and otherwise made effective.
The City Council of the City of Riverside doesordain asfollows:
Section 1. Incorporation of Recitals.
Theaboverecitalsareherebydeclaredto betrueandcorrectandrepresentfindingsof theCity Council, madein theexerciseof its independentjudgment, andareherebyincorporatedby reference and made a part of this ordinance.
Section 2. Authority.
In accordancewith GovernmentCodesection65858etseq., to protectthepublic safety, health, andwelfare, theCity Councilherebyadopts, asanurgencymeasure, thisinterim ordinanceprohibiting the establishmentor expansionof woodenpallet storageyardswithin the City, becausetheymaybe in conflict with a contemplatedgeneralplan, specificplan, or zoningproposalthattheCity through eitherthe City Council, PlanningCommission, or theplanningdepartmentis consideringor studying or intends to study within a reasonabletime.
Section 3. Findings.
The City Council hereby finds wooden pallet storageyards pose a current and immediate threatto thepublic health, safetyandwelfareon thecitizensof the City andareausewhichmaybe in conflict with a contemplatedgeneralplan, specificplan, or zoningproposalthattheCity Council,
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
3 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
22 23
24 25
26 27
28 Planning Commission or the Planning Division is considering or studying or intends to study within a reasonable time. The City Council further hereby finds that the approval of land use permits, building permits, business licenses, or any other applicable approval or decision for the establishmentor expansion of wooden pallet storageyards would result in that threat to public health, safety, or welfare. These findings arebased upon all of the facts recited in this ordinance, in the staff report accompanyingthis ordinance, all mattersandinformationpresentedto this City Council at its meeting on May 19, 2026. The City Council hereby directs the Planning Division and the City' sFire Department to work together to consider andstudy impacts and adoption of zoning and regulatory standardsto protect the public health, safety, and welfare and to create new or revised regulations and/ or ordinances that address such impacts.
Section 4. Moratorium Imposed.
A temporary moratorium is hereby established and imposed and no land use entitlements, building permits, business licenses and any other applicable approval or decisions for the establishmentor expansion of wooden pallet storageyards, shall be granted for such activities.
Section 5. Effective Date and Duration.
This ordinance shall become effective immediately upon adoption if adoptedby at least four - fifths voteof theCity Council, andshallremainin full forceandeffectfor aperiodof forty-five (45) days from the date of its adoption unless extended by the City Council in accordance with the provisions of Government Code section 65858.
Section 6. Severability.
If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstanceis held to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid by a court of competentjurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this ordinancewhich canbe implemented without the invalid provision or application and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are declaredto be severable.
Section 7. California Environmental Quality Act.
The City hereby finds that this ordinance is not subject to review under the California
CITY ATTORNEYS OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RNERSIDE, CA 92522
4 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
22 23
24 25
26 27
28 Environmental Quality Act ( CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15060, subdivision (c)(2) the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15061, subdivision ( b)( 3) ( there is no possibility the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment). In addition to the foregoing general exemptions, the City Council further finds that this ordinance is categorically exempt from review under CEQA under the Class 8 Categorical Exemption ( regulatory activity to assure the protection of the environment), CEQA Guidelines section 15308.
Section 8. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this ordinance and cause publication once in a newspaper of general circulation in accordance with Section 414 of the Charter of the City of Riverside.
ADOPTED by the City Council this 19th day of May, 2026.
Attest:
DONESIA ( CAUSE
City Clerk of the City of Riverside
PATRICIA LOCK DAWSONMayor
of theCityof RiversideCITY
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE3900
MAIN STREETRIVERSIDE,
CA 925225
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
I, Donesia Gause, City Clerk of the City of Riverside, California, certify that the foregoing ordinance was duly and regularly adoptedby the City Council of the City of Riverside, at a regular meeting held on the 19th day of May, 2026, by the following vote of the City Council:
Ayes: Falcone, Cervantes, Robillard, Mill and Perry
Noes:
Absent: Conder and Hemenway
Abstain:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Riverside, California, this 26th day of May, 2026. 313762 ALB 04/ 17/ 26
DONES' IAGAUSECity
Clerkof theCityof RiversideCrry
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE3900
MAIN STREETRIVERSIDE,
CA 925226