Building Division
The Development Center is open for in-person services by appointment and limited walk-in service. The City moved to an all-digital application and plan review platform. This means that we no longer accept paper plan submittals. All submittals must be done in digital format.
2/18/2025: Building Inspection Services – Temporary Impact: Building inspection appointment availability is limited through mid-April. Appointment wait times may extend up to 7 days, and our team is actively working to increase appointment slots when possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Beginning Monday, January 13, 2025, a new Building Permit Pre-Application is available. The new Building Pre-Application is an online process and applicants no longer need to upload a separate Building Permit PDF Application as part of the submittal.
Applying for a Residential Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing (MEP) permit? See if you qualify for our new Over-The-Counter Residential MEP Permit Pilot Program!
2022 California Building Standards Code
The City of Palo Alto adopted the 2022 California Code of Regulations, Title 24 with certain amendments. These codes and amendments are effective on January 1, 2023. All projects submitted after January 1, 2023 must comply with the 2022 California Building Codes and the City of Palo Alto amendments. View the Palo Alto Municipal Code. See the newly adopted 2022 Edition ordinances:
- Chapter 15.04, California Fire Code (Ordinance No. 5563)(PDF, 2MB)
- Chapter 16.04, California Building Code, and Chapter 16.19, California Historical Building Code and California Existing Building Code (Ordinance No. 5564)(PDF, 2MB)
- Chapter 16.05, California Mechanical Code (Ordinance No. 5565)(PDF, 609KB)
- Chapter 16.06, California Residential Code, and Chapter 16.52, Flood Hazard Regulations (Ordinance No. 5566)(PDF, 1MB)
- Chapter 16.08, California Plumbing Code (Ordinance No. 5567)(PDF, 810KB)
- Chapter 16.16, California Electrical Code (Ordinance No. 5568)(PDF, 620KB)
- Chapter 16.18, International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) (Ordinance No. 5569)(PDF, 1MB)
- Chapter 16.14, California Green Building Standards Code (Ordinance No. 5570)(PDF, 1MB)
- Chapter 16.17, California Energy Code (Ordinance No. 5571)(PDF, 768KB)
2019 California Building Standards Code
The City of Palo Alto has adopted the 2019 California Code of Regulations, Title 24 with certain amendments. These codes and amendments are effective on January 1, 2020. All projects submitted after January 1, 2020 must comply with the 2019 California Building Codes and the City of Palo Alto amendments. View the Inspection Guidelines.
Accessibility Plan Review Comments
Our California Access Compliance Specialist Inspectors are available to walk commercial projects prior to construction--often during the plan check process. This allows the design team additional time to address site conditions. Our goal is to help you reduce delays as a consequence of inspection corrections, prevent reinspections, and reduce job cost overruns. [Resources for Accessibility Information(PDF, 43KB)]
Important Links and Resources
Safety Bullets and Advisories
ISO Building Code Effectiveness Scale Rating
Insurance Office Services (ISO) collects information from communities in the United States on their adoption and enforcement of building codes. ISO analyzes the data using its Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS™) and then assigns a BCEGS™ Classification number to the community. The classification number, which ranges from 1 to 10, measures a jurisdiction's commitment to the adoption and enforcement of building codes affecting the construction of new buildings. Class 1 indicates the most favorable classification of commitment to the adoption and enforcement of building codes. The Building Division is currently classified as a 3 and the Fire Department is classified as a 2.