Palo Alto · Building on your lot

Building on your lot in Palo Alto

Palo Alto sets fence heights by distance from the street, with higher limits on University Avenue and next to railroads, industrial or commercial areas. At street intersections, fences are limited to 3 feet within a visibility triangle.

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Key points

Fence heights: Fences: at most 4 feet in the street setback; beyond it, 6 feet in street yards, 7 in interior side and rear yards.
Accessory height: Accessory buildings in a required interior yard are limited to 12 feet, under a daylight plane starting at 8 feet at the property line.
Home business size: A home occupation may use at most 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area or 500 square feet, whichever is less; no outside employees.

Each rule below is marked Palo Alto code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Fences and walls

Palo Alto code Fences: at most 4 feet in the street setback; beyond it, 6 feet in street yards, 7 in interior side and rear yards.

All 8 Palo Alto rules on fences and walls, with the code text →

Sheds, garages and other accessory structures

Palo Alto code What Palo Alto's code adds
Maximum height	No more than 12 feet. Applies: Accessory buildings in a required interior yard, residential zones. A daylight plane starts at 8 feet at the line, rising 3 feet per 10 feet. § 18.40.050 · code text Accessory buildings located within a required interior yard as permitted by this section shall be subject to a maximum height established by a daylight plane beginning at a height of eight feet at the property line and increasing at a slope of three feet for each ten feet of distance from the property line, to a maximum height of twelve feet.
Side and rear setback	Allowed in a required interior side or rear yard only if at least 75 feet from any street line. Applies: Residential zones, measured along the lot line. Never in a required front yard, street yard, or rear yard of a through lot. § 18.40.050 · code text An accessory building shall not be located in a required interior side or rear yard unless the building is at least seventy-five feet from any street line, measured along the respective lot line.

Running a business from home

Palo Alto code What Palo Alto's code adds
Space used	No more than 25% of the home's gross floor area or 500 square feet on the site, whichever is less. Applies: The 500 square feet includes accessory buildings. § 18.42.060 · code text Not more than twenty-five percent of the gross floor area of the dwelling unit, or five hundred square feet of gross floor area on the site including accessory buildings, whichever is less, shall be devoted to the home occupation.
Employees	Only lawful occupants of the home may be employed on the site. § 18.42.060 · code text No person shall be employed on the site in connection with the home occupation except lawful occupants of the dwelling unit within which the home occupation is conducted.

Lot splits under SB 9

Palo Alto code Lots of about equal area; none smaller than 40% of the original lot. At least 1,200 square feet.

All 5 Palo Alto rules on lot splits under SB 9, with the code text →

Solar panels and EV chargers

Palo Alto code What Palo Alto's code adds
Solar permit process	Fast review is available; one combined inspection is required. Applies: Applies to small rooftop home solar systems eligible for fast review. § 16.63.060 · code text For a small residential rooftop solar energy system eligible for expedited review, only one consolidated inspection shall be required, which shall be done in a timely manner.

Tree removal

Palo Alto code Dead, diseased or broken branches may be pruned without the 7-day notice. Protected trees under 5 years old are exempt from the pruning notice.

All 3 Palo Alto rules on tree removal, with the code text →

Swimming pools

Palo Alto code The gap from the ground to the bottom of the enclosure is at most 2 inches (51 mm). Gaps must not let a sphere 4 inches (102 mm) or wider pass through.

All 7 Palo Alto rules on swimming pools, with the code text →

Pets, chickens and bees

Palo Alto code Yes; no more than 2 hives. Yes, with a permit from the animal center superintendent.

All 9 Palo Alto rules on pets, chickens and bees, with the code text →

Building in a flood zone

Palo Alto code Build in a special flood hazard area only with a development permit; required building, electrical, plumbing or grading permits count. Fill, new buildings and other development are not allowed unless a professional engineer certifies no rise in flood levels.

All 7 Palo Alto rules on building in a flood zone, with the code text →

Grading and erosion control

Palo Alto code What Palo Alto's code adds
Grading without a permit	No permit if under 10,000 square feet disturbed, slopes flatter than 10:1, and all listed limits are met. Also: 100 cubic yards or less stored, under 5,000 square feet new paving, no blocked drainage, not within 100 feet of water; not dewatering. § 16.28.070 · code text Natural and finished slopes are flatter than 10:1. No permit: footing digs, utility trenches, up to 100 cubic yards without drainage change, or up to 5 cubic yards. Applies: Specific exemptions; footing digs need a building permit and exclude basements, below-grade parking, and unsupported depths over 5 feet. § 16.28.080 · code text Cemetery graves.

Park and impact fees for new homes

Palo Alto code Accessory dwelling units under 750 square feet are exempt. Junior accessory dwelling units are exempt.

All 7 Palo Alto rules on park and impact fees for new homes, with the code text →

Noise and construction hours

Palo Alto code What Palo Alto's code adds
Noise limit at homes	Noise may not be more than 6 dB above the local background level. Applies: Noise from a home, measured anywhere outside its property line; electrification equipment may use the sound-level and setback table instead. § 9.10.030 · code text No person shall produce, suffer or allow to be produced by any machine, animal or device, or any combination of same, on residential property, a noise level more than six dB above the local ambient at any point outside of the property plane, except as modified in (c) below. Noise may not be more than 6 dB above the local background level. Applies: Multi-family property; 3 feet from any wall, floor or ceiling inside another unit, windows and doors closed. § 9.10.030 · code text No person shall produce, suffer or allow to be produced by any machine, animal, or device, or any combination of same, on multi-family residential property, a noise level more than six dB above the local ambient three feet from any wall, floor, or ceiling inside any dwelling unit on the same property, when the windows and doors of the dwelling unit are closed, except within the dwelling unit in which the noise source or sources may be located.

Family child care homes

CA state law California law
Zoning	A small or large family child care home is a residential use and a use by right under all local ordinances, including zoning Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(a)
Business license or fee	A city or county may not charge a business license, fee or tax to run a family child care home Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(b)
Local rules	Local limits on height, setbacks, lot size, health and safety must be the same as for every other home in the same zone Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(e)
Small home	Up to eight children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(c)
Large home	7 to 14 children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(b)

Affordable units in new housing (inclusionary)

Palo Alto code Mixed use projects with fewer than 3 dwelling units pay housing impact fees on those units. The city council sets these from time to time by ordinance or resolution.

All 11 Palo Alto rules on affordable units in new housing (inclusionary), with the code text →

Trash and recycling carts

Palo Alto code Do not put solid waste in recycling or compost containers, and remove any solid waste before collection. Containers may stay in the public right-of-way until the day after collection.

All 4 Palo Alto rules on trash and recycling carts, with the code text →

Historic homes

Palo Alto code Review is required. Historic resources board review; compliance is voluntary.

All 8 Palo Alto rules on historic homes, with the code text →

Other Palo Alto rules on this

Palo Alto's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.

Large vehicle and RV street parking limits (Ch. 10.47) — posted public streets only

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

How big can a shed or accessory building be in Palo Alto?

Accessory buildings in a required interior yard are limited to 12 feet, under a daylight plane starting at 8 feet at the property line.

Can I run a business from my home in Palo Alto?

A home occupation may use at most 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area or 500 square feet, whichever is less; no outside employees.

Do I need a permit for solar panels or an EV charger in Palo Alto?

Palo Alto's code: Fast review is available; one combined inspection is required. (Applies to small rooftop home solar systems eligible for fast review.) (§ 16.63.060).

What are the grading rules in Palo Alto?

Palo Alto's code: No permit if under 10,000 square feet disturbed, slopes flatter than 10:1, and all listed limits are met. (Also: 100 cubic yards or less stored, under 5,000 square feet new paving, no blocked drainage, not within 100 feet of water; not dewatering.) (§ 16.28.070); No permit: footing digs, utility trenches, up to 100 cubic yards without drainage change, or up to 5 cubic yards. (Specific exemptions; footing digs need a building permit and exclude basements, below-grade parking, and unsupported depths over 5 feet.) (§ 16.28.080).

What are the noise rules and construction hours in Palo Alto?

Palo Alto's code: Noise may not be more than 6 dB above the local background level. (Noise from a home, measured anywhere outside its property line; electrification equipment may use the sound-level and setback table instead.) (§ 9.10.030); Noise may not be more than 6 dB above the local background level. (Multi-family property; 3 feet from any wall, floor or ceiling inside another unit, windows and doors closed.) (§ 9.10.030).

Can I run a family child care home in Palo Alto?

California law sets this for every city, including Palo Alto: Zoning: A small or large family child care home is a residential use and a use by right under all local ordinances, including zoning (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(a)); Business license or fee: A city or county may not charge a business license, fee or tax to run a family child care home (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(b)); Local rules: Local limits on height, setbacks, lot size, health and safety must be the same as for every other home in the same zone (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(e)); Small home: Up to eight children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there (Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(c)); Large home: 7 to 14 children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there (Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(b)).

General information, not legal advice.

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