The Palo Alto City Council has adopted City Codes (laws) specifically designed to ensure the absence of blight, nuisances, and to maintain a clean environment for all citizens in our community. The City of Palo Alto does this by working in partnership with the people of Palo Alto. The mission of Code Enforcement Division is to promote and maintain a safe and desirable living and working environment.
We help maintain and improve the quality of our community by:
- Administering a fair and unbaised enforcement program to correct violations of the municipal code, including zoning requirements.
- Working with residents, neighborhood associations, public service agencies and other City department to facilitate voluntary compliance with City laws and codes.
How Are Codes Enforced?
The code enforcement process is typically initiated in several ways:
- In response to a complaint by an individual
- Observation of a code violation by City staff as they patrol the community
- As a consequence of an action by the property owner (for example, an application for a building permit or a request for a zoning variance)
You may file a complaint about a possible code violation either in person, in writing, by phone or email or by submitting online the complaint form found on this website. Phone numbers and email addresses are available on the Contact Us page. In an average year, the City receives several complaints related to possible code enforcement violations.
Please be prepared for specific information such as:
- Contact info - complainants' name, address, phone number.
- The address of the property.
- Detailed description of the situation.
- The length of time you have observed the situation.
What Are The Follow-Up Procedures?
City staff responds to code enforcement complaints according to the impact of the violation on the community. Situations that appear to pose a serious risk to health and safety are given top priority; others are pursued in the order in which they are received.
For all types of code complaints, the first step in the follow-up procedure is personal contact by a City staff member to see if a code violation exists and to request compliance. If the individual responsible for the situation is not available or appears unwilling to voluntarily correct the code violation in a timely maner, a notice of violation or a citation may be issued. The City may also take court action if the situation poses a significant risk to the community or if the individual has ignored previous notices/citations.
What Penalties Result From Code Violations?
In many cases, the individual responsible for the code violation is given the opportunity to voluntarily correct the situation and comply with current codes without a penalty. If the correction is not made, then the individual may be subject to fines and other penalties.
