Building Division

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)

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.

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)]

• Contractors State License Board
• Ready to Demolish a Building? Inspect, Protect, and Dispose. 
• Bay Area Air Quality Management District
• California Building Standards Commission
• DSA Access Compliance Reference Materials
• California Energy Commission
• Cal/OSHA Compliance
• ICC International Code Council

• Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety(PDF, 5MB)
• Commercial Property Owner's Guide to Earthquake Safety

• After Fire Occupancy(PDF, 34KB)
• Carbon Monoxide: A Winter Month's Health Threat(PDF, 30KB)
• Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety(PDF, 5MB)
• Living in a House During Construction(PDF, 32KB)
• Major Causes of Fire(PDF, 22KB)
• Malfunctioning Dishwasher Fire(PDF, 79KB)
• Slab Gas Safety(PDF, 32KB)

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.