Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Palo Alto, California

At a glance

Building permits

Required for new homes, remodels and ADUs; apply to Palo Alto¹

Zoning

Ask Palo Alto Planning Services about the parcel and proposed use²

Septic permits

County Environmental Health issues OWTS permits; city code also requires health-officer plans and approval³⁴

Accessory dwellings

Allowed where single-family or multi-family residential use is permitted, subject to applicable standards⁵

Owner-builder

Conditional contractor-license exemption; building permits and inspections still required⁶⁷

Wells

Local permit required before construction, modification or destruction⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Palo Alto, CA?

Palo Alto requires building permits for new single-family homes, home remodels, ADUs, reroofs, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.¹ Palo Alto has adopted the California Building Code with local amendments, exceptions and additions.⁹ Ask Development Services which building-permit checklist fits your project before preparing the application.¹

California’s owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing and has conditions on who performs the work and whether improvements are intended for sale.⁶ An owner-builder must still obtain building permits and pass applicable codes and building inspections.⁷

Who handles Palo Alto building permits, fees and permit searches?

Palo Alto Development Services accepts building-permit documents through Accela Citizen Access and checks applications for completeness before formal review.¹ A dedicated Project Coordinator guides the project, and complete submittals become official building-permit applications before fee payment starts plan check.¹ Call the building office at (650) 329-2496 or email [email protected] about your application and current fees.¹

Use the city’s Accela portal for the building-permit application.¹ Request a current fee estimate for your scope rather than budgeting from the published FY2023 schedule, which varies by permit type, valuation and review category.¹⁰

Does Palo Alto have zoning, and what about setbacks and ADUs?

Palo Alto Planning Services answers zoning questions and performs zoning compliance plan checks on single-story single-family building-permit applications.² California reserves ordinary building setbacks and side and rear yard requirements to local jurisdictions, subject to statutory exceptions.¹¹ Ask Palo Alto planning staff to identify the parcel’s district and the applicable lot-size, setback and house-size standards before committing to a design.²

Palo Alto allows ADUs in zoning districts where single-family or multi-family residential use is permitted, subject to the applicable local or state standards.⁵ That ADU pathway does not by itself confirm permission to occupy a movable tiny home; ask Planning Services about the specific unit and site.⁵²

How do septic permits work inside Palo Alto?

A Palo Alto building that will not connect to a public sanitary sewer needs sewage-disposal plans submitted to the health officer and a permit; health-officer approval is separately required.⁴ The private sewage plans must include a plot plan with elevations, septic-tank size and type, and the absorption-field layout and dimensions.¹²

Santa Clara County Environmental Health issues OWTS permits and conducts installation inspections, including for properties without public sewer service.³ Start with the county Land Use Program for site evaluation and soil testing, and coordinate the city’s health-officer approval with Palo Alto Development Services before designing a home around private wastewater disposal.¹³⁴¹

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Palo Alto?

We could not confirm a Palo Alto rule resolving residential RV occupancy, temporary private-land camping or occupancy of a tiny home; ask Palo Alto Planning Services about the intended use before buying a unit.² Palo Alto’s verified ADU provision allows accessory dwellings where residential use is permitted, subject to applicable standards, but does not establish a blanket permission for an RV or tiny home on wheels.⁵

For land outside city limits, consult the Santa Clara County guide: the county’s movable-tiny-home ADU rule is expressly for unincorporated land.¹⁴ Do not use that county approval pathway as proof that a Palo Alto parcel qualifies.¹⁴

Building a home in Palo Alto: what are the steps?

1. Discuss the proposed use and zoning with Palo Alto Planning Services; planning-entitlement applications are accepted by appointment.²
2. Resolve sewage disposal: private systems need health-officer plans and approval, and County Environmental Health handles OWTS permits and inspections.⁴³
3. Gather the city’s building-permit submittal documents and upload them through Accela Citizen Access.¹
4. Respond to completeness review through the assigned Project Coordinator, then pay building-permit fees when the city converts the complete submittal; plan check begins after payment.¹
5. Coordinate building inspections with Development Services; final inspections must be scheduled by phone.¹

What should you check before buying land in Palo Alto?

Ask Palo Alto Public Works about flood exposure and proposed driveway work in the public right-of-way: that office administers the National Flood Insurance Program and supports right-of-way construction.¹⁵ We could not confirm the complete city floodplain-development or driveway-access requirements; describe the parcel and proposed work to Public Works before assuming either is routine.¹⁵

California requires a local permit before constructing, modifying or destroying a water well; within Valley Water’s service area, Valley Water requires well permits and County Environmental Health approval for water-supply well construction applications.⁸¹⁶ Ask those offices to confirm the applicable approval route for a Palo Alto parcel before relying on private well water.¹⁶

Watch-outs

• Palo Alto building and zoning questions belong with the city; Santa Clara County Environmental Health still handles OWTS permits and installation inspections.¹²³
• We could not confirm permission for residential RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy in Palo Alto; ask Planning Services before treating a parked unit as housing.²
• Palo Alto warns that building-permit payments must go through Accela Citizen Access and that city staff will not email a PDF invoice requesting a separate payment link.¹

Sources

1. Palo Alto Development Services (paloalto.gov)
2. Palo Alto Planning Services (paloalto.gov)
3. Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS), quoted and re-checked
4. 16.10.050 Plans submitted - Permit (Palo Alto), quoted and re-checked
5. 18.09.020 Applicable Zoning Districts (Palo Alto), quoted and re-checked
6. California Business and Professions Code Section 7044 (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Owner-Builder Responsibilities (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Well Standards (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. 16.04.010 California Building Code adopted and amended (Palo Alto), quoted and re-checked
10. Planning and Development Services Fiscal Year 2023 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule (Palo Alto), quoted and re-checked
11. California Health and Safety Code Section 17922 (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. 16.10.050 Plans submitted - Permit (Palo Alto), quoted and re-checked
13. Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health — Land Use Program (deh.santaclaracounty.gov)
14. Santa Clara County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
15. Palo Alto Public Works (paloalto.gov)
16. Well Permits and Inspections, quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.