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Title 18 — ZONING

Chapter 18.31 — CEQA REVIEW

Palo Alto Municipal Code · 2026-09 edition · updated 2026-09-29 · Palo Alto

18.31.010 Delegation of CEQA Authority

The PCE Director or other decision maker as delegated in this Code shall have authority to make California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) decisions relating to planning and land use entitlements, except that any Environmental Impact Report requiring a statement of overriding considerations shall be considered by the City Council. For projects requiring a statement of overriding considerations, the PCE Director shall refer any action on the entitlements to the City Council.

(Ord. 5373 § 18 (part), 2016)

18.31.020 Incorporation of State CEQA Guidelines

Resolution No. 6232 is hereby repealed and the full text of the State CEQA Guidelines adopted as 14 California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000, et seq., and any subsequent amendments thereto, are hereby incorporated by reference into this Chapter. If there is a conflict between the procedural provisions of the State Guidelines and this Chapter, the more restrictive provision shall apply.

(Ord. 5373 § 18 (part), 2016)

18.31.030 CEQA Appeals

Any person may appeal to the City Council from the decision of a non-elected decision-making body of the City to certify an environmental impact report, approve a negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration or determine that a project is not subject to Public Resources Code Section 21080 et seq. (California Environmental Quality Act) if that decision is not otherwise subject to further administrative review. Any such appeal must be filed on a form specified by the Director and must be filed within the same time period governing appeals of the underlying entitlement decision or within fourteen consecutive calendar days of the date that the environmental decision is made, if there is no appeal of the entitlement. The appellant shall state the specific reasons for the appeal. The appeal must be accompanied by the required filing fee.

(Ord. 5373 § 18 (part), 2016)

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▸Contents — Palo Alto Municipal Code
Palo Alto Municipal Code
  1. Article VIII — A. Board of Education
  2. Title 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS
  3. Title 2 — ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
  4. Title 4 — BUSINESS LICENSES AND REGULATIONS
  5. Title 5 — HEALTH AND SANITATION
  6. Title 6 — ANIMALS
  7. Title 8 — TREES AND VEGETATION
  8. Title 9 — PUBLIC PEACE, MORALS AND SAFETY
  9. Title 10 — VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
  10. Title 11 — ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PROCEDURE
  11. Title 12 — PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
  12. Title 13 — IMPROVEMENT PROCEDURE
  13. Title 15 — FIRE PREVENTION
  14. Title 16 — BUILDING REGULATIONS
  15. Title 17 — HAZARDOUS MATERIALS STORAGE
  16. ▸Title 18 — ZONING
    Overview
    1. 18.01 Adoption, Purposes, and Enforcement
    2. 18.04 Definitions
    3. 18.08 Designation and Establishment of Districts
    4. 18.09 Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling U…
    5. 18.10 Low Density Residential (R-E, R-2 and RMD) Districts
    6. 18.13 Multiple Family Residential (RM-20, RM-30 and RM-40) Dis…
    7. 18.14 Housing Incentives
    8. 18.15 Density Bonus
    9. 18.16 Neighborhood, Community, and Service Commercial (CN, CC …
    10. 18.18 Downtown Commercial (CD) District
    11. 18.20 Office, Research and Manufacturing (MOR, ROLM, RP and GM…
    12. 18.24 Contextual Design Criteria and Objective Design Standards
    13. 18.28 Special Purpose Districts
    14. 18.29 North Ventura (NV) District Regulations
    15. 18.30 Combining Districts
    16. 18.31 CEQA Review
    17. 18.34 Pedestrian and Transit Oriented Development (PTOD) Combi…
    18. 18.36 Hospital (HD) District
    19. 18.38 PC Planned Community District Regulations
    20. 18.42 Standards for Special Uses
    21. 18.44 Green Development Regulations
    22. 18.46 Requests for Reasonable Accommodation for Accessibility
    23. 18.52 Parking and Loading Requirements
    24. 18.60 Alternative Development Standards for Stanford Lands
    25. 18.62 Special Regulations for Hazardous Waste Facilities
    26. 18.66 Creation of Easements Through the Execution and Recordat…
    27. 18.70 Nonconforming Uses and Noncomplying Facilities
    28. 18.76 Permits and Approvals
    29. 18.77 Processing of Permits and Approvals
    30. 18.78 Appeals
    31. 18.79 Development Project Preliminary Review Procedures
    32. 18.80 Amendments to Zoning Map and Zoning Regulations
    33. Chapter 18.01 — ADOPTION, PURPOSES, AND ENFORCEMENT
    34. Chapter 18.04 — DEFINITIONS
    35. Chapter 18.08 — DESIGNATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICTS
    36. Chapter 18.10 — LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (RE, R-2 and RMD) DIST…
    37. Chapter 18.13 — MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
    38. Chapter 18.14 — HOUSING INCENTIVES
    39. Chapter 18.15 — DENSITY BONUS
    40. Chapter 18.16 — NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY, AND SERVICE COMMERCIA…
    41. Chapter 18.18 — DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL (CD) DISTRICT
    42. Chapter 18.20 — OFFICE, RESEARCH, AND MANUFACTURING
    43. Chapter 18.28 — SPECIAL PURPOSE (PF, OS and AC) DISTRICTS
    44. Chapter 18.29 — NORTH VENTURA (NV) DISTRICT REGULATIONS
    45. Chapter 18.30 — COMBINING DISTRICTS
    46. Chapter 18.31 — CEQA REVIEW
    47. Chapter 18.34 — PEDESTRIAN AND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (P…
    48. Chapter 18.36 — HOSPITAL (HD) DISTRICT
    49. Chapter 18.38 — PC PLANNED COMMUNITY DISTRICT REGULATIONS
    50. Chapter 18.40 — GENERAL STANDARDS AND EXCEPTIONS
    51. Chapter 18.42 — STANDARDS FOR SPECIAL USES
    52. Chapter 18.44 — GREEN DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS
    53. Chapter 18.46 — REQUESTS FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR
    54. Chapter 18.52 — PARKING AND LOADING REQUIREMENTS
    55. Chapter 18.54 — PARKING FACILITY DESIGN STANDARDS
    56. Chapter 18.60 — ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR STANFORD
    57. Chapter 18.62 — SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILI…
    58. Chapter 18.66 — CREATION OF EASEMENTS THROUGH THE EXECUTION AND
    59. Chapter 18.70 — NONCONFORMING USES AND NONCOMPLYING FACILITIES
    60. Chapter 18.76 — PERMITS AND APPROVALS
    61. Chapter 18.77 — PROCESSING OF PERMITS AND APPROVALS
    62. Chapter 18.78 — APPEALS
    63. Chapter 18.79 — DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PRELIMINARY REVIEW PROCEDU…
    64. Chapter 18.80 — AMENDMENTS TO ZONING MAP AND ZONING REGULATIONS
  17. Title 19 — MASTER PLAN
  18. Article 7 — AUTHORITY FOR AND SCOPE OF MASTER OR GENERAL PLANS.
  19. Article 8 — PROCEDURE FOR ADOPTION OF MASTER OR GENERAL PLAN.
  20. Chapter 19.06 — SPECIFIC PLANS
  21. Chapter 19.10 — COORDINATED AREA PLANS
  22. Title 20 — PRECISE PLANS
  23. Title 21 — SUBDIVISIONS AND OTHER DIVISIONS OF LAND
  24. Title 22 — PARKS

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