Bird-Friendly Design Ordinance
To implement the City’s Comprehensive Plan Policy on the bird-friendly design (Policy L-6.3), the City Council directed staff to update the City’s zoning code to establish new standards on bird-friendly design buildings.
The new ordinance aims to minimize hazards and reduce the potential for bird collisions while still allowing for practical building design. Its primary focus is to reduce glare and reflectivity from glazing (most commonly windows), which will essentially lead to a reduction in bird injuries or mortality.
Staff plan to take this ordinance to the City Council for consideration and adoption in late 2025.
Upcoming Events & Meetings
On October 30, 2024, staff presented a draft ordinance to the Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC) and received recommendations. Staff are now conducting further analysis and outreach to gather feedback on the feasibility of the requirements.
The revised ordinance is anticipated to return to PTC in September 2025 for their recommendation. City Council consideration is anticipated to occur in late 2025.
Please contact Kelly Cha at Kelly.Cha@paloalto.gov to be added to the project’s email list to receive future announcements, including public hearing schedule.
Proposed Ordinance (as of October 2024)
The PTC recommendation from October 2024 is summarized below:
Applicability
- New construction and major remodel projects.
- New or replacement of existing windows or glass (glazing).
Bird Sensitive Area (draft map(PDF, 4MB))
- Areas located east of Highway 101.
- Areas located west of Foothill Expressway.
- Area within 300 feet of the centerline of natural streams.
Bird-Friendly Design Requirements
- Bird-friendly treatment is required for any unbroken glazing 24 square feet or larger.
- For residential buildings:
- Within the Bird Safe Area, no more than 10% of an elevation can be untreated.
- Outside of the Bird Safe Area: no more than 40% of an elevation can be untreated.
- For non-residential buildings, no more than 10% of an elevation can be untreated.
Bird-Friendly Treatment Specifications
- Treated glazing must include permanent visual cues:
- Dots or other shapes at least 1/4-inch in diameter, spaced no more than 2 inches apart in any direction.
- Lines at least 1/8-inch wide, spaced no more than 2 inches apart.
- Non-permanent markers may be allowed for residential development or the residential portion of a mixed-use development.
- Alternatively, permanent exterior features over glazing, with no gaps larger than 9 inches in one dimension, are allowed.
Alternative Compliance to Bird-Friendly Design Requirements
- Alternative compliance requests should be submitted with a report prepared by a qualified biologist or ornithologist with:
- Accreditation in Bird-Friendly Design or have a degree in wildlife biology or specialization in ornithology.
- A minimum of five years of experience in bird-friendly building design.
Exemptions
- Historic structures, 100% affordable housing projects, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)/Junior ADUs.
- The first floor of commercial uses facing a public street, up to 14 feet in height, within retail and mixed-use zoning districts.
Examples of Bird-Friendly Glass and Exterior Features
Example of Bird-Friendly Treatment Glazing: 2x2 Dots
Example of Bird-Friendly Treatment Glazing: Vertical Lines
Example of Exterior Features
Public Outreach and Community Engagement
The ordinance development process has included community input through public meetings with board and commissions. Please see the table below to access meeting materials including staff reports and recordings of public hearings.
Past and Planned Outreach
- Architectural Review Board
- February 15, 2024: Study Session on the concept of the Bird-Friendly Design Ordinance.
- July 18, 2024: Study Session on the initial draft ordinance as well as focused discussion on the applicability, how much of the Bird-friendly treatment should be applied, as well as exemption for residential buildings.
- Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC)
- August 14, 2024/August 28, 2024: The PTC continued this hearing to allow staff to simplify the draft ordinance further, including the Bird Sensitive Area, to streamline implementation. Additionally, non-permanent markers were added as an option for Bird-Friendly Treatment to be applied only to residential buildings and the residential portions of the mixed-use development.
- October 30, 2024: The PTC forwarded the recommended draft ordinance with several amendments, including expanding its applicability to more project types, amending where and how much to apply the Bird-Friendly Treatments, revisions to definitions including the Bird Sensitive Area, and changing the criteria for different ways to design bird-friendly buildings (alternative compliance).
- Future Hearings
- September 2025: PTC consideration of revised ordinance.
- Late 2025: City Council consideration of the draft ordinance for adoption.
Prior Public Meeting Materials
| Date |
Meeting |
Agenda or Supplemental Documents |
Video |
| October 30, 2024 |
Planning and Transportation Commission Hearing |
Agenda (Item #2)
Staff report and attachments can be found on the agenda linked above.
|
Video
|
|
August 28, 2024 (Continued from August 14, 2024)
|
Planning and Transportation Commission Study Session |
Agenda (Item #2)
Staff report and attachments can be found on the agenda linked above.
|
Video (Commission discussion only
|
| August 14, 2024 |
Planning and Transportation Commission Hearing |
Agenda (Item #4)
Staff report and attachments can be found on the agenda linked above.
|
Video (staff presentation and public comments only)
|
| July 18, 2024 |
Architectural Review Board Study Session |
Agenda (Item #2) |
Video |
| February 15, 2024
|
Architectural Review Board Study Session |
Agenda (Item #3)
Staff report and attachments can be found on the agenda linked above.
|
Video
|
Other Helpful Resources
City’s Comprehensive Plan (Policy L-6.3 on Page 53)
Resources to find Bird-Friendly glazing information: