City of Piedmont

The Design Guidelines and Standards

The City of Piedmont first adopted design guidelines in 1988. On September 5, 2023, the City Council adopted updated Design Guidelines and Standards. The Guidelines and Standards have been developed to be used by homeowners, design professionals, interested neighbors, City Staff and Planning Commissioners. They incorporate planning and land use provisions from the General Plan, and relevant aspects of the City Code, Chapter 17 Planning and Land Use (Zoning Ordinance). The document includes guidelines and standards for building design, site improvements such as fences and retaining walls, landscaping and commercial signage. Design guidelines and standards for wireless communication facilities will be added at a later date.

When taking action on an application for design review, the Planning Commission and City staff will need to find that the project is consistent with the City of Piedmont Design Guidelines and Standards. In doing so, the reviewing body will cite specific guidelines to which the project conforms (or does not conform).

The Design Guidelines and Standards demonstrate, through photos and graphic examples, how to determine appropriate design solutions to address context, architectural character, building form, landscape, site amenities and their relationship to the street and neighboring properties. This allows for a more comprehensive and consistent method for project reviews, while outlining expectations by the City Staff for project applicants and their neighbors.

Many of the photographic examples of good design included in the Design Guidelines and Standards are projects that have received the City’s Annual Design Award. The purpose of the Design Awards program is to promote good design in the City. These projects provide real-world local examples of design excellence.   

The City of Piedmont Design Guidelines and Standards are composed of seven chapters and an appendix, plus a table of contents. Copies of each chapter may be downloaded at the links below.

• Cover and Table of Contents (PDF)
• Chapter 1 – Introduction (PDF)
• Chapter 2 – Design Review Process (PDF)
• Chapter 3 – Site Design (PDF)
• Chapter 4 – Building Design: General (PDF)
• Chapter 5 – Building Design: Single-Family (PDF)
• Chapter 6 – Building Design: Multi-Family (PDF)
• Chapter 7 – Building Design: Commercial and Mixed-use (PDF)
• Appendix A – ADU Prototype Plans (PDF)

Related Documents

• City of Piedmont General Plan, adopted April 2009
• City of Piedmont Zoning Ordinance (PDF)
• City of Piedmont Zoning Map (PDF)