Encroachment Permit
The City of Emeryville owns or holds an interest in various properties throughout the community, including roads, sidewalks, and easements granted for utility lines, public access, and open space. An encroachment permit is required to do work in these areas.
Application Process
Applications and plans, if applicable, can be emailed to encroachment-permit@emeryville.org, or submitted in-person at City Hall. Hard copies of plans may be requested. Payment of permit fees can be made by cash or check at:
The Emeryville Cashier Counter
1333 Park Avenue, Emeryville
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm; 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fridays, by appointment
Types of Requests
The City frequently receives requests from home owners, businesses, and public utilities to install improvements on city rights of way and easements. Requests for encroachments range from long-term improvements, such as fences, driveways, and utility lines, to short-term encroachments, such as the storage of dumpsters or building materials. Short-term encroachments are often proposed as part of the construction phase of new development. It should be noted that when the city does grant an Encroachment Permit, it does not give up its interest in the property.
Moving to/from Emeryville? An encroachment permit is needed to reserve a public parking space(s) for a moving van or storage unit if it will be parked for longer than 3 days. Temporary No Parking signs must be posted no less than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the enforcement start time. Submitting an encroachment permit application early is recommended. Temporary No Parking signs do not supersede existing parking and traffic regulations, such as street cleaning signs, No Parking signs, or restricted curb zones (red curb, blue curb, etc.).
Denial of Requests
The city will generally approve a request for an Encroachment Permit unless the encroachment would present a public health or safety hazard, or the proposal would be inconsistent with the city's planned use for the area. The city may also deny the request if the proposal would be visually incompatible with the surrounding area.
Public Review / Reproduction
Applications Available for Public Review / Reproduction
A submitted application is a matter of public record. With certain exceptions, any portion of the submitted application material may be reproduced and distributed to city staff, to other discretionary bodies, or to the general public for use in reviewing the project proposal. The noted exception involves project plans. Architectural drawings are protected by copyright laws and are, therefore, subject to a separate set of limitations regarding their reproduction.
In short, the copyright protection requires that, prior to releasing plans for reproduction, the party interested in receiving the duplication must provide staff with the following:
- Written permission from the architect or draftsperson who prepared the plans
- Written permission from the applicant
- An affidavit that the reproductions will be used solely for purpose of application review
- A separate handout is available for the required affidavit.