Palm Desert Unified Development Code

What is the Unified Development Code?

The City of Palm Desert is working with Clarion Associates, a Denver, CO based land use firm, to update its current development regulations into a Unified Development Code (UDC), which will include zoning ordinances, subdivision and landscaping regulations, grading regulations, and more. The UDC update aims to modernize regulations to better accomplish the City's long-term goals and vision. The new UDC will replace the City's existing zoning ordinance, adopted in 2013, which carried forward many outdated standards and procedures from the city’s original zoning ordinance adopted in 1975. The updated UDC will provide adequate provisions and direction for future development in the community.

April 2025 Update: Development Regulations Assessment Report

Between September 2024 and February 2025, the City conducted stakeholder outreach meeting and an in-depth review of the City's current development ordinances. The feedback received from this stakeholder outreach was used to prepare the Development Regulations Assessment Report.

The Development Regulations Assessment is intended to serve as a roadmap for the Palm Desert UDC project by identifying strengths and weaknesses of the current regulations and building consensus on the general scope of the issues to be addressed in drafting the new UDC.

The following section outlines groups of issues that emerged from Clarion’s review of the City’s regulations and initial project outreach. The discussion includes recommendations for how the regulations should be improved to address the underlying concerns associated with each major focus area, which include:

•Streamline the Development Review Process;

•Enhance the Development Standards;

•Fine-Tune the Zoning Districts;

•Clarify the Land Use Regulations; and

•Create a More User-Friendly Code.

To learn more about the assessments, please view the April 2025 Development Regulations Assessment and companion document the Detail Review of Current Development Regulations. Be sure to also watch or attend the City Council study session on April 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM for a presentation of the topic. Click the images below to view each document.

Participate in the UDC Update!

You don't have to be a zoning expert to contribute your ideas! By living, working, owning land, owning a business, or caring about the future of Palm Desert, you know so much about your community. Your input and ideas are vital to the success of the UDC. Whether you have just moved to the community or are a life-long resident, your perspective is important.

There are many ways to participate:

• Attend a public meeting – these are being scheduled now, please check back as dates are added. The next public meeting will be the Palm Desert City Council Study Session on April 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM. The agenda is available for review here (link).
• Contact the City directly: Nick Melloni, AICP, Principal Planner at nmelloni@palmdesert.gov.

Complete the PD UDC User Survey

To start off the project, we would like to hear from Palm Desert residents, business and property owners, and any other interested persons regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the City’s current development regulations. This link leads to a survey with 17 questions that should take 5-10 minutes to complete. We hope you will take a few minutes to give us your input as we begin this important project for the City of Palm Desert:

The Survey is now closed