Mountain View City Hall and most departments/facilities are closed on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Although administrative offices will be closed, emergency services will continue.
Contact
Planning
500 Castro Street, First Floor
Mountain View, CA 94041
650-903-6306
Email
Mailing Address
Community Development Department
500 Castro Street, PO Box 7540
Mountain View, CA 94039-7540
Hours
Monday - Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
Planning Cost Recovery Fees
Effective August 9, 2025
California Government Code Sections 66016 through 66019 allows cities to collect fees for the filing, accepting, reviewing, approving, or issuing of an application, permit, or entitlement. Per Section 36.56.15 of the Mountain View City Code, large or complex projects that require planning permits may be subject to an hourly staff fee rate known as a “cost recovery fee,” in lieu of a flat fee. Projects subject to a cost recovery fee require staff support beyond the scope included in a flat permit fee.
Cost recovery means a fee is charged based on the fully-burdened (salary and benefits) cost of actual City staff time spent processing the planning permit, from entitlement review through final action by a decision-making body, such as the Zoning Administrator, Subdivision Committee, or City Council. The fee does not exceed the cost of providing the service.
The cost recovery fee is collected through an initial deposit at time of application submission, with subsequent fee deposit(s) collected should additional staff time be required beyond the initial deposit. Any excess funds are returned to the applicant upon project completion, closure, or withdrawal.
The following tables below list the cost recovery fees(s) charged in processing a planning permit application, depending on the date of initial application submission to the City. Those planning permits subject to a cost recovery fee are identified in the adopted City Master Fee Schedule. These fees are administered in accordance with City's Administrative Instruction 2-18.
| Development type | Deposit Amount |
|---|---|
|
Minimum Amount: |
$30,000 |
| Residential Development: | $500 per unit |
| Nonresidential Development: | $1 per gross square foot |
| Mixed-Use Development: | Combination of residential and nonresidential fee amounts above |
| All Other Development: | $50,000 |
| Maximum Amount: | $200,000 |
| Permit Extension: | See City's Master Fee Schedule |