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Planning Division

The Planning Division is responsible for maintaining the City's General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Specific Plans. The Planning Division provides support staffing for the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, as well as provides environmental and planning support to other departments within the City.
The Planning Division also prepares studies and reports such as demographics, land absorption trends, and development entitlement activity on a regular basis.

 

For Zoning and General Information:

For Additional Questions or Information:

  • Planning Hotline: (559) 713-4359, Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • In-person: City Hall East, 315 E. Acequia Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291. Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Friday.   
  • Email: [email protected]

Planning Updates:

  • In 2024, the Planning Division has been preparing two draft ordinances affecting housing in Visalia. The draft ordinances are now available for public review at the project website (housevisalia.com) from August 29 through September 30, 2024.  Comments to either document can be emailed to project planner Brandon Smith or submitted using the "Comment" feature on the project website.
    • The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance is an update to the City's existing zoning regulations (i.e., Chapter 17.12 Article 2) for the construction of ADUs in the city to comply with State ADU law and the recently adopted Housing Element.
    • The Single-Family Objective Design Standards Ordinance establishes a set of objective design standards for developers to follow when constructing new single-family homes in Visalia.  These standards provide developers a clear understanding of the City's expectations for residential project design and help promote the construction of housing units by streamlining the permitting review process.
  • The City of Visalia's update of its state-approved housing plan, known as the Housing Element, considers projected housing needs from 2023 to 2031.  The City Council adopted the Public Hearing Draft on December 18, 2023, and presented this draft to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review.  Through spring and early summer 2024, the City has been working to address further comments received from HCD.  This has culminated in a Revised Adopted Housing Element, released in August 2024.  The Revised Adopted version and HCD's comments can be found here.  All details and information about the effort can be found at the website http://www.housevisalia.com.
  • The City Council adopted the Short-Term Rental Ordinance on October 16, 2023, which requires all short-term rental operators within City limits to obtain a Short-Term Rental Permit. More information can be found on the City’s Short-Term Rentals (STR) website.
  • The City of Visalia has completed an Agricultural Preservation Ordinance that applies to new development occurring on Prime Farmland and Farmland of Statewide Importance in the City's Tier 2 Urban Growth Boundary.   The City Council adopted the final reading of the ordinance on May 15, 2023.  The final ordinance and related information can be found on the City's Agricultural Preservation Ordinance website.
  • The City of Visalia has prepared guidelines to address the new State mandate for using Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) as the new metric for evaluating transportation impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act.  The VMT Thresholds and Implementation Guidelines was approved by the City Council on March 15, 2021.  An online screening tool was also established to identify certain locations that have low VMT profiles based on regional traffic data.

 

City of Visalia  - Planning Division

 315 E. Acequia Avenue

Visalia, California 93291
Planning Hotline: (559) 713-4359

Community Development: (559) 713-4444

Fax: (559) 713-4814

 

Counter Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Closed Friday

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