On November 4, 2019, Palo Alto voted unanimously to adopt a reach code encouraging all-electric construction! Additionally, the Council directed city staff to begin working on multiple ordinances prohibiting natural gas infrastructure in new buildings that should take effect in 2020. The Council also directed city staff to continue their work on exploring scalable, cost-effective rebates for retrofitting existing homes.
Then, in June of 2023, the city approved a robust climate action plan that builds on this momentum and adds additional plans to help phase gas out of existing buildings.
In the California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the all-electric policy approach for new construction, along with the building electrification policies of many other cities, was preempted by federal appliance policy. In 2024, Palo Alto passed an energy efficiency policy for new construction.
