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Job Description
Description
Exciting Opportunity!
The City of Palo Alto is seeking a limited-term full-time Code Enforcement Officer. The position is a temporary one, not expected to exceed two years. Code Enforcement Officers (CEO) are responsible for the educational outreach and enforcement of violations of the City of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code. The department's code enforcement officers focus on zoning and land use code violations, property maintenance, substandard building conditions, leaf blower violations, enforcement related to expired building permits, and unpermitted building activity. These positions work under the supervision of a Code Enforcement Supervisor and perform a full range of municipal code enforcement and compliance duties. The officers are empowered to issue notices of violation and seek problem resolution through administrative processes.
Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate is a dedicated professional with:- A passion for serving the community.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills.
- The ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
- Integrity and the highest ethical standards.
- The ability to work independently while also being a strong contributor to a team-oriented environment.
- Problem solving skills, good judgment, and dependability.
- The ability to quickly obtain a thorough knowledge of pertinent municipal code provisions and interact effectively with the public and other City personnel.
- Certified Code Enforcement designation from CACEO.
- International Code Council (ICC) Certificates in building code, property maintenance, and nuisance abatement.
- Exemplary driving record’
- Familiarity with Accela permitting system highly desirable.
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Responds to public inquiries regarding permits and/or licenses, explaining Palo Alto Municipal Code requirements and procedures.
- Reviews and investigates applications for permits or licenses; coordinates interdepartmental review to assure prompt and accurate handling of applications.
- Determines approval or denial of applications; coordinates hearings for appeals.
- Conducts field inspections and site visits to locate unlicensed activities and/or to determine compliance with the Palo Alto Municipal Code.
- Responds to and investigates complaints regarding violations of City ordinances; issues notices of violations stipulating necessary changes for ordinance compliance; takes appropriate action to ensure compliance.
- Maintains familiarity with pertinent sections of the Palo Alto Municipal Code serving as resource to City staff, outside agencies and the public.
- Maintains records of applications, inspections, investigations, violations, hearings and related data.
- Works closely with other Code Enforcement professionals and support staff.
- Maintains a close working relationship with the City Attorney's Office.
- Related Functions:
- Completes special projects as assigned.
- Performs related duties and responsibilities as required
To see the Code Enforcement Officer full job description click here.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:- Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade, with college coursework preferred. and
- Two years experience in a position requiring public contact.
Special Requirements:- Possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Supplemental Information
This position will drive a City vehicle.
The Selection Process:- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
- More than one position may be filled through this posting.
For information on employee benefits, click here.
For technical issues applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 10/28/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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