Piedmont City Clerk
General Information
The City Clerk is the public’s liaison with the City Council and the primary source for public information in the City of Piedmont. The department prides itself on providing a wide range of information including official minutes of government meetings, the current version of the Municipal Code, town history and photographs, agendas for all public meetings and other public records.
Elections
The City of Piedmont holds regular municipal elections on the first Tuesday of February in even numbered years. Members of the city council are elected at large (the city is not divided into individual districts) for four-year terms and are eligible for a maximum of two terms. Piedmont’s mayor is selected by the members of the city council.
Voter registration for Piedmont is handled by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters although forms are provided at a variety of city offices. The city contracts with the county registrar’s office for conduct of elections, but the city clerk assists candidates in filing election forms and is the official recipient of election reporting forms required by the Fair Political Practices Commission.
Commissions & Committees
Piedmont has for many years been known as “the city of volunteers”. Many residents offer their services to the city as unpaid members of a city commission or committee. In February of each year the city clerk posts a list of vacancies for commissions and standing committees in the city. The city council interviews and appoints new members in March for three-year terms. Appointees are eligible for no more than two consecutive terms.
Ad hoc or special committees are created from time to time by the city council and serve until the completion of their specific charge. Vacancies for these committees are listed as they occur.
The Appointive Vacancy List provides up-to-date information regarding opportunities for service and the required Application for Appointive Vacancy can be downloaded, completed and returned to
City Clerk
City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611
Business Licenses
All businesses operating in the City of Piedmont are required to pay a business license tax, including home based businesses, businesses operating in commercial zones of the city, contractors working on a building project, and owner’s of rental property. The city levies a gross receipts tax (with a specified minimum) and the current rates are contained in Chapter 10 of the municipal code.
Home Occupation Permits
The city allows residents to operate a business from home so long as the business does not “adversely affect the residential character of the neighborhood”. Specific information about the city’s regulations regarding working from your home is contained in Chapter 17B of the municipal code. All home based businesses are also required to have a city business license.
After reading this information, you may wish to download a Home Occupation Permit (HOP) application. The current one-time fee for an HOP permit is $100 and the permit is valid for the life of the business.
What forms do you need?
To conduct business from your home: Home Occupation Permit | Business License
To conduct business from a commercial location: Conditional Use Permit | Business License
To work in Piedmont when your office is elsewhere: Business License
Information regarding Conditional Use Permits for commercial businesses is provided by the city planning staff at 420-3050.
Business license or Home Occupation Permit forms can be downloaded, completed, signed and submitted to
City Clerk
City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611
For further information or to receive forms by mail, contact the city clerk’s office at (510) 420-3040.
Rev. 9/04
