Alameda County
Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department
In short
Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department issues 4 permits we publish for Alameda County, last verified 2026-09-28. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoholic Beverage License — State ABC License Applies (Alameda County)only if it applies to you | Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Conditional Use Permit (CUP)only if it applies to you | Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department | $500–$6,000 deposit or flat fee by category, per the Fee/Deposit Schedule effective September 2025: Standard CUP $2,500 deposit (at-cost, all districts); Administrative CUP (minor/temporary land uses) $500 flat; pre-application meeting $125; mandatory review $500; larger/complex use categories (cemetery, church, school, heliport, landfill, solar farm) $4,000 deposit; wireless facilities $6,000 deposit; appeal fee $250; all credit-card payments add a 3% processing fee | not fixed by rule; the Board of Zoning Adjustments can set conditions including a validity length case by case, with no default expiration stated | 2026-09-28 |
| Conditional Use Permit — Alcohol Sales (County layer, in addition to the State ABC license)only if it applies to you | Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department | $2,500 deposit, at-cost (Standard CUP, September 2025 schedule); separate from and in addition to the State ABC license fee | not fixed by rule; set case by case by the deciding Board of Zoning Adjustments | 2026-09-28 |
| Child Care Facility Licensing — State CCLD License Applies (Alameda County)only if it applies to you | Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Alcoholic Beverage License — State ABC License Applies (Alameda County)
The license to sell or serve alcohol comes from the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), whose License Types page sets out the state license classes, recorded at the state layer; Alameda County's General Ordinance Code Title 3 (Business Licenses and Regulations), whose chapters cover the business license tax and named trades such as automobile junk yards, massage establishments, secondhand and junk dealers, taxicabs and tobacco retailers, names no alcohol license, so the County charges no fee for the alcohol license itself. A restaurant or retail store in the unincorporated area also needs the county's own Conditional Use Permit for alcohol sales, recorded separately for Alameda County as an additional, not a substitute, requirement — a business needs both the state ABC license and, in the unincorporated area, the county CUP before selling alcohol.
Conditional Use Permit (CUP)
A Conditional Use Permit is required in the unincorporated area wherever the Zoning Ordinance (Title 17) lists a use as conditional rather than permitted-by-right in the applicable zoning district — this can reach a restaurant or retail store selling alcohol, a veterinary clinic with a kennel component, a childcare center in some districts, or an auto-repair shop in some commercial or industrial districts, depending on the specific parcel's zoning. This CUP applies to the unincorporated area only; the county's 14 incorporated cities each administer their own zoning and CUP process. Typical processing runs 2-3 months, longer if appealed, decided by the West County or East County Board of Zoning Adjustments (or the Planning Commission for larger projects), with a 10-day appeal window to the Board of Supervisors as the final decision-maker.
Conditional Use Permit — Alcohol Sales (County layer, in addition to the State ABC license)
On-sale or off-sale alcohol at a restaurant or retail store in the unincorporated area needs a county Conditional Use Permit in addition to, not instead of, the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control license (Type 41/47 on-sale, Type 20/21 off-sale, and others). The county CUP layer applies only in the unincorporated area; inside any of the county's 14 incorporated cities, that city issues its own zoning approval for alcohol sales instead, and the State ABC license is still required everywhere regardless of city or county zoning approval.
Child Care Facility Licensing — State CCLD License Applies (Alameda County)
Alameda County's General Ordinance Code Title 3 (Business Licenses and Regulations), whose chapters cover the business license tax and named trades such as automobile junk yards, massage establishments, secondhand and junk dealers, taxicabs and tobacco retailers, names no child care facility license, so the County charges no fee for one; that credential comes from the State Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, recorded at the state layer. A childcare center in the unincorporated area may still need a county Conditional Use Permit depending on its zoning district (recorded separately for Alameda County), a Building Permit for its space, and, in the unincorporated area or a contract city, a fire clearance from ACFD as part of the state licensing process; elsewhere in the county, that fire clearance comes from the relevant city's own fire department instead of ACFD.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Alameda County
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- ABC License TypesCalifornia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Alameda County General Ordinance Code (Title 3 Business Licenses, Title 5 Animals, Title 6 Health and Environment, Title 17 Zoning)Alameda County / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Community Care Licensing DivisionCalifornia Department of Social Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Conditional Use Permit guide (process, review bodies, appeal window)Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Planning Department Fee/Deposit Schedule, effective September 2025Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
Other offices serving Alameda County
- Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program
- Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials Division (Certified Unified Program Agency)
- Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Animal Services
- Alameda County Public Works Agency, Building Inspection Department (Permit Center)
- Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax Unit
- Alameda County Clerk-Recorder
- Alameda County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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