Alameda, CA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

16(b), the Bird-Safe Building Ordinance, targets bird mortality from reflective and transparent glass on tall buildings. It applies to new construction over 35 feet in height where one or more facades are at least 50% glass, triggering the rule on any window or unbroken glazed segment of 12 square feet or larger on that facade. Window replacement on qualifying buildings is covered the same way, though existing windows not being replaced are not swept in. Freestanding glass structures, including glass walls, wind barriers, skywalks, greenhouses and rooftop appurtenances, are covered once a single unbroken glazed segment reaches 24 square feet.

Historic structures keep their existing glass exempt, and ground-floor commercial storefronts facing a public street are carved out entirely. Where the ordinance applies, at least 90% of the qualifying glazing must use a treatment the Planning Director approves as part of building plan review: external screens, light-colored blinds or curtains, opaque or translucent film, muntin-paned glass, patterned glass meeting the code's 'two-by-four rule' (elements at least 1/8 inch tall spaced no more than 2 inches apart vertically, or 1/4 inch wide spaced no more than 4 inches apart horizontally), or UV-reflective glazing.

A project may instead submit a bird collision reduction plan prepared by a qualified biologist as part of its design review or discretionary permit application, using techniques such as recessed glazing, louvers, overhangs, glass block, netting or decorative grilles. The ordinance sits inside the zoning code's Performance Standards section, alongside the city's separate Dark Skies outdoor lighting rules, which independently restrict searchlights and aerial lasers during the February 15-May 31 and August 1-November 30 bird migration seasons.