PLEASANTON, Calif. — Backyard tennis, pickleball and basketball courts in Pleasanton would have to sit at least 10 feet from side and rear property lines, and their lights would have to be turned off by 10 p.m. under proposed citywide rules scheduled for Planning Commission consideration Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The proposal, filed by the city as case P26-0869, would also establish the city's first specific regulations for illuminated canopies over gas pumps, car washes and drive-through lanes.
Pleasanton's zoning code currently treats private sports courts as accessory uses to single-family homes but does not establish specific development standards for them.
These courts often include tall fencing, rebound walls, and outdoor lighting. According to the city staff report, the absence of clear regulations has led to confusion and disputes between neighbors when courts are installed.
One dispute involving a backyard tennis court on Martin Avenue has come before city officials repeatedly since 2023, most recently over a request to install 15-foot-tall lights.
The Planning Commission rejected an initial lighting application in 2024. In September 2025, it approved a revised proposal on the condition that the lights remain off between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. That decision was appealed, sending the matter to the City Council for further review.
Under the proposed municipal code amendments, new sports courts and substantially modified existing courts would require Single-Family Design Review.
The permit would be reviewed by the city's zoning administrator, a planning official whose decisions may be appealed to the Planning Commission. Courts legally constructed under previous approvals would be allowed to continue operating under those approvals.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
The proposed standards would limit private sports courts to rear yards and interior side yards.
Courts would generally have to be at least 10 feet from side and rear property lines. That distance would increase to 15 feet when a neighboring home is located within 30 feet of the shared property line.
Courts would also have to be at least 20 feet from a street.
Fencing could reach 15 feet in height, or up to 20 feet with design review approval when additional height is needed to contain balls within the property.
Practice rebound walls would be limited to 10 feet in height and 20 feet in length.
Lighting restrictions are among the proposal's most detailed requirements.
Fixtures taller than 10 feet would require design review, and no lighting fixture could exceed 20 feet in height.
Light reaching a neighboring residential property line could not exceed 0.5 foot-candles, a measurement of the amount of light falling on a surface.
Applicants would have to submit a lighting plan identifying fixtures, shielding, and anticipated light levels at property boundaries.
Court lighting would be permitted only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Lights would also have to shut off automatically after no more than two hours of continuous use.
The proposed rules would prohibit commercial court rentals and amplified sound. They would also allow the zoning administrator to deny applications when potential impacts on neighboring properties cannot be adequately addressed.
The proposed canopy regulations address separate concerns raised by the City Council after two downtown service stations were rebranded. Sign approvals for those locations resulted in appeals and council review.
Under the proposed standards, internally illuminated box signs and glowing corporate color bands along canopy edges would be prohibited.
Individually illuminated letters and logos would still be permitted.
Business branding could appear on no more than two sides of a canopy and could cover no more than half of each side. Remaining canopy surfaces would have to use neutral colors.
For canopies next to residential properties, illuminated signs would have to be turned off between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Lighting necessary for safe operations beneath the canopy would be exempt.
City staff recommend approval of the proposed regulations and reported receiving no public comments as of the staff report's publication.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the City Council Chamber at 200 Old Bernal Ave. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel.
The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council, which will make the final decision at a future meeting.
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