Population: 151,969
Type of Requirement: Ordinance

Physical Address:
Planning Department
City Hall, First Floor
201 North Broadway
Escondido, CA 92025

Main Contact:
Sandra Aguilar, Management Analyst
Email Sandra

Robert Rhoades, Public Art Program Administrator
Email Robert

Public Art, Escondido, California, Municipal Code, Chapter 33, Article 37 (2025).

The Code establishes that all construction projects requiring building permits from the city are subject to a mandatory public art requirement. The following projects are excluded from the requirement:

• Individual tenant improvements in a commercial or industrial building and all residential improvements to existing residential structures (such as room additions), except for work which results in an additional dwelling unit; and
• The first two thousand (2,000) square feet of any structure. This exception shall not apply on an individual basis to commercial structures which are part of a larger integrated commercial center, but shall apply only to the first two thousand (2,000) square feet of the entire center.

Projects may satisfy the requirement by donating an artwork approved by the Public Art Commission, with a minimum value determined by the panel based upon the fee guide. Alternatively, developers may pay an in-lieu fee. A combination of artwork and in-lieu payment is permitted subject to the approval of the Public Art Commission. The requirement must be satisfied prior to issuance of a building permit. The property owner is responsible for maintenance and repair of artworks. Aggrieved developers may appeal the Public Art Commission’s decisions.