Palo Alto commission backs updated field-and-court rules, adds 25% residency requirement for USTA teams

The Parks and Recreation Commission on Sept. 23 voted to recommend that the city manager approve changes to Palo Alto’s field-and-court use policy that add a 25% Palo Alto residency requirement for USTA team permits and formalize access for Palo Alto–based youth programs during off‑peak hours.

The commission’s action followed a detailed staff presentation and months of community input, including ad-hoc meetings and a public session on Aug. 26. The policy changes endorsed by the commission also formalize roster verification, cap the percentage of courts a team may reserve at a single site, and set a phased implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026, to avoid disrupting current reservations.

The proposed policy language presented by staff would require USTA rosters submitted with permit requests to include at least 25% Palo Alto residents; rosters would be verified against USTA records before the first match of the season. If multiple teams request the same time and location, priority would go to the team with a higher percentage of Palo Alto residents. Staff also proposed limiting the number of match dates teams may hold and restricting how much of a site (no more than 50% of courts at any location) one team can reserve.

Adam Howar…