The Cupertino City Council voted unanimously Dec. 1 to add a new fee for ministerial two‑lot urban lot split applications tied to Senate Bill 9.

City staff recommended a fee of approximately $10,800, saying the ministerial SB 9 process uses a checklist and requires far less staff time than a discretionary parcel map. "Instead of a $30,000 fee for a parcel map ... staff is proposing for the ministerial lot split a fee of about $10,800," Assistant Director Luke Connelly said during the meeting.

Staff told council the fee recommendation follows direct experience: the city has received 13 SB 9 lot‑split applications since the process was created and has approved six of them. Previously those applications were processed as parcel maps (which cover up to four lots) and carried much higher fees tied to greater review time.

No members of the public signed up to speak on the item. After brief council questions, a motion to adopt the staff recommendation was moved and seconded and carried unanimously with five ayes.

What happens next: The fee will be incorporated into the FY25‑26 fee schedule update. Staff said the fee was calculated from estimated staff time and cost recovery principles and will apply to ministerial two‑lot SB 9 splits going forward.