Apply online or register to attend workshops on Nov. 18 and Dec 9. Get help applying for 2026 scholarships, hardship waivers covering 50-100% of program fees. Do you live in Berkeley and can’t afford to pay for kids’ recreation programs or a High Sierras camp for your family? We have scholarships to get half or all of the fees waived. We’ll also help you apply.These fee waivers, which you can get by applying online, include programs for kids such as:

Help guide Rent Board services by responding to our 5-minute survey about the online Rent Registry. No experience with the Rent Registry is necessary. Complete the 2025 Rent Registry Survey by Decembe...

Compost food waste. Recycle clean items. Buy what’s reusable and try to reduce buying what’s designed to be disposed. Berkeleyans know that green and blue bins are for compost and recycling, respectively. But paying attention to the details can divert more from landfills and even impact our climate.Toss more of your pizza boxes, coffee grounds, yard trimmings, and compostable fiber foodware into your green bin – instead of your gray household trash bin. Discard into that gray bin the milk cartons, pet waste, diapers, grease, rocks, and many plastic-looking utensils labeled “compostable.”

Join the virtual workshop and share thoughts on proposals to reduce collisions at the intersection of Derby & Warring streets. Join a virtual community meeting to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists at a busy Elmwood neighborhood intersection. At the November 12 event, City staff will present two proposals to improve the intersection of Derby and Warring Streets. Participants will have time to ask questions and submit feedback after the presentation.

Starting November 1, “Middle Housing” zoning changes encourage building more housing units in Berkeley. Berkeley homeowners seeking to build a new backyard unit or bedroom can now apply for permits that cost less, have clearer standards, and can get reviewed faster.Applicants also have a faster process with more certain outcomes to build small apartments in areas previously limited to single-family dwellings by following a checklist of set guidelines.

Find resources to prepare your household and community for emergencies and disasters.Learn how to protect yourself from Berkeley’s biggest hazards–earthquake, fire, winter storms, and poor air quality. Sign up for our classes on disaster readiness and emergency response. Subscribe to get emergency alerts on your phone and email and learn where to get information and instructions in a disaster.