Inter-Unit Space Sharing

I. Policy Summary

As the physical endowment of the University, space is a critical, valuable and limited resource. It is our collective responsibility to manage and steward it well, in support of excellence in teaching, research and public service.

Space is assigned based on the principles of highest and best use of that space. Campus space assignment is a dynamic endeavor, as the highest and best use of space will change as the needs of units change. Therefore, all assignments are temporary: space is not owned by any person or unit (e.g., department, college, school) or program (e.g., research center, organized research unit). The Chancellor, with the support and recommendations of the Space Assignments and Capital Improvements (SACI) Committee, is ultimately responsible for space assignment. However, Deans are responsible for the utilization of all space assigned to their unit and are encouraged to take an active role in the management of their footprint. (Campus Principles for the Management of Space)

This policy covers the episodic and full-time provision of space by campus units for use by other campus units and organizations. This policy excludes events.

• Academic and administrative units are allowed to share space under their management with other campus units on a temporary basis without charge. It is recommended that temporary space agreements be developed with support from the Space Planning Office and signed by the Vice Provost for Academic Planning as a witness. Please refer to this MOU template as an example.
• Academic and administrative units are prohibited from imposing charges, beyond the operational and maintenance costs they themselves incur, for the episodic or full-time temporary use of space by other campus units and organizations. For recording purposes, temporary agreements must be submitted to spaceplanning@berkeley.edu within 30 days of a signed MOU.
• A special circumstances exception to this provision may be requested via this Exception Request Form. Exception requests will be evaluated by the Space Assignments and Capital Improvements (SACI) Committee and will be subject to annual review. If an academic or administrative unit is charging another campus unit for space usage without first receiving approval, SACI may consider reallocation of the space in question.
• If the exception is approved, the requesting units will be required to sign an agreement with the Vice Provost for Academic Planning.
• This policy does not cover provision of campus space to non-campus entities. Such a provision of space must be in compliance with the Facilities Use Permit (FUP) managed by Real Estate Services. Any provision of campus space to non-campus entities must be recorded via MOU shared with the Space Planning Office.

For more information, see the following definitions. If you have questions related to this policy or your agreements please consult with spaceplanning@berkeley.edu.

II. Definitions

1. Event: a one-time, non-recurring use of short duration ("short" meaning no more than a few contiguous days not to exceed a calendar week). Examples of events are a talk, a reception, a conference, a meeting or an exam. Usage time for an event would include the time the space is not available to the unit that normally manages the space (so, e.g., a talk might include time to set up, the talk itself, and time to pack up; a conference might involve additional days for set up and break down).
2. Episodic: a recurring use that utilizes a space for a fixed period of time on a scheduled basis while allowing the managing unit to use the space at other times. Examples of episodic use would be a seminar or workshop held for 90 minutes weekly, a class that meets twice a week for 50 minutes, or a regularly scheduled two-hour meeting.
3. Full-time: use for a specified time, longer than a calendar week, during which the managing party would not be able to utilize the space or would only be able to access the space in a minimal manner during the period. Full-time use could be short-term (e.g., a two-week intensive bootcamp before the semester began), medium-term (e.g., housing a six-week visitor in an office), or long-term (e.g., making a departmental classroom available to the Registrar for an academic year to be utilized as general-assignment classroom).
4. Operational Costs:
   1. For the purpose of this policy, operational costs are defined as the direct expenses associated with providing and maintaining the space or space-related services paid for by the unit providing the space. These may include but are not limited to utilities, maintenance, custodial services, security and other necessary operational expenses directly related to the use of the space.
   2. Costs covered by the central campus for which the unit providing the space is not charged are not operational costs for the purposes of this policy, except where a Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Program (SSGPDP) is a party to the space arrangement. SSGPDPs may not rely on disallowed funds, including state general funds; therefore, the full cost of space usage including any costs subsidized by central campus, must be calculated and charged when a SSPGDP is using the space.
   3. Usage charges should be transparently calculated based on these operational costs and should not include additional fees for profit or revenue generation.
5. Non-Operational Costs:
   1. An example of a non-operational cost is debt service toward a building or asset. Inter-unit charges may be permitted upon review, such as cases where the financing model for the building or asset relies upon income to offset debt service.
   2. When a self-supporting graduate professional degree program (SSGPDPs) is utilizing space, non-operational costs may also need to be included in usage charges to ensure compliance with the SSGPDP policy requirement that all indirect costs are covered by program-generated or other non-disallowed funds.
6. Campus Units and Organizations:
   1. For purposes of this policy, Campus Units and Organizations include:
      1. Academic units
      2. Administrative units
      3. RSOs: Registered Student Organizations
      4. UCB Partner Organizations: Non-employee individuals or groups involved in campus activities or research
      5. Auxiliary: Non-academic organizations that charge fees to provide goods or services
   2. Any organization not included in the breakdown above would be considered an external entity.

III. Scope of Policy

This policy applies to Academic and Administrative units.

This policy excludes residential, recreational sports and athletic facilities, Richmond Field Station, spaces managed by the Real Estate office for which rent is typically charged to cover debt payment for acquiring the building, campus parking lots, and locations operating under the policy on the governance of multi-department buildings where there is an agreed operations surcharge. Lastly, this policy also excludes SkyDeck and the incubators operated by Bakar Labs and The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at UC Berkeley (QB3) as well as the Research Infrastructure Commons (RIC) and Faculty Lab eXceptional-use for Innovation & Entrepreneurship program (FLEXIE ) / Shared Special User Facility for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SSUFIE) agreements.

IV. Purpose of this Policy

UC Berkeley central campus has limited ability to grow and is currently fully allocated. The purpose of the policy is to increase space availability in a transparent and equal manner to our campus community.

Space at UC Berkeley is assigned and reallocated toward the highest and best use of campus needs. The purpose of the policy is to increase space availability in a transparent and equal manner to our campus community. Faced with limited ability for physical growth, the sharing of space enables need to be met in a more equitable and expedient fashion.

This policy was updated in 2026 to achieve the following:

• Clarify the policy by adding definitions.
• Create a process to minimize the administrative burden of sharing space between units as well as prioritizing transparency and understanding of what spaces are available to units looking for space.
• Publish the policy and process on the Vice Provost for Academic Planning and campus policy web pages.
• Develop clear exemption criteria to the policy. Based on this exemption criteria SACI will review these requests and make recommendations to the Chancellor.

V. Procedures

1. Temporary space agreements without charges should include the Vice Provost for Academic Planning in the signature process, with a copy of the agreement sent to the Space Planning Office at: spaceplanning@berkeley.edu.
2. Using this Space Registration Form, units are required to register their available spaces with the Space Planning Office, disclosing their operational rates, availability and space specifications. Available spaces will be matched with units in need or published in the policy section of the Space Planning Website as another way for units to advertise their spaces.
3. Once a space has been registered, all units are required to update the above information in conjunction with Space Planning’s annual space allocation review request.
4. The recharge committee may be asked to review operational rate proposals at the request of the Space Planning Office as needed. For reference, on recharge cost definitions, visit the Recharge Centers Policy and Procedures’ website.
5. If a managing unit wants to charge above estimated operational costs, an exception can be requested using this Exception Form, which will be reviewed by SACI.
6. A 5-year review assessment may be conducted by the Space Planning Office to make sure that the space utilization remains aligned with campus priorities.

VI. Responsibilities

All units are required to register their available spaces and keep that information current. The Space Planning Office acts as the administrator for SACI and will be responsible for responding to violations of policy. For questions about this policy or to report any policy violations, please contact the Space Planning Office at spaceplanning@berkeley.edu.

VII. Consequences of Policy Violations

If an academic or administrative unit is charging another campus unit for space usage in conflict with this policy, such as charging a rate to generate profit or without being registered with the Space Planning Office, SACI will review the case and make recommendations to the Chancellor on whether or not the space should revert to the central campus for future reallocation to other units in need. 

VIII. Related Policies and Procedures

This policy relies on the Recharge Policy and Procedures to guide the units’ rates and financial compliance.

IX. Appendix

1. Space registration form
2. Operational cost exception form
3. Exception form criteria
4. FAQs