This page is a quick summary of resources for a homeowner in the County of San Mateo who may need to do a plumbing project within the County. In most cases, residents in the County of San Mateo want to go to their City-Specific pages (see below, we currently have links for the City of San Mateo and San Carlos but will be adding more). The County takes over responsibility in areas where water, sewer or the streets are maintained by the County. They also provide permits and building codes for private water tanks and septic systems. Note that there are some residents in San Jose whose septic systems are under the City’s jurisdiction.
County of San Mateo Plumbing Services and Project Types
Generally, we provide the same types of services that we provide to City Residents. Most of our Septic and Water tank projects are under the County jurisdiction.
| Water | Sewer | Electrical Conduit | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Leak Repairs (typically no permit) Water Line Replacements and Upgrades Backflows | New Cleanouts Adding new connections to existing sewer line Backwater Valves New connections to the main | Installing new conduit, usually as part of an electrical upgrade | Includes septic systems, sewage pumps, water pumps, storm drains, French drains, foundation waterproof protection, water storage tanks, water wells |
| Permits: The Building Dept handles the majority of permits, Public Works or “Encroachment permits” will be required when touching public assets such as the street. Utilities will be involved when a project involves their assets (from property line cleanout to main). | Permits: Building or no permit | ||
Permits
A permit is an official document issued by local governments and utility providers that grants permission to construct or alter a property. Its primary purpose is to ensure that construction projects comply with local building codes, zoning laws, and safety regulations.
As the property owner, you usually have the option to obtain a permit for projects solely on your private property. While getting a permit may add to the cost and timeline of your project, it also provides peace of mind, knowing that your project has been reviewed by an expert in local building codes.
Anytime your project involves a public or utility-owned asset, you must obtain a permit.
If you hire us to assist with your project, we will file for any necessary permits. Typically, our clients pay the cost of the permit directly to the issuer, but they save on the time and expense of filing, which is part of our service.
There are three types of permits we generally work with.
| Building | Public Works (aka Encroachment Permits) | Utility Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Generally easy to file for and not very expensive for the types of projects we do. They cover projects on private property. | Public Works Permits can be a lengthy and time-consuming task to obtain. We are experienced in filing for these types of permits and recommend you allow us to provide that service to you. | When the City/Town provides the utility service, it is included with a building or public works permit. If the utility is managed separately, the property owner must obtain permission and adhere to the utility’s building codes. |
As a licensed contractor in California with significant experience delivering projects in the local communities of the San Francisco Bay Area, our construction practices and materials comply with the California Building Code (CBC). We encourage our clients to get permits but doing so is not required.
County of San Mateo Links
| County of San Mateo Building Dept The County of Santa Clara Building Department handles a variety of building projects under its jurisdiction. The linked page provides a good overview, including a link to how the permit process works. Also provided is a link to the permit portal but do not start there. | County of San Mateo Building Dept https://www.smcgov.org/planning/building-permits County of San Mateo Permit Portal https://aca-prod.accela.com/smcgov/Welcome.aspx |
| County of San Mateo Public Works Dept The County of San Mateo Public Works handles and permitting for public assets such as the street. They also handle sewer services but that information is harder to find on their site. We recommend calling the County if you have to engage them in a sewer service project or let us do that for you as we are experienced in working with the County of San Mateo. | The county has different links to permits for different types of projects https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/permits “Your Construction Project” page has a link to sewer requirements https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/your-construction-project |
| Water Utility While most county residents will get their water from a city-managed service or a private well-water tank system, for those that do not have that service, multiple water providers cover different parts of the County of San Mateo. Each water provider will have their own permit process. | The County of San Mateo Public Works-Water Service has maps to show the different provider areas. https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/water-services Note that Cal Water also provides water for parts of the County of San Mateo. https://www.calwater.com/customercare/find-my-district/ |
| Sewer Utility Several sanitation districts serve the County of San Mateo. Each one has its permit process and you will need to navigate to your provider’s permit page. | County of San Mateo Public Works-Sewer Service https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/sewer-services Sanitation Districts Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District Crystal Springs County Sanitation District Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District |
We created City-Specific pages for the following cities in the County of San Mateo: