23 published records
Business licenses and permits in San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County (county seat Redwood City; population 742,893, U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate) regulates businesses on two different maps. San Mateo County Health's Environmental Health Services acts countywide: it is the enforcement agency that issues the state retail food permit, mobile food and temporary event permits, pool, body art and medical waste permits, and its CUPA page says it was designated the Certified Unified Program Agency for San Mateo County in 1996, so hazardous materials business plans, hazardous waste generator and storage tank permits also come from the county wherever the business is. The county's own Title 5 licenses, approved by the County Business License Board and issued by the Treasurer-Tax Collector, apply in the unincorporated area only — the Tax Collector's page says business licenses are issued 'for certain businesses in Unincorporated San Mateo County Only' — as do the Chapter 5.68 restaurant permit, the Chapter 5.44 massage registration, and Planning and Building permits. The tobacco retailer permit covers the unincorporated area and the cities that adopt Ordinance Code Chapter 4.98 and authorize the county to enforce it (§4.98.310). San Mateo County Fire serves most unincorporated areas not covered by a municipal fire department or local fire district. The Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures registers commercial weighing devices and point-of-sale systems. The county's LAFCo lists 20 incorporated cities and towns: Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Woodside. Each runs its own business license or tax, building and zoning, which stack on the countywide Environmental Health and CUPA permits. Alcohol licenses are issued by the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
What are you opening in San Mateo County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in San Mateo County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to you | San Mateo County Planning and Building Department | Application filing fee: Easy Review $60, Moderate Review $298, Full Review $595. Minimum permit fee: residential $197, commercial $392. Commercial/industrial/office/institutional new construction: $8.92 per sq ft. Valuation schedule (tenant improvements and other projects): from $197 for $0-$1,000 of valuation to $14,228 for the first $500,000 plus $24 for each additional $1,000. Installation, relocation or replacement of each commercial range hood and/or exhaust duct: $298. Surcharges: document storage 2%, technology 4%, legal counsel 5%. 65% of the building permit fee is due before plan review begins. | per project (one-time) | 2026-10-09 |
| Use Permit / Kennel-Cattery Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to you | San Mateo County Planning and Building Department | Use Permit: initial $6,222; renewal/amendment $3,883; inspection $589. Kennel/Cattery Permit: initial $6,222; amendment $887; renewal/inspection $444. | per permit; renewals and inspections billed when due | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in San Mateo County?
Building Permit (unincorporated area)
Construction, a tenant improvement or a change of use on a site in unincorporated San Mateo County needs a building permit from the county Planning and Building Department; a site inside one of the 20 cities and towns gets its building permit from that city. The figures are from the county's Building Service Fee Schedule, established by Board of Supervisors Resolution 080751 (adopted 19 November 2024) and effective April 1, 2026; the resolution provides that the fees 'will automatically be adjusted' by the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward consumer price index, effective no earlier than April 1 of each year. Square-footage fees cover permit processing, plan review and inspection, with half due when the application is accepted; reviews beyond three rounds cost a third of the original plan check fee per resubmittal. Planning, geotechnical, stormwater, Environmental Health and fire review fees can apply on top.
Use Permit / Kennel-Cattery Permit (unincorporated area)
A business whose use needs a use permit under the county's zoning in unincorporated San Mateo County applies to the Planning and Building Department, and a kennel or cattery operation applies for a Kennel/Cattery Permit; a veterinary practice that also boards animals confirms with the Planning Division whether its boarding takes that permit. The figures are from the county's Planning Service Fee Schedule, established by Resolution 080751 and amended by Resolution 082009 (adopted 23 June 2026), effective July 23, 2026. Note 7 of the schedule adds that County Fire review fees 'apply only to San Mateo County Fire jurisdiction. Other Fire jurisdictions may apply their own fees and applicants shall pay those fees separately'. Whether a given use needs a use permit depends on its zoning district, which the Planning Division (650-363-1825) confirms; a site inside one of the 20 cities and towns follows that city's zoning instead.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Building Service Fee Schedule (Resolution 080751), effective April 1, 2026San Mateo County Planning and Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Resolution No. 080751 — Planning, Building and County Fire Marshal service fee schedules, with automatic CPI adjustment (adopted 19 November 2024)San Mateo County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Planning and Building FeesSan Mateo County Planning and Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Planning Service Fee Schedule (Resolution 080751 as amended by Resolution 082009), effective July 23, 2026San Mateo County Planning and Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in San Mateo County?
Permitting in San Mateo County is split across 6 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
San Mateo County issuing agencies
- San Mateo County Health, Environmental Health ServicesRetail food facility, food plan check, mobile food facility, temporary event, public pool/spa, body art and medical waste permits — countywide, as the enforcement agency · Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA): hazardous materials business plans, hazardous waste generator, underground storage tank and aboveground petroleum storage programs — countywide · Massage business County Registration Certificates (Ordinance Code Chapter 5.44) — unincorporated San Mateo County · Tobacco retailer permits (Ordinance Code Chapter 4.98) — unincorporated San Mateo County and cities that adopt Chapter 4.98 and authorize the county to enforce it13 permits
- San Mateo County Treasurer-Tax Collector (business licenses approved by the County Business License Board)County business licenses under Ordinance Code Title 5 (Chapter 5.04 and the chapters for specific business types), reviewed and approved by the County Business License Board — unincorporated San Mateo County only3 permits
- San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner / Sealer of Weights and MeasuresAnnual registration of commercial weighing and measuring devices (Ordinance Code Chapter 5.124) and point-of-sale systems (Chapter 5.144)2 permits
- San Mateo County Fire Department (operated cooperatively with CAL FIRE), Fire MarshalAnnual operational fire permits, fire plan review and care-facility fire inspections — most unincorporated areas of San Mateo County not covered by a municipal fire department or local fire district2 permits
- San Mateo County Planning and Building DepartmentBuilding permits, use permits and kennel/cattery permits — unincorporated San Mateo County2 permits
- California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlAlcoholic beverage licenses — statewide, including every part of San Mateo County1 permit
Other California jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.