County
San Mateo County
This is the county layer. It is often the first stop for assessor, tax collector, recorder, court, social service, election, health, sheriff, and unincorporated-area services.
Starting point
Start with the county layer.
County offices are the usual first stop for records, taxes, courts, elections, public health, social services, sheriff services, and unincorporated-area routing.
Cities inside the county can still control city permits, local code, utilities, business licenses, and city-specific rules.
2025 population
743,568
Land area
448.603 sq mi
Water area
292.36 sq mi
Directory notes
Local layers to keep on the same page.
Property, taxes, and records
For assessed value, exemptions, ownership records, recording, and tax bills, county offices are usually the starting layer.
Unincorporated land
If an address is outside city limits, county planning, building, environmental health, fire, or public works may handle local permits and code work.
Courts, services, and alerts
Superior court, sheriff, elections, social services, emergency alerts, and health offices often start at the county level.
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for San Mateo County
Place note · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Daly City street sweeping is really a parking-window check
Daly City's street sweeping rules depend on the posted block and time window, and citations can still happen after the sweeper has already passed.
Place note · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Free South City Shuttle links the hill, downtown, and transit
South San Francisco's free shuttle runs on weekdays and links local stops with SamTrans, BART, Caltrain, downtown, parks, stores, and civic destinations.
Place note · History and culture · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Redwood City keeps old civic buildings in daily downtown life
Redwood City's historic downtown includes the Historic San Mateo County Courthouse, Fox Theatre, Lathrop House, and Courthouse Square, where the old center still works as a public gathering place.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Redwood City utility bills and garbage bills can split apart
Redwood City bills water and sewer in some cases, while garbage collection and billing are handled through Recology, so residents should check which bill they are holding.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
San Bruno building permits use MGO Connect
San Bruno's Building Division uses MGO Connect for online permits, application tracking, documents, payments, and inspection scheduling.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Daly City bulky goods go through Republic Services
Daly City residents work with Republic Services for bulky goods collection, service starts and stops, billing questions, and some garbage pickup issues.
Almanac notes
Stories and local context near San Mateo County
Place note · Outdoors
Coyote Point shows San Mateo's busy Bay edge
Coyote Point Recreation Area brings together Bay views, a marina, marsh habitat, a beach promenade, windsurfing, playgrounds, CuriOdyssey, picnic areas, and SFO planes overhead.
Place note · History and culture
South San Francisco's biotech story grew from an industrial city
South San Francisco is known as the birthplace of biotechnology, with Genentech's 1976 start helping shift an older industrial city into a major life-science center.
Place note · History and culture
The Cow Palace gives Daly City a big Bay Area memory
The Cow Palace in Daly City began in 1941 and still carries a mix of rodeo, concert, sports, convention, and community history near the San Francisco line.
Place note · History and culture
Sign Hill turns South San Francisco's old slogan into a walk
South San Francisco's Sign Hill carries the famous 'The Industrial City' sign, but the hillside is also a 65-acre open space with rare plants and habitat.
Place note · History and culture
Atherton began as Fair Oaks, a quiet rail stop for estate country
Atherton's story starts with Fair Oaks, the San Francisco-to-San Jose rail line, large country estates, and Holbrook-Palmer Park's surviving estate buildings.
Place note · History and culture
Bay Meadows still explains a big piece of San Mateo
The former Bay Meadows racetrack site shows why part of San Mateo now mixes housing, offices, shops, parks, and Caltrain access in one busy rail-side area.
Place note · History and culture
Half Moon Bay turns pumpkin season into a Main Street event
Half Moon Bay's pumpkin festival, weigh-off, farm fields, and coastal Main Street make the town's fall identity easy to see.
Place note · History and culture
Millbrae's old depot keeps the railroad story near today's transit
Millbrae's historic depot connects the city to early Peninsula rail service, Darius Mills, milk shipments, station life, preservation, Caltrain, and BART.