CITY OF SAN MATEO
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 15 Section Name: NEW BUSINESS File ID: 26-12718 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Community Development Department
MEETING DATE: October 19, 2026
SUBJECT:
Options for Single-Family Permit Streamlining and Zoning Code Updates — Policy Direction RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a presentation on the City’s single-family regulations and building permit requirements and provide direction to staff on how the single-family regulations, permit processes, and public notice requirements should be updated and/or maintained.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the City Council’s priority initiatives for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27, Council directed staff to review the permitting procedures for single-family projects, including modifications, remodels, and new construction; and to identify opportunities to expedite the process, reduce costs for homeowners, and create efficiencies by simplifying and streamlining the permitting process. This agenda report provides an overview of the City’s current single-family Zoning Code requirements and permit processes, streamlining and process improvements that have already occurred, proposed Zoning Code updates, and options for how to further streamline and simplify permitting requirements.
General Plan
The City Council adopted the Strive San Mateo General Plan 2040 in March 2024. Measure T, which approved the General Plan’s Land Use Element, was approved by the voters in November 2024, with the full General Plan going into effect in December 2024. Concurrently with the General Plan Update, City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element in May 2024, which the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) certified in July 2024. One of the primary mechanisms to implement the General Plan is through the City’s Zoning Code, which requires significant amendments to align it with the updated goals, policies and actions in General Plan 2040.
Several policies and actions in the General Plan and Housing Element call for streamlining housing applications and development review processes, while maintaining appropriate public outreach single-family design review. The following General Plan and Housing Element policies and actions are applicable to this discussion:
• Policy LU 9.1 - Inclusive Outreach. Notify the community when planning and development decisions are being considered and inform community members about how they can engage in the process. Use outreach and engagement methods that encourage broad representation and are culturally sensitive, particularly for equity priority communities.
• Policy LU 9.3 - Development Projects. Communicate clearly how and at what stages members of the public can provide input on development projects under review and ensure public awareness of all the factors the City must consider in approving or denying a project.
• Policy LU 13.1 - Development Review Process. Review development proposals and building permit applications in an efficient and timely manner while maintaining quality standards in accordance with City codes, policies, and
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regulations, and in compliance with State requirements. • Action C 7.14 - Off-Street Parking Incentives. Explore a new policy or code amendment that would provide incentives to projects in exchange for providing additional off-street parking in neighborhoods that have on-street parking capacity issues, such as areas in the North Central Neighborhood. • Policy H 1.6 - Streamline Housing Application Review. Reduce the development review timeline for housing projects by streamlining the development review process and simplifying design review and submittal requirements.
• Policy CD 7.1 - Low-Density Residential Development. Require new homes in the Low- and Very Low Density residential designations, including single-family dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, four-plexes, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to be consistent with objective design standards as outlined in the City’s Residential Design Standards.
• Policy CD 7.2 - Single-Family Design. Encourage single-family additions and new dwellings that address the preservation and enhancement of neighborhood visual and architectural character through context-sensitive building scale, materials, architectural style and details, and privacy.
Comprehensive Zoning Code Update
In July 2025, the City initiated the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update (CZCU) effort to implement General Plan 2040 and the 2023–2031 Housing Element. This effort aims to modernize the City’s Zoning Code by removing outdated regulations, simplifying and streamlining permit processes, and improving clarity and usability for both staff and the public. The CZCU will assess all elements of the Zoning Code, with the goal to have an updated Zoning Code ready for City Council consideration by mid/late-2027. In January 2026, PlaceWorks, the City’s consultant for the CZCU, prepared a white paper on the single-family review process and development standards (Attachment 1). The white paper includes a review of the existing single-family residential regulations in the Zoning Code, directions and policies in the General Plan, recent state bills, best practice options and considerations, and questions to help facilitate public input on this topic.
On June 9, 2026, the Planning Commission held a study session that included a review of the residential zoning standards and the Planning Application process and provided recommendations on potential changes to further simplify and streamline the process. Based on the Planning Commission’s direction, staff research, and community outreach, this agenda report includes the preliminary recommendations for updates to single-family residential development standards, the Planning Application process, and noticing requirements. The recommendations are intended to further reduce processing times and costs, improve efficiency, and simplify requirements while maintaining appropriate design review, public engagement, and compliance with applicable City and State requirements.
Single-Family Application and Permit Activity
During this past Fiscal Year (FY 2025-26), the Building Division issued over 4,000 building permits, with over 500 virtual over-the-counter (VOTC) permits. This permit activity was supported with the completion of over 3,000 permit application plan check review cycles, over 4,500 in-person customers served at the City Hall Permit Center, and responses to over 5,000 phone and email inquiries. The inspection team completed over 22,000 onsite building inspections. Over 75 percent of this permit activity is related to work on single-family properties.
This current construction activity represents a high point when compared with the past 10 years. Between 2015-2021 the City saw a gradual increase in permit activity, with a more prominent increase between 2021-2026, leading to our current year volumes, which are at the highest levels over this time period. This increased activity is likely related, at least in part, to the age of homes within subdivisions that were originally bult in the 1960s and 1970s nearing the end of their useful life and requiring more significant remodels, additions or rebuilds.
The Building Division ’s operational target for permit processing is to complete first round reviews within 20 business days and subsequent reviews within 10 business days. For building inspections, the operational target is for applicants/contractors to be able to schedule inspections within 48 hours of the request being submitted. Over the past year, the team completed the application reviews within these targets 97 percent of the time, and inspections were scheduled within 48 hours 95 percent of the time.
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For the Planning Division, in FY 2025-26, a total of 89 Planning Applications (PAs) were processed, and 1,045 zoning reviews of building permit applications were completed. Of these PAs, 60 percent were for single-family projects, and 70 percent of the zoning reviews were for single-family permit applications.
DISCUSSION:
The discussion is organized into two parts. The first part summarizes improvements implemented over the past several years to the building permit and planning application review processes for single-family projects. The second part focuses on the recommended Zoning Code changes and building permit process updates to further streamline and simplify singlefamily requirements and review processes.
Building Permit Process Improvements
In May 2020, the Community Development Department (CDD) launched the Online Permit Center for managing and processing permits. Applicants can now submit building and planning applications, resubmit plans and revisions, and process payments securely 24 hours a day, seven days a week, significantly reducing the necessity for in-person service counter visits for all project types. The transition has proven highly successful, with approximately 90 percent of all current applications now received electronically with no paper plans submitted.
In 2021, CDD accelerated approvals for minor single-family projects by expanding its “express permit” program for projects such new air conditioner and heat pump installations, kitchen and bathroom remodels (no wall or floorplan alterations), electrical rewiring, and installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. As a result, the average processing time for qualifying applications has decreased from 15 business days to fewer than three. Additionally, CDD introduced an over-the-counter (OTC) process for mid-tier projects that fall between express and full review applications such as interior remodels with non-structural wall or floorplan alterations, non-structural retrofit foundation upgrades, all single-family solar PV installations, and minor non-structural framing repairs. These mid-tier projects receive up to a 45-minute building plan check and are subsequently issued the same day for in-person visits or completed within three business days for online submissions.
In November 2025, the processing of permits for removal of protected trees on private property transitioned from the Parks & Recreation Tree Division to CDD. Key improvements have included establishing a new permit type and eliminating the need for a separate tree removal permit when tree removal is associated with a development project. These changes have created a more consistent and accessible process while saving applicants time and money by allowing the development project and associated tree removal to be reviewed and approved under the same permit. This consolidated process also eliminated the need for a separate tree replacement deposit while maintaining requirements to ensure that replacement trees are properly planted upon project completion.
Currently, standard ministerial (non-discretionary) permit applications for projects such as major additions or structural interior renovations are typically processed from application submittal to permit issuance in less than three months. These projects typically require three review cycles, averaging a total of 40 days for City reviews and 45 days for applicant revisions/resubmittals. If a project requires a discretionary Planning review (Planning Application or PA) before applying for a building permit, the overall timeline roughly doubles due to additional review, approval, and public noticing requirements. It is important to note that overall processing times also depend on the applicant’s resources and project schedule. Factors such as design team availability, construction timelines, funding, and contractor availability can affect an applicant’s overall timeline, and often an approved permit can be ready for months before it is issued to the applicant or contractor.
Building Permit Opportunities for Further Streamlining
In the near term, CDD is planning to upgrade its permit track software capabilities to allow for some single-family express permits, such as water heater replacements, reroofs, electrical service upgrades, in-kind kitchen and bathroom remodels, to be processed and issued to licensed contractors online 24/7 with no staff interaction.
Future efficiency strategies include cross-training plan reviewers across multiple review disciplines to minimize the number
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of staff involved in reviewing a project. While this streamlines the applicant’s experience, its impact on staff workload and staffing needs must be considered. Additionally, CDD plans to expand over-the-counter reviews, both in-person and virtually, by coordinating with the Fire Department (SMCFD) and Public Works to align staff availability. This would allow staff to provide joint over-the-counter reviews at City Hall during designated hours or by appointment. Furthermore, collaboration with other City departments to eliminate redundant reviews while maintaining strict code compliance is currently under development.
Finally, transitioning to a 100-percent digital submission process via the Online Permit Center Portal will centralize files, shift in-person counter hours to focusing on back-end review time, and ensure a more equitable process for all applicants so submittals are processed in the order they are received as opposed to those who apply in-person receiving more immediate assistance.
Planning Application Process Improvements
Over the past two years, the Planning Division has worked on streamlining the review process for single-family Planning Applications (PAs) by eliminating redundant reviews and reducing overall turnaround times. The Fire Department and Building Division no longer automatically review PAs for new single-family dwellings, SB 9, ADU Design Reviews (ADUDRs), single-family additions, and other single-family related activities, such as fence height exceptions. In place of these reviews, planners apply standard Conditions of Approval to applicable projects. These conditions will inform applicants of applicable Fire and Building requirements, such as fire sprinklers for homes exceeding specified square-footage thresholds, Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) requirements, and general Building Code requirements. Applicants are required to address these requirements as part of the subsequent building permit process, with full technical, life-safety, and structural reviews by the Fire and Building Divisions to be completed during the plan check process. PAs may still be routed to Fire or Building when unusual circumstances arise or when additional review is needed. These process updates have allowed Planning to complete reviews quicker and deem a PA complete with fewer rounds of review while still ensuring appropriate code compliance and applicant awareness of key requirements.
Zoning Code Recommendations to Further Streamlining
Since the initiation of the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update (CZCU), staff has conducted community outreach through a virtual workshop, two online surveys, stakeholder interviews, and study sessions with the City Council and Planning Commission. On June 9, 2026, the Planning Commission held a study session on residential zoning standards and the Planning Application process. While that discussion included both single-family and lower-density multifamily development, this discussion focuses on the Zoning Code standards applicable to the R1 (Single-Family) District and the Planning Application process for single-family projects. Staff is presenting recommendations and seeking direction on proposed updates to the R1 development standards and changes to streamline the Planning Application process. The recommendations are informed by Planning Commission direction, community input, and review of practices in comparable jurisdictions. Attachment 2 provides an overview of the current regulations and processes, Planning Commission recommendations, and staff recommendations for the proposed updates to the development standards and Planning Application process.
Updates to the development standards for the R1 Districts are primarily intended to provide targeted refinements rather than substantial changes to the existing regulations. The amendments would include minor code clean-up to improve consistency and alignment among the development standards. In addition to these targeted refinements, staff recommends two key changes to the setback and parking standards for R1 Districts.
1. Setbacks Recommendations
A review of setback requirements in comparable jurisdictions shows that some of San Mateo’s requirements, including garage setbacks are more restrictive than those of other jurisdictions. In addition, the current code does not provide a process for setback exceptions for small or constrained lots. The Planning Commission recognized the importance of maintaining appropriate setbacks but generally supported reducing setback requirements and providing greater flexibility to ensure that San Mateo’s standards are not more restrictive than those of comparable jurisdictions. Consistent with the Planning Commission’s direction, staff recommends allowing setback exceptions for qualifying constrained sites, such as small or irregularly shaped lots. The City Council may also
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consider reducing the current setback requirements summarized in Attachment 3 or providing greater flexibility in applying these requirements. Based on staff’s review of the City’s current setback requirements, staff recommends the following exceptions for small or constrained single-family lots:
a. The interior side setback may be reduced to ten (10) percent of the lot width if the lot width is less than fifty (50) feet, provided that in no case shall the side setback be less than four (4) feet. b. The rear setback may be reduced to twenty (20) percent of the lot depth if the depth of the lot is less than one hundred (100) feet, provided that in no case shall the rear setback be less than ten (10) feet.
2. Parking Recommendations
Various options for incentivizing on-site parking were presented to the Planning Commission, including allowing tandem parking, exempting parking areas from Floor Area Ratio (FAR) calculations, and allowing parking within the front setback. The Planning Commission unanimously supported these options to provide greater flexibility and incentives for on-site parking. Consistent with the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the following updates to the parking regulations are proposed:
a. Allow tandem parking for single-family residential projects. b. Allow qualifying driveways within the required front or side setback to be used for uncovered parking spaces.
c. Exempt garages and carports up to 500 square feet from FAR calculations.
To allow parking within the front setback while preserving space for landscaping and limiting impervious surfaces, staff will also evaluate establishing appropriate maximum paving limits within the front and street-side setbacks.
Overall, the proposed changes would provide greater flexibility in meeting parking requirements, encourage additional on-site parking, and maintain appropriate standards for landscaping and site design.
Planning Application Opportunities for Further Streamlining Currently, new single-family residences and many single-family alterations, including second-story additions, require a PA for various types of review, including Single-Family Dwelling Design Review (SFDDR), Site Plan and Architectural Review (SPAR), and/or Special Use Permit (SUP), before they can submit for a building permit. A summary of the current approval process and notification requirements is included as Attachment 4, and the City’s Public Outreach and Notification Policy is included as Attachment 5.
While many single-family project types require a PA, ADUs, including second-story ADUs, are processed with a ministerial building permit and do not require a separate PA or public notification. The table below compares the total number of single-family PAs and ADU applications submitted last year. Given the similar nature of some of these projects, there are opportunities to reduce the number of projects that require a PA and allow additional single-family projects to be processed with a building permit only. This approach would eliminate duplicate reviews at the Planning Application and Building Permit stages while maintaining reviews for compliance with applicable code requirements.
Fiscal Year Total ADU Permit Applications Single-Family Planning Applications 23/24 81 51
24/25 105 44
25/26 117 50
As part of the Planning Commission study session, the Commission recommended reducing the noticing radius while maintaining appropriate notice to adjacent and directly impacted properties. The Commission also recommended streamlining the review process by exempting additional types of single-family projects from PA review.
Per the Planning Commission’s recommendation, staff evaluated the City’s existing approval processes and noticing requirements for single-family projects to identify opportunities to streamline review while maintaining appropriate public notification and oversight for adjacent properties and affected neighbors. Attachment 6 provides a more detailed overview of the recommended updates.
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1. Consolidate Discretionary Review for Single-Family Projects To streamline the review of single-family residential projects, staff recommends establishing the Single-Family Dwelling Design Review (SFDDR) process as the primary discretionary review process for all single-family project types. Under this approach, projects that may currently be subject to other discretionary processes, such as Site Plan and Architectural Review (SPAR) or Special Use Permit (SUP), would instead all be reviewed through the SFDDR process when discretionary review is required. The SFDDR process is tailored to the scale and characteristics of single-family residential development and provides an appropriate level of review for both new homes and modifications to existing homes. Consolidating discretionary review under SFDDR would create a more consistent and streamlined review framework while maintaining review for appropriate design and neighborhood compatibility standards.
2. Exempt Certain Single-Family Projects from Planning Application Review Staff recommends exempting all one-story single-family residential projects and minor site improvements, with the exception of new one-story single-family houses, from requiring a PA review. Projects exempt from Planning Application review would be reviewed through the building permit process and would still be required to comply with all applicable zoning and development standards. The City Council may also consider exempting additional projects currently subject to SFDDR from PA review, such as increasing the size limit of second story additions, that are allowed to be processed administratively through Building Permit review process. Currently, all second story additions over 200 square feet require a PA.
3. Noticing Requirement Recommendations
Under the current process, single-story PAs are generally required to send mailed notices to property owners and occupants within 500 feet following application submittal and when a notice of the decision is ready. Projects involving a new or expanded second story also require a neighborhood meeting with property owners and occupants within 500 feet prior to application submittal, in addition to the required mailed decision notice. By comparison, all new ADUs, including second-story ADUs, are processed with a ministerial building permit and do not require any neighborhood notification. This is an opportunity to align the ADU level requirements with smaller second-story additions and other one-story modifications and reduce noticing requirements, which add time and cost to the process. Thus, staff recommends reducing the noticing requirements for single-family projects as follows:
a. Advance Property Posting Notice: Eliminate the neighborhood meeting requirement for all single-family projects. In place of the neighborhood meeting, new one- and two-story residences and larger second-story additions would be required to post a property notice within 30 days of PA submittal to provide advance notice to neighboring properties. The updated notice sign would provide key project information to affected properties and the public. Staff has updated the sign template to clearly present this information and make it easier for applicants, property owners, and members of the public to understand a proposed project. The updated sign template is provided in Attachment 7.
b. Decision Notice: Reduce the 500-foot notification area for all single-family projects. All projects requiring an SFDDR would be subject to a notice of decision mailed to the 12 adjacent properties prior to issuance of the decision. This would maintain awareness of a PA decision to owners and tenants most adjacent to a project while reducing the extra cost of mailed notices to a much larger notification area.
CITY COUNCIL QUESTIONS:
Based on the background information and discussion provided above, staff is seeking direction on the following questions:
1. Single-Family Building Permit Process Improvements
a. Does City Council support the following recommendations? i. Set a goal to have all single-family Building Permit Application submittals be performed online and move towards 100% digitization.
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ii. Increase the types of instant online permitting (no staff interaction) for licensed contractors on singlefamily express permit projects to include reroofs, water heater replacements, minor electrical, plumbing, mechanical upgrades, heat pump installations.
iii. Evaluate the single-family building permit plan review process to allow for in-person/virtual over-thecounter (OTC) reviews between SMC Fire, Public Works, Building and Planning on eligible projects. iv. Evaluate Permit Center counter hours to decrease staff time at the public counter, reallocating time towards back-end processing of online submittals to reduce the total number of days to complete reviews and issue permits.
b. Are there any other changes to the single-family permitting process that Council would like staff to evaluate for further streamlining and simplification?
2. Single-Family Zoning Code Amendments
a. Does City Council support the recommended R1 District amendments to allow for setback exceptions for constrained lots and to modify parking standards to provide greater flexibility and incentivize off-street parking?
b. Are there any other single-family development standards, including building setbacks, floor area ratio (FAR), parking, daylight plane, or height that Council would like staff to evaluate and potentially update?
3. Single-Family Planning Application Process Improvements a. Does City Council support the following recommendations? i. Consolidate and simplify the single-family Planning Application under the Single-Family Dwelling Design Review (SFDDR) process.
ii. Exempt all one-story single-family projects, except for new one-story single-family houses, from requiring a Planning Application.
iii. Increase the size of a second story addition, currently 200 square feet, that requires a Planning Application.
iv. Reduce the notification requirements to eliminate the neighborhood meeting requirement, reduce the notification area from 500 feet to the 12 adjacent properties, and include an enhanced and more visible property posting notice.
b. Are there any other changes to the Planning Application process that Council would like staff to evaluate for further streamlining?
NEXT STEPS:
Following this study session, staff will incorporate City Council direction into the draft Zoning Code Update. Public participation will be ongoing throughout the CZCU process, and the public is invited to contact staff directly at any point outside of the scheduled workshops and activities with comments and/or questions.
Publication of the public review draft Zoning Code Update is anticipated in the Spring 2027. Once published, there will be robust outreach and engagement, including workshops and additional study sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council, to ensure community awareness and collect public input and comments. Once staff has evaluated public and decision-maker input and incorporated changes and updates accordingly, public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council will be scheduled. Final adoption hearings for the Zoning Code Update are anticipated to take place in the Summer/Fall of 2027.
For building permit process improvements, Council direction will be assessed and staff will begin work to implement over the remainer of this Fiscal Year, with updates provided as progress is made.
BUDGET IMPACT:
Staff work to research and prepare this report was partially funded by the Community Development Department’s annual operating budget and partially funded by the MTC TOC Policy Grant for the Zoning Code Update (granted in September 2025). Work to develop these process improvements and/or updated Zoning Code requirements is anticipated to be funded by the Construction Services Fund and the Advanced Planning Fund. However, specific funding for future work
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related to this topic will need to be assessed once City Council direction has been provided.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to Section 15060(c)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines, because the activity, which consists of discussion of updates to the City’s Zoning Code but no formal actions or amendments, will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment; and Section 15060(c)(3), because the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines, since it has no potential for resulting in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment.
NOTICE PROVIDED:
All meeting noticing requirements were met. Meeting notifications were sent to the City’s neighborhood associations and homeowner associations (HOAs). In addition, notifications were included in the Planning and citywide eNewsletters and pushed out through NextDoor. All public comments received are included as Attachment 8. Public comments received after publication of this report will be forwarded to the City Council and posted to this item on the City’s Agendas & Minutes Public Meeting Portal as “Post Packet Public Comments.” STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This staff report supports the Land Use and Housing initiatives.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – White Paper – Single-Family Residential Regulations Att 2 – Current and Recommended Development Standards and Planning Application Att 3 – Current R1 Development Standards
Att 4 – Current Planning Application Approval Process and Noticing Requirement Att 5 – Early Community Engagement Process Policy
Att 6 – Recommended Planning Application and Noticing Process Att 7 – Property Posting Template
Att 8 – Public Comments
STAFF CONTACTS
Mary Eusebio, Deputy Building Official
[email protected]
(650) 522-7194
Simin Zakavand, Associate Planner
[email protected]
(650) 522-7219
Sung H. Kwon, Deputy Director
[email protected]
(650) 522-7203