San Mateo County, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

San Mateo County's Zoning Regulations require street tree planting as part of the public right-of-way improvements new private development must build in the CMU-1 (Commercial Mixed Use-1) District, a zoning designation covering commercial parcels in the unincorporated North Fair Oaks community. Section 8.118.060(3) sets these right-of-way obligations alongside sidewalk standards: a continuous, ADA-compliant 5-foot path of travel free of fixed obstructions, and an 8-foot-wide sidewalk measured from the back of curb.

Within that framework, Section 8.118.060(3)(b) is the operative street tree standard. It requires developments to provide street trees along public sidewalks that abut the project, consistent with the Department of Public Works' Tree Planting Application, and to plant the maximum number of trees the Department's standards allow, though the Director of Planning and Building may reduce that count at his or her discretion. Tree species must come from a street tree list maintained by the Department of Planning & Building, and installation must conform to Department of Public Works standards. The ordinance places ongoing maintenance on the private side: the developer or property manager must water each newly installed tree for at least three years and remains responsible for maintaining or replacing it, and for repairing any sidewalk damaged or affected by the planted trees.

Developers who cannot meet a design standard in Section 8.118.060 may seek a minor design exception from the Director of Planning and Building, appealable to the Planning Commission, or, for a departure beyond a minor exception, a major design exception through a Use Permit granted by the Planning Commission at a public hearing. The requirement runs with new private development inside the CMU-1 boundary; it is not a county-wide street tree mandate.