San Mateo County — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the San Mateo County Ordinance Code (Title 8 — Zoning & Development Code) requires for landscaping, screening, fences/walls, and tree protection in the unincorporated areas of San Mateo County. It draws only from the County zoning/development regulations and related PUD/design sections found in the County ordinance materials; when the ordinance provides a specific section number that requirement is shown (verify with the jurisdiction for parcel-level interpretation). For related topics see the County's zoning & planning overview and specific subjects below such as parking and design review.

Notes up-front

• Where the ordinance prescribes a place/height for screening or fences it applies only to the County's unincorporated areas (not incorporated cities).
• This page only covers landscaping and screening requirements that appear in the County zoning/development ordinance and PUD/design sections retrieved; anything not in those materials is listed in the Information Gaps section below.

How this page is grounded

Whenever the County ordinance gives a specific rule the controlling code section is cited (for example § 8.332.010). Where the ordinance text references other County tree or design standards the referenced section number is quoted exactly (for example § 6565.21). File citations to the retrieved ordinance excerpts are provided inline with each code citation.

District-by-district rules (San Mateo County unincorporated areas)

The ordinance treats landscaping and screening through a mixture of district-specific design standards, general fence/hedge rules, parking-area rules, resource-area design criteria, and project‑specific PUD/development plans. Below are the districts and specific County regulations pulled from the ordinance excerpts.

R-1 (Single-Family Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: single-family residences (standard County residential district).
• Landscaping / screening rules: Parking lots or automobile parking facilities that adjoin or face R-1 parcels must be screened by a solid masonry wall not less than six (6) feet in height when the parking area serves more than ten (10) vehicles; alternatives (screen planting or wooden fences) are allowed with Director approval and a three-year maintenance bond. § 8.344.050 .
• Fences/walls: standard fence-height rules apply (see § 8.332.010 below).
• Where this applies: unincorporated parcels zoned R-1 and any adjacent commercial/parking uses in the County. Verify with the County for parcel-specific screening triggers.

R-2 (Two‑Family Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: two-family units and compatible residential uses.
• Landscaping / screening rules: same parking-screening requirement when parking faces or adjoins R-2 parcels (§ 8.344.050) .
• Fences/walls: fence height limits in § 8.332.010 apply.

R-3 (Multi‑family Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: multi-family residential.
• Landscaping / screening: parking abutting or facing R-3 requires solid masonry screening at minimum six (6) feet per § 8.344.050 .
• Additional design-review landscaping (tree planting, water-efficient requirements) may be required under local design standards (see § 6565.20 guidance excerpts).

R-E (Rural Estate / Estate Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: low-density estate/residential and rural parcels.
• Landscaping / screening: referenced as a protected recipient zone for parking-screening rules — parking facing/adjoining R-E must have masonry screening per § 8.344.050 .
• Resource-area overlay rules (Scenic Corridors, Primary Resource Areas) can require vegetative screening or earth berms instead of solid fencing in key areas § 8.292.110; screening should avoid solid fencing and favor natural materials where scenic resources are concerned. § 8.292.110

C-1 / C-2 (Commercial Districts)

• Purpose / typical uses: neighborhood and general commercial uses.
• Screening/refuse rules: refuse, outdoor service and storage areas visible from a public way or residential parcel must be screened with a six (6) foot solid wall or opaque fence/gate; where a commercial use abuts a residential parcel the County requires a masonry wall minimum six (6) up to eight (8) feet along the common property line. See screening provisions in commercial district design/performance standards § 8.72.060 and related district design chapters.
• Parking landscaping and planter minimums are also applied (see § 8.344.050) and local commercial design chapters specify tree planting rates and parking buffers.

M-1 / M-2 (Industrial)

• Purpose / typical uses: light and general industrial uses.
• Screening and operations: industrial uses visible to or abutting residential zones must provide screening; where industrial abuts residential the ordinance requires masonry wall screening and forbids barbed wire on property-line fences visible from a public way or residential parcel. See § 8.72.060 and related industrial performance standards.

Institutional / I / Public Uses

• Purpose / typical uses: institutional uses (schools, hospitals, etc.).
• Screening: where an institutional parcel abuts residential zoning a masonry wall six (6) to eight (8) feet is required along the common line; mechanical equipment must be screened with opaque materials when visible from a public way or residential parcel. (See district-specific design/performance sections that include "Screening" clauses; e.g., § 8.72.060 and similar performance sections).

Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) — examples: PUD‑131, PUD‑134, PUD‑138

• Purpose / typical uses: site-specific planned developments approved by ordinance.
• Landscaping obligations: many PUDs (for example PUD‑131, PUD‑134, and PUD‑138) expressly require the provision and maintenance of all new landscaping consistent with approved precise plans and require replacement and maintenance obligations; landscaping and lighting must conform to the approved plans. See the PUD-specific conditions: PUD‑131 (file excerpt), PUD‑134 (file excerpt), PUD‑138 (file excerpt).

Planned Agricultural District (PAD)

• Purpose / typical uses: preserve agricultural operations and create buffer areas between agricultural and urban uses.
• Fences/walls and buffers: the PAD purpose language requires minimizing conflicts and "establishing stable boundaries separating urban and rural areas and, when necessary, clearly defined buffer areas" (Goals include establishing fences, walls or hedges to the height permitted by § 8.332.010 as needed). See § 8.106.010.

Primary Resource / Scenic Corridors (overlays)

• Purpose: protect scenic corridors and primary resources. When development is visible from scenic corridors the ordinance favors vegetative screening and earth berms rather than solid fencing; screening should use native vegetation, avoid clear-cutting, and may require plantings or earth berms in lieu of solid fences. See § 8.292.110 and related Primary Resource Area criteria § 8.314.120 / § 8.318.120.

Key standards (decision-relevant) — quick table

(See Source References for the full list of ordinance citations used above.)

Practical guidance & interpretation tips

• If your project includes parking for more than ten vehicles adjacent to a residentially zoned parcel (even across the street), expect to provide a solid masonry screen wall of at least six (6) feet unless the Director approves an alternative planting/fence scheme with a maintenance bond — § 8.344.050.
• For routine residential fences remember the baseline: 4 ft in front yards and 6 ft in side/rear yards; on corner lots the four-foot sight-triangle limit near intersecting street lines applies — § 8.332.010.
• For projects in mapped scenic corridors or other Primary Resource Areas, the County prefers vegetative screening and earth berms rather than solid fencing; screening that blocks scenic views is restricted — § 8.292.110.
• If your development requires design review, your required landscape plan should follow County Minimum Standards and will be reviewed under the County’s design review rules — see design review and the quoted design guidance in § 6565.20.
• Where the ordinance requires plant sizes (e.g., 15-gallon or 5-gallon stock in certain district design standards), those minimums appear in the district design text (examples in the C‑1/WMP and mixed-use design standards). Verify species lists and district minimums with staff.

Make sure to coordinate screening/planting plans with stormwater measures: the County requires stormwater BMPs integrated with landscape design (per C.3 guidance) and prefers permeable surfaces and vegetated swales in landscape designs. § 8.308 / 8.126 excerpts require BMPs and water-efficient plantings.

Checklist — what an applicant must provide or satisfy (typical)

• A landscape plan that meets the County’s Minimum Standards for Landscape Plans and shows species, sizes, irrigation and maintenance notes (where required). § 6565.20
• Dimensioned fence/wall elevations and locations, showing compliance with § 8.332.010 limits (front/side/rear) or an exception application § 8.332.040 if seeking a taller fence.
• If proposing >10-space parking areas adjacent to residential zones, detail screening: masonry wall ≥ 6 ft or approved planting/fence alternative with maintenance bond per § 8.344.050.
• Refuse / recycling area plan showing enclosure (6–8 ft wall/fence) and access per district standards § 8.126.080 / § 8.72.060.
• Tree protection plan if significant or heritage trees are present, prepared by an arborist/landscape architect addressing dripline protections, no more than 4 inches fill/excavation at tree base, and protective fencing during construction (see § 6565.21).
• If in a Scenic Corridor/Primary Resource Area, include vegetative/berm screening and show how views/public resources are preserved per § 8.292.110.
• If applicable, show how irrigation and plant selection meet water-efficiency/drought-tolerant requirements (County references to Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance). § 6565.20 / design guidance excerpts.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain‑English summary (homeowner)

If you build in unincorporated San Mateo County, fences are generally limited to 4 ft in front yards and 6 ft in side/rear yards, parking lots next to homes usually must have a 6‑ft masonry screen, and trash areas and rooftop/mechanical equipment must be hidden behind solid walls or opaque fences — the exact rules and exceptions are in the County Zoning Code (see § 8.332.010, § 8.344.050, and district design standards). Always check whether your property is in a PUD, scenic overlay, or the Coastal Zone because those rules can change what’s required.

Information Gaps

• Exact current numbering and location of the "Standards for the Protection of Trees and Vegetation" when the ordinance text references renumbering (the excerpts reference § 6565.21 and renumbering notes). Verify the current active section in the County code. Not found in retrieved materials: current crosswalk to any renumbered tree-protection section.
• The County "Minimum Standards for Landscape Plans" (detailed submittal checklists, sheet content, and plant lists) are referenced but the complete standard document text was not included in the retrieved excerpts. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Any local amendments or administrative design guidelines adopted after the retrieved excerpts (confirm with County online code or staff). Not found in retrieved materials.

Source References

• Fences, Hedges, Walls — § 8.332.010, § 8.332.020, § 8.332.040 (Fence heights, corner‑lot sight limits, and exception process)
• Parking screening & landscaping — § 8.344.050 (parking area screening, planter widths, percent landscaped)
• District performance & screening standards (commercial/industrial) — § 8.72.060, § 8.126.080, plus related district design/performance sections (screening for refuse, service areas, mechanical equipment, masonry walls 6–8 ft where abutting residential).
• Primary Scenic / Resource Area criteria — § 8.292.110 and Primary Resource Area design criteria (native vegetation and earth berms favored for screening).
• Design Review / Landscaping guidance — design-review excerpts and standards (e.g., § 6565.20 and references to § 6565.21 Standards for Protection of Trees and Vegetation).
• PUD examples requiring landscaping & maintenance — PUD‑131, PUD‑134, PUD‑138 (PUD ordinance excerpts imposing landscaping and maintenance obligations).

Related internal topic pages (first natural mentions were linked above): parking, design review, Development Standards, Overlay Districts, ADUs, California Building Standards Code, San Mateo County zoning & planning overview.

Retrieved passages

• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (section provides) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (chapter is) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Section 8.314.080.) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Section shall) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Chapter 3.) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Title 8) High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Chapter of) Medium relevance show source text
• San Mateo County Zoning Code (Chapter 8.256) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• **Fences, Hedges, Walls —** **§ 8.332.010**, **§ 8.332.020**, **§ 8.332.040** (Fence heights, corner‑lot sight limits, and exception process) (§ 8.332.010)
• **Parking screening & landscaping —** **§ 8.344.050** (parking area screening, planter widths, percent landscaped) (§ 8.344.050)
• **District performance & screening standards (commercial/industrial) —** **§ 8.72.060**, **§ 8.126.080**, plus related district design/performance sections (screening for refuse, service areas, mechanical equipment, masonry walls 6–8 ft where abutting residential). (§ 8.72.060)
• **Primary Scenic / Resource Area criteria —** **§ 8.292.110** and Primary Resource Area design criteria (native vegetation and earth berms favored for screening). (§ 8.292.110)
• **Design Review / Landscaping guidance —** design-review excerpts and standards (e.g., **§ 6565.20** and references to **§ 6565.21** Standards for Protection of Trees and Vegetation). (§ 6565.20)
• **PUD examples requiring landscaping & maintenance —** **PUD‑131**, **PUD‑134**, **PUD‑138** (PUD ordinance excerpts imposing landscaping and maintenance obligations).
• SanMateoCounty_ZoningCode.md

• Official San Mateo County code library