San Mateo County · Zoning setbacks
City of San Mateo setback requirements
Lekua resolves a parcel’s jurisdiction and zone, then draws this envelope on the site plan with its citation in the title block. Enter a City of San Mateo address and the setbacks arrive already drawn.
The envelope
What the numbers below make on the ground. Shown for the first district in the table; the rest follow the same geometry at their own dimensions.
Zone R2 — the envelope Lekua draws on the plan.
- Front
- 15′
- Side
- 5′
- Rear
- 15′
The hatched band is the yard — ground the code gives up. Drawn not to scale: the yards are proportional to each other, so the deepest one fills the band and the rest follow. The dimensions carry the real numbers, and the export draws them on the actual parcel outline.
City of San Mateo setbacks by district
Every row is produced by the same function the exporter calls, so this page cannot drift from what the drawing gets. The citation under each row is what prints on the sheet.
City of San Mateo MC §27.20.070 (R2, two-family — adopts R1-B yards): front 15 ft (garage 20 ft), interior side 5 ft, rear 15 ft (25 ft above first story). Rear shown at the 15 ft first-floor minimum (25 ft above the first story); corner street-side yard is 15% of lot width (min 7.5 ft); §27.18.050 daylight plane and Ch. 27.83 slope/hillside rules may modify. Verify with City of San Mateo Planning.
City of San Mateo MC §§27.22.070–.090 (R3, multiple-family): front 15 ft, interior side 6 ft (1–2 story), rear 15 ft. Buildings over 2–3 stories scale yards with building height (½ height; side/rear to a 25 ft max); a yard abutting an R1/R2 parcel increases (rear = building height; side = ½ height or 15 ft). Corner street-side yard 7.5 ft min. Building height per the General Plan Building Height Plan; Ch. 27.83 slope/hillside rules may modify. Verify with City of San Mateo Planning.
City of San Mateo MC §§27.24.060–.070 (adopts R3 yards) (R4, multiple-family): front 15 ft, interior side 6 ft (1–2 story), rear 15 ft. Buildings over 2–3 stories scale yards with building height (½ height; side/rear to a 25 ft max); a yard abutting an R1/R2 parcel increases (rear = building height; side = ½ height or 15 ft). Corner street-side yard 7.5 ft min. Building height per the General Plan Building Height Plan; Ch. 27.83 slope/hillside rules may modify. Verify with City of San Mateo Planning.
City of San Mateo MC §§27.26.060–.070 (adopts R3 yards) (R5, multiple-family): front 15 ft, interior side 6 ft (1–2 story), rear 15 ft. Buildings over 2–3 stories scale yards with building height (½ height; side/rear to a 25 ft max); a yard abutting an R1/R2 parcel increases (rear = building height; side = ½ height or 15 ft). Corner street-side yard 7.5 ft min. Building height per the General Plan Building Height Plan; Ch. 27.83 slope/hillside rules may modify. Verify with City of San Mateo Planning.
What the export says about this table
City of San Mateo reviewed against Municipal Code Title 27 (captured 2026-06-16): R-1-A 25/7/15; R-1-B, R-1-C and R-2 15/5/15. The §27.18.050 daylight plane and Ch. 27.83 hillside rules apply but are not captured — confirm with Planning.
Printed verbatim on every City of San Mateo export — the same words the reviewer signed off, not a summary of them.
Setbacks are one layer of a City of San Mateo site plan
The same address search returns the parcel boundary, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, the soil profile, four-season sun, and a native plant palette matched to the site. See everything Lekua resolves in San Mateo County→
City of San Mateo setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in City of San Mateo?
In R2 the code sets a 15 ft front yard, 5 ft sides, and a 15 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from City of San Mateo MC §27.20.070 with the citation attached to every row. This table has passed independent review, so Lekua draws the setback envelope on the site plan for a City of San Mateo parcel.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for City of San Mateo?
Yes. City of San Mateo is one of the jurisdictions whose table has passed review, most recently on 2026-07-24, so the envelope is drawn on the DXF and the PDF site plan with its citation in the title block.
Where do these City of San Mateo setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — City of San Mateo MC §27.20.070 — and this page renders them by calling the same function the exporter calls, so what you see here is what the drawing gets. Zoning changes; verify against the current code and with the planning department before submittal.
Can I get a CAD base map for a City of San Mateo parcel?
Yes. Enter any City of San Mateo address and Lekua returns a layered DXF base plan and a PDF site report — property lines, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, soil, seasonal sun, and a native plant palette matched to the parcel, alongside the zoning determination. See what else resolves in San Mateo County.
Start with a City of San Mateo address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.