Planning guide · updated November 2026
Hillsborough is a residential town on the Peninsula next to Burlingame and San Mateo, and its own design guidelines point to its bucolic setting, curving roads, abundant landscaping and varied architecture. Much of the custom building we see on the Peninsula is replacement: an older house comes down and a new one is designed for the same lot. Every new house goes through the Town’s Architecture and Design Review Board twice, first informally and then at a public hearing, and the Town adds its own construction rules on top of the building code. Below is how we plan new homes in Hillsborough so the design, the site and the construction schedule are understood before the drawings are locked.
Harrod Built takes on new custom homes and whole-home rebuilds on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, including Hillsborough. Have a Hillsborough lot, a tear-down or a plan set ready for an estimate? Phone 805-712-8993 or use the form at the bottom of this page.
The short answer
In the Town of Hillsborough, a new house needs design approval from the Architecture and Design Review Board (ADRB) before the Building Division will issue a permit. The ADRB first gives a preliminary review, then holds a formal public hearing, and the Town expects neighbors to be contacted early. Story poles show the height and mass on site, protected trees need an arborist’s protection plan, and a separate demolition permit, grading and drainage plans and Central County Fire review all have to line up. During construction the Town sets work hours, requires a full-time superintendent and enforces time limits for finishing the job. (we confirm per lot)
1. Who reviews what
One Town, several reviewers
Building and Planning share one department and counter at Town Hall, while grading, street work and utilities sit with Public Works. Fire service comes from a joint department shared with Burlingame:
| Agency or office | Its part in a new Hillsborough house |
|---|---|
| Planning Division | Pre-application meetings, zoning checks against the Development Standards, staff-level design approvals and the files that go to the design review board. |
| Architecture and Design Review Board (ADRB) | A small board of volunteer residents with design or construction backgrounds, appointed by the City Council. It holds public hearings on new houses, larger exterior changes and the landscaping that goes with them. |
| City Council | Hears appeals of ADRB decisions, decides variances before the ADRB sees a design, and approves grading projects with very large soil off-haul. |
| Building Division | Plan check, permits and inspections through the Town’s eTRAKiT portal, plus the construction management and time limit rules. |
| Public Works: Engineering | Grading and drainage, encroachment permits for work in the street, stormwater treatment, sewer laterals and the Town’s own water and sewer systems. |
| Town consulting landscape architect | Reviews landscape plans and signs off on the installed landscape at the end of the job. |
| Central County Fire Department | The fire department shared by Hillsborough and Burlingame. It looks at fire flow, hydrants, driveway access, gates and addressing, and can be one of the final sign-offs. |
| PG&E | Gas and electric service, including the disconnect letter needed before an old house comes down. |
Summarized from Town of Hillsborough Building, Planning, Engineering and Fire pages and handouts, read November 3, 2026.
The Town’s Planning Division page asks owners and design professionals to meet with a planner before starting, and the planning applications page asks for a pre-application meeting based on the full scope of the project. We confirm the jurisdiction and pull the Town’s records for the lot first. Our Atherton and Peninsula custom home page describes the kind of homes we take on nearby. (we confirm per lot)
2. The design review path
Preliminary review, then a formal hearing
The planning applications page lists new houses, and projects that amount to a tear-down or change the architectural style, among the projects that go to the ADRB. It also states that a new house must receive a preliminary review by the board before formal review. The design review chapter of the Residential Design Guidelines (design review chapter) explains both steps:
- Staff contact. Once preliminary plans exist, the owner and architect meet with a planner. When the design is far enough along, the planner provides the names and addresses of the adjacent owners.
- Neighbor notice. The applicant contacts the adjacent owners, offers to walk them through the plans and gives them a chance to comment before design decisions are made.
- Preliminary review. An informal look by the ADRB at the key design issues, taken after the regular agenda items. The owner and the architect must both attend. The Town’s stated purpose is to save time and cost by catching a design direction that is unlikely to be approved.
- Formal design review. A public hearing under the Municipal Code. Typical submittals are a location map, site plan, site photos, floor plans, elevations, a site survey, product cut sheets, a colors and materials board and, when required, a landscape plan. The ADRB approves, conditionally approves or denies.
- Appeal and expiration. The decision can be appealed to the City Council within a short window, and an approval lapses if a building permit is not issued within a year, unless an extension is granted.
The board meets monthly, according to the Architecture and Design Review Board page, and the Town publishes a schedule of hearing dates and filing deadlines. Its What is the ADRB? handout adds two points owners should know: Planning staff check every project against the Municipal Code before it is scheduled, and if a design needs a variance, the City Council has to approve it before the ADRB considers the design. We plan the house so it needs no variance wherever possible.
3. Requirements and guidelines
What the Development Standards fix and what the board judges
The Town’s residential design and permitting brochure draws a clear line between two kinds of rules. Requirements are measurable and can only change through a variance or special exception: setbacks, maximum height, floor area ratio and lot coverage, all set out in the Development Standards. Guidelines are qualitative and need staff or board direction: neighborhood compatibility, authentic architecture and design quality.
The Development Standards are unusually direct about how the two interact:
- The maximum is not a promise. The ADRB cautions buyers against purchasing a home on the assumption that the maximum permitted square footage can be built. Each project is judged case by case.
- Size draws scrutiny. As a design approaches the floor area limit, the board may find it too massive or bulky, especially with very tall rooms or open-to-below spaces, and it expects a higher level of architecture and detailing on larger houses.
- Compatibility. The board weighs how a design fits the neighborhood, drawing on its strengths rather than its mistakes, how authentic the architectural style is, and the quality of materials and detailing.
- Parking. Uncovered parking spaces have to be handled so parked cars do not dominate the view from the street and neighbors.
The Residential Design Guidelines cover principles, styles, site planning, massing, materials, facades, roofs, windows and doors, accessories and landscape design, and the Town says they are meant to inspire rather than serve as a checklist. Its lot size and house size handout adds that the Town does not keep accurate lot or house size records, that a survey is the only accurate way to know the lot area, and that any legally created lot may be built with one home. We run the floor area and coverage numbers on the survey before the first concept, then design below the ceiling where the neighborhood calls for it.
4. Hillside lots
Grading, driveways and massing on a slope
Much of Hillsborough is hilly, and the Town amended its guidelines for steeper parcels. The hillside chapter applies above a set slope and asks for:
- Gentle grading. Contour grading that blends into the land, balanced cut and fill, no large mid-slope terraces for building pads, no grading in interior setbacks, and final contours that match neighboring grades.
- Driveways. A maximum driveway slope set by the Municipal Code unless the Fire Department approves otherwise, a flatter section where the driveway meets the street, and alignment along the contours.
- Stepped massing. Houses broken into volumes that step with the hill, roof forms that generally follow the slope, and no excessive cantilevers.
- Smaller envelopes. The guidelines note that reduced size, height and mass and larger setbacks may be appropriate on hillside lots, and that some traditional styles have to be broken into segments to work on a slope.
On a sloped lot the grading plan, driveway profile and foundation drive much of the construction budget, so we read them alongside the design. Our fire hazard severity zone guide covers the state wildfire rules that often apply on wooded hillsides.
5. Story poles
Showing the house on the lot before the hearing
The Town’s story pole requirements apply to new two-story houses and to ADRB projects above a set height, whatever the number of stories. They are detailed:
- An approved pole plan. A roof plan placed on the site plan, with pole locations and heights, approved by the planner before installation.
- What is staked. Poles at the corners and key ridges, painted in black and white bands and joined with contrasting netting to outline the mass; short stakes for one-story portions, the driveway entry, and pools or tennis courts; and yellow tape on trees proposed for removal.
- Certification. A licensed surveyor or civil engineer, not the project architect, certifies that the poles match the approved plan before the hearing.
- Timing. The planner sets dates for installation, certification and removal. The poles stay up through the appeal period, and if a project is continued for a long stretch they come down and go back up before the next hearing.
Poles that are missing or not certified mean the hearing is continued to a later meeting. We schedule the surveyor for the poles at the same time as the hearing date so the board calendar is not lost.
6. Protected trees
The canopy that shapes the site plan
Hillsborough’s tree rules were updated recently. The tree removal guidelines define a protected tree by trunk size measured above grade, and also protect groves of smaller trees of the same type. Key points for a new house:
- Removal review. Tree removal requests may be reviewed by the Town’s consulting arborist, and when a removal could count as a grove the arborist report has to analyze the effect on neighboring properties. Any tree in the front right-of-way needs an encroachment permit, whatever its size.
- Protection plan first. The tree protection handout for construction sites requires a licensed arborist’s report and a tree protection plan showing each tree’s canopy, the trailer, debris boxes, toilets, parking and staging, and the equipment to be used. Construction fencing may be required instead of netting when heavy equipment or grading is involved.
- Certified before any permit. The protection has to be installed and certified in a signed, stamped arborist letter before a demolition, grading or building permit is issued, and the Town then inspects it.
- Enforcement. If protection is compromised, the job stops until the plan is redone and certified again, and serious damage can bring a public hearing on mitigation. Under the updated ordinance, a tree that cannot be restored has to be replaced with a large boxed tree of a Town-approved species, and penalties apply.
We map the protection zones before the footprint, driveway, utility trenches and staging are fixed, and keep the fencing in place until the final sign-off, as the Town’s construction requirements demand.
7. Landscape review
Planting is part of the design approval
In Hillsborough, landscaping for a newly built house is reviewed along with the house. The Town’s design, permitting and construction forum presentation lists the triggers for landscape design review, including landscaping for a residence on a vacant lot or a lot whose previous house was torn down, removal of large trees, moving a significant amount of soil, and synthetic turf visible from the street.
- Design intent. The Town looks for landscaping that complements the architecture, reduces the apparent mass of the house, softens fencing, adds privacy and keeps views.
- Water efficiency. The landscape requirements page explains the Town’s Water Efficiency in Landscaping Ordinance, with submittal checklists and a water budget calculator, and larger landscape plans have to be reviewed and certified by a certified landscape irrigation auditor.
- Easements. No trees or permanent structures may be placed in a public utility easement, and trees planted close to one need a root barrier.
- Sign-off. At the end, the project landscape architect certifies the installation and the Town’s consulting landscape architect signs off.
The ADRB may also ask for screening planting to protect a neighbor’s view into a house or yard. Our landscape company, Paso Robles Landscaping, can plan planting and irrigation to the approved plan and the arborist’s recommendations.
8. Creeks and older houses
Two questions to ask before buying
The Town’s own list of questions to ask before designing or purchasing includes whether there is a creek on the lot and whether the house is old enough to raise a historic question.
- Creeks. The forum presentation recommends a wetland assessment to establish whether a wet area falls under state or federal jurisdiction, and overlaying the design on that mapping. Avoiding the creek and its buffer keeps the project simple; when a creek cannot be avoided, the Town works out site-specific protections, and unavoidable impacts can bring state and federal wetland permits and added environmental review.
- Historic questions. The Town’s historic building survey page explains that Hillsborough has no historic register, and that an informal volunteer survey from years ago is not used in final decisions. The forum presentation still describes professional historical resource evaluations, and notes that a house found to be historic cannot be demolished if there is a feasible alternative.
On a tear-down, we raise both questions at the first site visit, because either one can reshape the schedule.
9. Taking down the old house
The demolition permit and its conditions
The Town’s demolition and deconstruction handout for large projects sets a clear order: the project must have finished ADRB approval, including the appeal period, and the initial civil and building plan check before the old house can come down. The application then needs:
- Civil and architectural plans. Erosion control measures and a phased parking plan, plus architectural plans matching the ADRB approval that show the demolition scope.
- Limited grading. Only a small amount of grading is allowed under a demolition permit, and erosion controls have to be in place and maintained through the rainy season.
- Utilities. Sewer laterals cut and capped, a PG&E letter confirming gas and power are disconnected, and a USA North dig ticket number.
- Trees. A licensed arborist’s tree protection plan, inspected and reported to the Town, with ongoing arborist inspections possible.
- Materials. A waste reduction plan and walk-through approved by the Town’s recycling specialist, a J number from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and a hazardous materials and asbestos survey, with any abatement done before demolition.
- Schedule. A project schedule approved by the Building Official, and the permit for the new house paid for before demolition.
One detail matters for every owner: the Town’s time limit for completing construction starts when the demolition permit is issued. We do not pull the demolition permit until the building permit for the new house is close, so the clock does not start early.
10. Grading, drainage and the street
Engineering review of a new house
The Public Works Engineering page handles grading, drainage and work in the right-of-way. The standard grading permit conditions and the forum presentation describe the main pieces:
- Grading categories. Small grading can be handled within the building permit, larger grading needs its own permit, and very large soil off-haul goes to the City Council with environmental review.
- Geotechnical work. A soils report is required for new homes unless waived, and the geotechnical engineer of record has to confirm in a letter that the grading, drainage and foundation plans follow the report. The soils report handout shows which foundation types call for a report.
- Drainage and detention. Plans should limit changes to existing drainage patterns, and a detention system can come with a maintenance agreement.
- Stormwater treatment. The Town’s stormwater handout for single-family projects explains that single-family projects creating or replacing a large area of impervious surface now need onsite stormwater treatment designed by a licensed civil engineer.
- Street work. The encroachment permit standards govern work in the street. Right-of-way work needs a Class A contractor’s license and proof of insurance, and recently repaved streets are under a moratorium on cuts, with repaving of the whole block width required if the new pavement is damaged.
We estimate from the civil set, not allowances: grading, retaining walls, drainage, stormwater measures and frontage repair are taken from the engineer’s plans.
11. Fire, wildfire and energy
Central County Fire, mapped zones and electrification
Fire service comes from Central County Fire Department, the joint department described on the Town’s fire department page. The forum presentation lists what the Fire Department looks at on a new house: a fire flow determination that sets the number of hydrants, access from the hydrants to the house, driveway width, slope and turnarounds, gates, addressing, screening and fire-resistive landscaping. Fire can also be one of the final sign-offs.
- Wildfire zones. According to the planning handouts page, new construction and tear-downs in the wildland-urban interface or a high fire hazard severity zone must use fire-resistant construction methods and materials and include defensible space and vegetation management in the landscape design. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s fire hazard severity zone maps.
- Gutter guards. The Town’s gutter guard notice reminds builders that gutter guards are required in the wildfire zone wherever roof gutters are installed.
- Energy reach code. The codes page explains that the Town adopted a local energy reach code for new homes, that its all-electric heating and water heating provisions are no longer enforced after a federal court decision, and that the electric-ready provisions for gas appliance connections remain part of the ordinance.
- Current state codes. Projects submitted on or after January 1, 2026 follow the 2025 California building, residential, energy and green building codes.
The state’s 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026, and our Title 24 overview explains the energy side of a new house.
12. The building permit
Filing, plan check and the owner’s paperwork
Applications are made electronically through eTRAKiT, and first-time contractors, consultants and owner-builders have to register with the Town for a login, as the Building Division page explains. Contractors include their CSLB license, and architects and engineers their state license. For a large project, the Town’s plan check requirements list:
- The plan set. General sheets, site and civil plans, floor plans, elevations, foundation plan with drainage and waterproofing details, floor, wall and roof framing plans, electrical and mechanical plans, the energy package and CALGreen, all stamped and signed by the design professionals.
- Planning status. The ADRB approval date, with every condition of approval from the board or staff folded into the plans and completed.
- Finishes and site data. A storyboard and colored material finish sheets, hardscape calculations, a demolition plan and a recycling plan.
- Owner sign-off. The standard conditions of approval must be signed by the owner and submitted with the building permit application. They require separate permits for landscape installation, pools, retaining walls and certain large tree removals, and they tie the site to the approved plans.
The Town’s obtaining a permit page explains that owner-builder permits are possible but tightly limited under state law, and that the code official is meant to be an ally. Revisions after issuance are uploaded as complete plan sets, never single pages, as the Building Division page explains, and the general permit information page covers application, payment and issuance. More handouts are on the building handouts and forms page.
13. Construction in Hillsborough
The Town’s construction management rules
Hillsborough regulates how a job is run, not only what is built. The construction impacts ordinance page and the construction requirements sign, which stays posted on site for the life of the project, set out the rules:
- Hours. Construction and deliveries on weekdays and Saturdays only, within set hours, with quieter limits on Saturdays and no noisy work on Sundays or Town holidays. The noise ordinance is enforced by the Hillsborough Police Department, including crews gathering on site before start time.
- A full-time superintendent. The Municipal Code requires a superintendent on site, who coordinates parking, deliveries and processes with other construction sites nearby.
- Parking and screening. Construction parking on the project site unless otherwise authorized, screening of materials and portable toilets, neighbor notice of construction, and enforced truck routes and parking plans.
- Licenses and inspections. Inspections are not conducted for contractors missing from the subcontractor list or without a current Town business license, and inspections need advance notice.
- Time limits. Every project has a time limit for completion based on job value. Before the permit is issued, the owner provides a refundable construction completion guarantee in cash or as a bond (see the construction completion bond form). Daily penalties apply if the job runs past its limit, extensions need public notice, and the Building Official can hire an independent inspector at the applicant’s expense for continuing violations.
- Stop work. Code violations bring a stop work notice that stays until corrections are made.
Subcontractors working in Town need a business license, handled through the Town’s business licensing page, and the subcontractor list form has to be kept current. We build the schedule to the Town’s time limit from day one, because the penalties fall on the owner.
14. Final inspection
The sign-offs a new house needs
The Town’s final sign-off checklist lists the letters and sign-offs that have to be in hand before the Building Division’s final inspection is called:
- Engineers. Civil engineer for grading, drainage and slopes; soils engineer for piers, footings and compaction; structural engineer of record; confirmation of the building footprint and first-floor height at foundation inspection, and the finished ridge height at framing.
- Architect and code items. Special inspections, CALGreen verification, the architect of record’s final letter and the energy test results.
- Landscape. The landscape architect’s certification, the Town consulting landscape architect’s sign-off, the irrigation audit and backflow testing.
- Agencies. Fire, recycling and Engineering sign-offs where checked, the grading permit final, and the completed subcontractor list with state and Town license numbers.
We collect these as the job goes, not at the end, so the final inspection and the return of the completion guarantee are not held up.
15. Order of steps
How we usually sequence a Hillsborough new home
| Stage | What happens | What usually sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Lot research | Survey, Development Standards check, slope, creeks, trees, CC&Rs and whether the existing house raises a historic question. | Surveyor and arborist calendars. |
| Pre-application meeting | Planner meeting on the full scope, the review level and whether story poles will be needed. | Planning staff availability. |
| Neighbor contact and preliminary review | Adjacent owners contacted and offered a look at the plans, then an informal ADRB preliminary review with the owner and architect present. | Neighbor outreach and the board’s monthly meeting calendar. |
| Formal design review | Full application with survey, site photos, plans, elevations, materials board and landscape plan; story poles certified; public hearing; appeal window. | Design revisions and any continuance. |
| Engineering and building plan check | Civil, grading, drainage and stormwater plans with the geotechnical letter, and the full building plan set with the ADRB conditions folded in. | Correction rounds on large projects. |
| Demolition permit | Erosion and parking plans, tree protection certified, PG&E disconnect, air district number, hazardous materials survey and a project schedule. | Utility disconnect and abatement scheduling. |
| Construction and final | Inspections, construction management rules, then sign-offs from the engineers, architect, landscape architect, Fire, Engineering and recycling. | Construction, weather and the Town’s time limits. |
A common sequence for a new house or a full rebuild in Hillsborough; a hillside, a creek, protected trees or a variance can each change it.
Our custom home timeline guide puts design, approvals and construction on one calendar, and our owner-builder comparison is useful for anyone thinking about running the job themselves. Neighboring towns handle new houses differently; our guides for Menlo Park, Atherton, Palo Alto, Woodside and Portola Valley, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga and Los Gatos cover their rules.
16. Before you design
Questions to answer about your Hillsborough lot
- Is the lot inside the Town of Hillsborough, and is there a current boundary and topographic survey?
- What do the Development Standards allow for setbacks, height, floor area and coverage on this lot, and how far below the maximum does the neighborhood suggest designing?
- What do the neighboring houses look like, and which architectural style fits the street?
- Is the lot steep enough for the hillside guidelines, and how will the driveway meet the Fire Department’s access rules?
- Which protected trees and groves are on or next to the lot, and where are their protection zones?
- Is there a creek or wet area, and are there CC&Rs on the property?
- Is the existing house old enough to need a historic evaluation before demolition?
- Is the address in a wildfire zone, and will the project create or replace enough hard surface to need stormwater treatment?
Owners who already have an architect send us the drawings and we estimate and build from them; owners starting fresh can have Harrod Drafting & Design, our sister studio, draw the house and the permit set.
How we help
What Harrod Built brings to a Hillsborough new home
Harrod Built (CSLB #986950) is a family-run general contractor building on the Peninsula, in the South Bay and on the Central Coast. On a new home or a full rebuild in Hillsborough, our role usually covers:
- Lot review first. Jurisdiction, Development Standards, slope, trees, creeks, utilities, fire access and stormwater, all checked before we write an estimate.
- Estimates during design review. We estimate from the preliminary and hearing sets, so the house the ADRB approves is one the owner is ready to build.
- Site work estimated from real plans. Grading, retaining walls, drainage, detention, stormwater measures and street repair taken from the civil set, not allowances.
- Trees protected. Fencing, staging and trench routes laid out with the project arborist and kept in place to the final.
- Run to the Town’s rules. A full-time superintendent, on-site parking, screened materials, posted hours and a schedule built around the completion time limit.
- Sign-offs tracked. Engineer, architect, landscape, Fire and Engineering letters gathered as the work is done.
- Design support. Harrod Drafting & Design can draw the house and the permit set, or we build from your architect’s plans.
- Landscape. Paso Robles Landscaping, our landscape company, handles planting, irrigation and hardscape to the approved plan.
Before hiring any builder, look up the license on the state license lookup; the CSLB’s advice on hiring a contractor and our article on how to check a CSLB license explain what to look for. Nearby we also build in Atherton, Palo Alto, Woodside and Portola Valley, Los Gatos and Saratoga, and farther south in Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, through general contracting or design-build. Our process page walks through the steps from estimate to move-in, and our contract type comparison explains fixed-sum and cost-plus agreements. For the local market, see our page on custom homes in Atherton and the nearby Peninsula towns.
Pricing a new home or a full rebuild in Hillsborough? Send the address and any drawings you have. We check the Development Standards envelope, the slope, the trees and their protection zones, the demolition steps, the grading and drainage path and the Town’s construction management rules, then send back a written estimate. Phone 805-712-8993 or reach us here.
Sources: Town of Hillsborough Building Division, codes, building handouts and forms, general permit information, obtaining a permit and construction impacts ordinance pages; Planning Division, planning applications, planning handouts, landscape requirements, Residential Design Guidelines and historic building survey pages; Architecture and Design Review Board page; Engineering, fire department and business licensing pages; and the Town’s residential design and permitting brochure, design forum presentation, Development Standards, lot size and house size handout, design review and hillside chapters of the guidelines, What is the ADRB? handout, story pole requirements, standard conditions of approval, tree removal guidelines, tree protection handout, plan check requirements, soils report handout, demolition handout, construction requirements sign, construction completion bond form, standard grading permit conditions, encroachment permit standards, stormwater handout, gutter guard notice, subcontractor list form and final sign-off checklist. State sources: OSFM fire hazard severity zone maps, the CEC’s 2025 energy standards and the CSLB, all reviewed November 3, 2026. This page is a general overview, not legal or code advice; what applies to a given lot is decided by the Town of Hillsborough and the other agencies involved.
Who issues building permits in Hillsborough?
The Town of Hillsborough Building Division, through its eTRAKiT portal, after the Planning Division and the Architecture and Design Review Board have approved the design. Engineering handles grading and street work, and Central County Fire reviews fire flow and access.
Does a new house in Hillsborough need design review?
Yes. A new house goes to the Architecture and Design Review Board for a preliminary review and then a formal public hearing. Projects that amount to a tear-down or change the architectural style go to the board as well.
Are story poles required in Hillsborough?
For new two-story houses and for board projects above a set height. The planner approves a story pole plan, a licensed surveyor or civil engineer certifies the installation before the hearing, and the poles stay up through the appeal period.
Can I build the maximum floor area on a Hillsborough lot?
Not necessarily. The Development Standards set the maximum, but the board warns buyers not to assume it can be built, and it may find a design near the limit too massive, especially with very tall rooms or open-to-below spaces.
What has to happen before an old house is demolished in Hillsborough?
The design review approval and appeal period must be complete, the first civil and building plan check done, and tree protection, erosion control, utility disconnects, an air district J number, a hazardous materials survey, a recycling walk-through and a project schedule in place. The construction time limit starts when the demolition permit is issued.
What construction rules does Hillsborough add?
Set work hours with no noisy work on Sundays or Town holidays, a full-time superintendent on site, construction parking on the property, screened materials, neighbor notice, Town business licenses for every contractor and time limits for completing the project backed by a refundable completion guarantee.
Planning guides
Budget and planning guides
Building a new home in Menlo Park
When a use permit applies, floor area, heritage trees, demolition and the City permit path.
Building or remodeling in Atherton
Zoning clearance, special structures permits, heritage trees, basements, drainage and construction rules.
Building or remodeling in Palo Alto
Individual Review for two-story homes, protected trees, flood zones, basements and deconstruction.
Building or remodeling in Woodside and Portola Valley
ASRB and ASCC design review, story poles, geology, significant trees, grading and the fire district.
Building a new home in Los Altos Hills
Site development review, Fast Track, floor area by slope, story poles, oaks and the Town permit path.
Building or remodeling in Los Altos
Design review, the Zoning Administrator, daylight plane, protected trees and the City permit path.
Building or remodeling in Saratoga
Saratoga’s design review paths, hillside rules, protected trees and County Fire.
Building or remodeling in Los Gatos
Architecture and Site review, hillside standards and story poles in the Town.
How long a custom home takes
Design, approvals, permits and construction laid end to end.
Building a new home in Burlingame
Planning Commission design review, hillside overlay, demolition, soils reports and Central County Fire.
Start your project
Planning a new home in Hillsborough? Tell us about your property.
A few details help us call you back with useful answers about budget, schedule and permits.
805.712.8993michael@harrodbuilt.com
1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles, CA 93446
CSLB License #986950
