Planning guide · updated November 2026
Menlo Park sits between Atherton, Palo Alto and the Bay, with tree-lined neighborhoods of older homes on generous lots. Much of the custom building we see here is replacement: an older house comes down and a new one goes up in its place. The City’s own flowchart shows that on a lot that meets its zoning district’s minimums, a new house that fits the rules can go straight to a building permit, while a substandard lot or a request for relief sends it to the Planning Commission. Below is how we plan new homes in Menlo Park so the lot, the trees and the permit path are understood before the design is locked.
Harrod Built takes on new custom homes and whole-home rebuilds on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, including Menlo Park. Have a Menlo Park 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 City of Menlo Park, a new house is permitted by the Building Division after the Planning Division confirms it meets the Zoning Ordinance. On a standard lot, a conforming new home usually needs only a building permit. A new two-story house on a lot that is substandard in width, depth or area needs a use permit from the Planning Commission first, and very small lots need one to set the allowed floor area at all. Heritage trees, a demolition permit for the old house, grading and drainage plans, and approvals from the separate Fire and Sanitary Districts all have to line up before the building permit is issued. (we confirm per lot)
1. Who reviews what
One City, several separate agencies
Planning and building sit with Community Development, while grading, drainage, street work and trees sit with Public Works. Two key reviewers are not City departments at all:
| Agency or office | Its part in a new Menlo Park house |
|---|---|
| Planning Division | Zoning checks on every plan set, and use permits, variances and other Planning Commission items when a lot or design calls for them. |
| Planning Commission | Public hearings on use permits and variances. Its actions can be appealed to the City Council. |
| Building Division | Plan check, permits and inspections, all handled digitally through the City’s Accela Citizen Access portal. |
| Public Works: Engineering | Grading and drainage plans, hydrology, stormwater, frontage improvements in the street, flood zone review and water-efficient landscaping. |
| Public Works: City Arborist | Heritage tree protection plans, removal and pruning permits, replacement trees and enforcement during construction. |
| Menlo Park Fire Protection District | A separate agency that reviews site access, gates, fire sprinklers, generators and gas tanks. |
| West Bay Sanitary District | A separate agency that handles sewer laterals and cleanouts. |
| Water provider | Depends on the address. Menlo Park Municipal Water serves part of the City, and other providers serve the rest. |
Summarized from City of Menlo Park Planning, Building, Public Works and Engineering pages and handouts, read November 3, 2026.
The City’s new single-family home submittal requirements make the point directly: the Fire Protection District and West Bay Sanitary District are independent agencies, the applicant coordinates their permits, plan review and inspections, and the City will not issue the building permit until both have approved the work where their permit is required. The Fire District also serves Atherton, East Palo Alto and unincorporated San Mateo County, so a Menlo Park mailing address alone does not settle which city or county issues the permit. We confirm the jurisdiction first. Our Atherton and Menlo Park page describes the kind of homes we take on nearby. (we confirm per lot)
2. When a new house needs the Planning Commission
Standard lots, substandard lots and use permits
The City’s use permit flowchart for single-family lots is the quickest way to see which path a lot is on. It asks a short series of questions:
- Is the lot substandard? A lot is standard only when its area, width and depth meet the minimums for its zoning district. If any one falls short, the lot is substandard.
- Is the new house one story or two? On a substandard lot, a new two-story house needs a use permit from the Planning Commission. A single-story house on the same lot can usually stay on the building permit path if it meets the Zoning Ordinance.
- Is the lot very small? Below a set lot size the ordinance gives no floor area limit, and the Planning Commission sets one through a use permit.
- Is there excavation in the setbacks? Digging within required yards, for example a light well for a basement, may also call for a use permit.
The City’s lot area and orientation page explains how lot area, width, depth and orientation are measured. Two details matter on many Menlo Park parcels: the access strip of a panhandle lot and any private driveway easement across a neighbor are left out of the lot area used for floor area, and on a corner lot the front line is the shorter street frontage, which is not always where the front door faces. Lot dimensions come from a boundary survey, and the survey requirement criteria explain when one is required.
Standard or substandard often sets the whole schedule: a conforming house on a standard lot skips the hearing, while a two-story design on a substandard lot adds an application, notice and a Commission meeting. We sort this out before an owner commits to a second story.
3. How big the house can be
Floor area limit, second-floor area and coverage
Menlo Park’s single-family districts include R-E, R-E-S, R-1-S, R-1-S (FG) for Felton Gables, and R-1-U, each with its own minimums and setbacks on the Zoning District Summary Sheet. The single-family zoning handout explains the controls that shape most new houses:
- Floor Area Limit. The maximum gross floor area on the lot, scaled to lot size. It counts every level of the house, accessory buildings, garages and carports, above or below grade, unless an exception applies. Felton Gables uses its own formula.
- Second-floor limit. The upper floor can use only part of the total allowance, with a different method on long, narrow lots.
- Tall rooms count more. Very tall single-story spaces and double-height rooms in two-story homes are counted at double their area, and in two-story homes they also count toward the second-floor limit. In two-story homes, attic space above a set height also counts as floor area.
- What is not counted. A basement under a main floor kept close to grade, open-ended covered porches attached to the house, garden trellises, small bay windows without foundations, chimneys and eaves.
- Building coverage. A separate cap on the footprint of all roofed structures, including porches and trellises. It is set differently for single-story and two-story development.
The floor area and building coverage diagram page requires calculation diagrams overlaid on the floor plans, with each floor split into measured polygons and coverage-only areas such as porches and trellises hatched separately. We run these numbers on the concept drawings, because a double-height great room can use up the allowance quickly.
4. Daylight plane, balconies and the rest of the envelope
Where the walls and roof can go
The same handout explains the daylight plane, an imaginary surface that starts above each required side setback and tilts inward toward the middle of the lot. The house has to fit entirely under it:
- One story or two. In the R-1-S and R-1-U districts, a one-story design starts its daylight plane lower than a two-story design, which keeps single-story homes from building tall walls along the side yards.
- Gables and dormers. On smaller lots, gables and dormers may push into the plane on one side only and within strict limits. Chimneys, vents, flues and solar collectors may intrude in every district.
- Balconies and upper decks. In single-family districts, balconies and decks above the first floor must be set well back from the side and rear property lines, which often rules out a rear balcony on a narrow lot.
- Parking. The summary sheet requires off-street parking with at least one covered space, and required spaces cannot sit in the front or side setbacks or be arranged in tandem.
Front fences and walls have their own height rules on the fences and walls page. We draw the envelope on the sections from the start, so no roof or dormer pokes through it later.
5. Rebuilding on an older lot
Why a full rebuild is held to today’s rules
Many Menlo Park houses were built before the current Zoning Ordinance, or before the parcel joined the City, and sit closer to a side line or higher at the edge than today’s rules allow. The City’s nonconforming structures page explains that such a house is a nonconforming structure. It can stay, but any area of new construction has to meet current requirements, and to keep a wall that sits inside a required setback, its framing has to remain in place.
For an owner planning a new house, that settles a common question. Once the old house comes down, the new one is drawn to current setbacks, daylight plane, floor area and coverage. Keeping part of the old structure to hold a nonconforming position brings its own review and, above a threshold, a use permit.
If the design truly cannot meet a standard, the variance page explains that variances are decided by the Planning Commission on strict findings: a hardship peculiar to the property and not created by the owner, no special privilege compared with neighbors, and no harm to light, air or public welfare. We treat a variance as a last resort.
6. The Planning Commission package
What a use permit application includes
When a use permit or variance is needed, the Development Permit Application Submittal Guidelines set out what the City expects. Applications are taken by appointment, and a preliminary review with Planning staff is recommended before filing. A complete package usually includes:
- Application and data sheet. Signed by the owner, with existing and proposed lot data, setbacks, floor area, coverage, height, parking and tree counts.
- Plan set. An area plan showing the neighboring houses and trees, a site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections and a survey.
- Project description. Style, materials, site layout and any outreach to neighbors.
- Supporting studies as needed. An arborist report when heritage trees are close by, a flood elevation certificate in a FEMA flood zone, the impervious area worksheet, and the historic significance evaluation form for most Commission projects. A Fire District approval is required for single-family projects on panhandle lots.
The City first notifies neighbors that an application has been received, then publishes a newspaper notice and mails hearing notices to nearby owners and residents ahead of the meeting.
One rule in the guidelines deserves attention: the plans the Commission approves have to show the house as it will be built, the building permit set has to substantially match them, and Planning has limited discretion to approve changes afterward. The City specifically asks applicants to settle height, window size and placement, exterior materials and parking before the hearing. We estimate the house from the hearing set for exactly that reason, so the owner knows what the approved design will take to build.
7. Heritage trees
The trees that shape the site plan
Menlo Park protects its canopy closely. The heritage tree definition page defines a heritage tree as any tree above a set trunk size, any native California oak above a smaller size, or a tree the City Council has designated. Anyone grading, excavating, demolishing or building has to work in a way that does not threaten a heritage tree, and work within the tree protection zone, measured as a multiple of the trunk diameter, needs a tree protection plan approved before grading or construction permits are issued.
- City-approved arborist. Reports must come from a named arborist on the City’s approved list. The arborist report checklist covers trees on the lot, neighbors’ trees that overhang it and street trees near the frontage.
- Protection during work. The tree protection specifications for construction call for chain link fencing around the protection zone, bilingual signs with the project arborist’s contact, mulch and plywood over the root zone and no storage, parking, grade changes or machine trenching inside it. A fencing verification letter is required before the building permit is issued.
- Removal for construction. The heritage tree permit page for construction projects asks for an arborist report, site plans, schematic alternatives that would save the tree, including ones that use zoning variances, and a cost comparison of those alternatives. After a decision, a notice is posted on the property, neighbors are mailed and there is an appeal period.
- Replacement. The replacement tree requirements explain that removed heritage trees are replaced, and on construction projects the replacement trees have to be worth at least the appraised value of the trees removed.
Violations can bring a stop-work order. We map the protection zones before the footprint, driveway, trenches and staging are fixed.
8. Taking down the old house
The demolition permit comes first
On a rebuild, the old house needs its own permit. The City’s demolition permit page and structure demolition requirements list what comes before demolition starts:
- Tree protection in place. Where an arborist report was required, the arborist confirms in writing that the protection measures are installed.
- Air district number. A J-number from the Bay Area Air District.
- Utility disconnects. A letter from PG&E confirming the gas meter is removed, the gas line capped and the electric service disconnected, with every utility shown as capped or removed on the plans.
- Site controls. A construction safety fence around the site, erosion and dust control plans, stormwater controls and a stabilized construction entrance.
- Salvage window. Projects covered by the City’s debris recycling rules have a waiting period between application and issuance to allow salvage; see the construction and demolition recycling page.
A demolition permit does not cover grading or new construction, and it has to receive a final inspection before the City issues permits for the new house. We schedule the utility disconnects and salvage window early so they do not hold up the new work.
9. Grading, drainage and the street
Civil plans, stormwater and frontage work
Engineering reviews every new house. The grading and drainage guidelines require grading and drainage plans for all brand-new residential construction, submitted with the building permit application, and the drainage has to keep runoff to the public storm drain from rising above what the lot sent before. New construction that adds impervious area also needs a hydrology report.
- Basements. A basement needs its own subgrade drainage system kept separate from surface storm drain piping, and light wells have to be protected from surface backflow.
- Creeks. Near San Francisquito Creek, grading close to the top of bank is discouraged and outside agencies may be involved; see the creekside requirements.
- Frontage improvements. Under the City’s frontage improvement requirements, a new home that needs a Planning approval or use permit must install sidewalk, curb, gutter, street trees and street resurfacing where none exist, or replace damaged ones. A new home that needs no Planning approval only replaces damaged frontage.
- Utilities. The utility requirements recommend placing electric service underground, send sewer laterals to West Bay Sanitary District, and note that a home with fire sprinklers needs a backflow device at the water meter.
The engineering submittal checklist lists the full civil package. Frontage work in particular can change a budget noticeably, and it is tied to whether the house goes through Planning, so we include it in the estimate as soon as the review path is known. More detail is on the City’s single-family home projects page.
10. Flood zones
Low-lying parts of the City
Some Menlo Park lots fall inside FEMA flood zones. The City’s new single-family home submittal requirements require plans for new homes in those zones to show compliance with FEMA rules and the City’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, and the floodplain construction page summarizes what that means:
- Elevation. The building is raised above the Base Flood Elevation, with an elevation certificate prepared by a surveyor or engineer.
- Utilities. Mechanical, electrical and similar equipment sits above the flood elevation.
- Crawl spaces. City code allows a crawl space below the flood elevation when it is wet-floodproofed and kept within limits.
A raised floor affects height, daylight plane, steps and driveway, so we check the flood map at the first visit.
11. Fire, energy and landscaping
District review, electrification and water use
The Menlo Park Fire Protection District plan submittal page lists the residential plan reviews it requires: site and access plans with hydrant locations and fire flow, gates with a key override switch, fire sprinkler and fire protection plans, and generators or gas tanks. Submittals go through the District’s own online portal. Check the address on the State Fire Marshal’s fire hazard severity zone maps as well; our fire hazard severity zone guide covers the state wildfire construction chapter for mapped lots.
- Local energy and green building rules. The green building and energy page explains that Menlo Park has adopted local amendments to the 2025 Energy Code and CALGreen with added efficiency, electrification and EV charging requirements, along with pre-wiring for future electrification.
- EV charging. Under the City’s residential EV charging page, a new single-family home with an attached garage provides a higher-power EV-ready space and, where a second space exists, a lower-power EV-ready space.
- Landscape. Larger new landscapes follow the water-efficient landscaping page, with a plan approved before issuance and an audit after construction.
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. Our landscape company, Paso Robles Landscaping, can plan planting and irrigation to the City’s water rules and the arborist’s recommendations.
12. The building permit
Filing, inspections and keeping the permit active
The Building Division is fully digital. The online services page explains that applications, resubmittals, revisions, deferred submittals and inspection requests all go through the Accela Citizen Access portal, which needs its own account. For a new single-family home, the new single-family home submittal requirements list:
- The plan set. Site plan, boundary and topographic survey, floor area and coverage plan, floor and roof plans, elevations, sections, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural plans, Title 24 energy calculations, civil plans and a construction safety fence plan.
- Supporting documents. Application, data sheet, engineering checklist, geologist report, structural and electric load calculations and, where needed, the arborist report.
- Outside approvals. Fire and Sanitary District approvals uploaded to the City record.
- Special inspections. Where the building code calls for them, a special inspection form is filed before issuance and the work is inspected by an agency on the City’s approved list; see the special inspection page.
The Building Division general information page answers several practical questions. A permit can be pulled by an owner-builder or a licensed contractor; the City does not set construction hours beyond its noise ordinance; and over-the-counter review is not offered right now. An application that is not actively pursued can be treated as abandoned, and an issued permit expires if work does not start or stops for too long, with inspections needed at regular intervals. The permit extension page explains extensions.
13. Order of steps
How we usually sequence a Menlo Park new home
| Stage | What happens | What usually sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Address and lot check | Confirm City limits and zoning district on the City’s GIS viewer, then compare the lot’s area, width and depth with the district minimums. | Fast once there is a survey or a good parcel map. |
| Survey, trees and utilities | Boundary and topographic survey, an arborist from the City’s approved list, the flood zone, the water provider and the sewer lateral. | Surveyor and arborist calendars. |
| Design to the zoning envelope | Floor area, second-floor area, building coverage, daylight plane, balcony setbacks and parking worked out with calculation diagrams. | How many layouts the owner wants to test. |
| Planning Commission (only when needed) | Use permit or variance package, mailed and published notice, staff report and hearing, then the appeal window. | Completeness review, correction rounds and the Commission calendar. |
| Demolition permit | Tree protection verified, utilities disconnected, air district number obtained, the salvage waiting period and a final inspection. | Utility disconnect scheduling. |
| Building permit | Full plan set, civil and drainage plans, Fire and Sanitary District approvals uploaded, special inspection form and tree fencing letter. | Plan check rounds and the outside agencies. |
| Construction and final | Inspections booked online at regular intervals, tree protection kept in place, landscape completion documents and frontage work closed out. | Construction, weather and inspection scheduling. |
A common sequence for a new house or a full rebuild in Menlo Park; a substandard lot, heritage trees or a flood zone 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 Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Woodside and Portola Valley, Saratoga and Los Gatos cover their rules.
14. Before you design
Questions to answer about your Menlo Park lot
- Is the lot inside the City of Menlo Park, or in Atherton or unincorporated San Mateo County?
- Which zoning district is it in, and does it meet that district’s minimum area, width and depth?
- Is a second story planned, and would it trigger a use permit on this lot?
- What floor area, second-floor area and building coverage does the lot allow, and will tall rooms count double?
- Which heritage trees are on the lot, overhang it or stand at the street, and where are their protection zones?
- Is the lot in a FEMA flood zone, and how high will the new floor need to be?
- Which water provider serves the address, and is the sewer lateral in usable shape?
- Will frontage improvements be required along the street?
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 Menlo Park 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 Menlo Park, our role usually covers:
- Lot review first. Jurisdiction, zoning district, standard or substandard status, floor area and coverage, trees, flood zone, utilities and frontage, all checked before we write an estimate.
- Estimates while the design can still change. We estimate from the concept and hearing sets, so the house the Commission or Planning sees is one the owner is ready to build.
- Civil work estimated from real plans. Drainage, basement subdrains, hydrology, frontage improvements and utility connections taken from the civil set, not allowances.
- Trees protected. Fencing, root zone protection, staging and trench routes laid out with the project arborist and kept in place to the final.
- Outside agencies tracked. Fire District, Sanitary District, water provider and PG&E reviews followed through so they do not hold up the permit.
- 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, Menlo Park and the nearby Peninsula towns.
Pricing a new home or a full rebuild in Menlo Park? Send the address and any drawings you have. We check whether the lot is standard or substandard, the floor area and coverage envelope, the heritage trees on and around the lot, the flood zone, the demolition steps and the Fire and Sanitary District reviews, then send back a written estimate. Phone 805-712-8993 or reach us here.
Sources: City of Menlo Park Planning Division page, use permit flowchart for single-family lots, single-family zoning handout, Zoning District Summary Sheet, Development Permit Application Submittal Guidelines, survey requirement criteria, floor area and building coverage diagram page, lot area and orientation page, nonconforming structures page, variance page, fences and walls page and historic significance evaluation form; Building Division page, new single-family home submittal requirements, demolition permit pages, construction and demolition recycling page, green building and EV charging pages, general information, extension and special inspection pages, and online services page; Public Works trees, heritage tree definition, construction-project permit and replacement pages, tree protection specifications and arborist report checklist; Engineering single-family home projects, grading and drainage, creekside, utility, frontage improvement, floodplain and water-efficient landscaping pages and the engineering submittal checklist. Menlo Park Fire Protection District plan submittal page. 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 City of Menlo Park and the other agencies involved.
Who issues building permits in Menlo Park?
The City of Menlo Park Building Division, after the Planning Division confirms the plans meet the Zoning Ordinance. The Menlo Park Fire Protection District and West Bay Sanitary District are separate agencies, and the City will not issue the building permit until they approve the work where their permits apply.
Does a new house in Menlo Park need Planning Commission approval?
Not always. On a standard lot, a new house that meets the Zoning Ordinance usually needs only a building permit. A new two-story house on a substandard lot needs a use permit from the Planning Commission, and variance requests also go to the Commission.
What is a substandard lot in Menlo Park?
A lot whose area, width or depth falls below the minimum for its zoning district. The status matters because it decides whether a new two-story home needs a use permit, and on very small lots the Planning Commission sets the floor area limit.
How big a house can I build in Menlo Park?
Each single-family lot has a Floor Area Limit based on its size, a cap on second-floor area, a building coverage limit and a daylight plane at the side setbacks. Very tall rooms count double toward floor area, while basements under a main floor near grade are generally not counted.
Can I remove a heritage tree to build in Menlo Park?
Only with a heritage tree permit. For construction projects the City asks for a report from a City-approved arborist, alternative designs that would save the tree and replacement trees matching the appraised value, and neighbors can appeal the decision.
What has to happen before an old house is demolished in Menlo Park?
A separate demolition permit, with tree protection confirmed by the arborist, a J-number from the Bay Area Air District, a PG&E disconnect letter, site fencing and erosion and dust control. The demolition permit has to be finaled before permits for the new house are issued.
Planning guides
Budget and planning guides
Building or remodeling in Atherton
Zoning clearance, special structures permits, heritage trees, basements, drainage and construction rules.
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 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 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 Hillsborough
ADRB design review, story poles, protected trees, demolition and the Town’s construction rules.
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 Menlo Park? 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
