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Restoring Water-Damaged Homes in San Mateo
San Mateo Creek overflows, slow leaks and sewer lateral backups, dried out and repaired by RestoreX’s East Bay crew in Hayward.
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Tell us what happened and we'll call you back. In a hurry? Call (844) 623-3946.
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San Mateo, CA
Where does RestoreX serve San Mateo from?
Our Hayward office, just across the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, handles San Mateo. City Hall is about 14 road miles away. We dry out houses and apartment buildings after leaks, creek overflows and sewer backups, take out what’s ruined and handle the repairs, with whatever permits the Building Division asks for.
El Camino Real roughly divides San Mateo by density: lower to the west, denser to the east and downtown, where many of the 800-plus shops and restaurants fill late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings. Seven in ten housing units went up before 1980, around a median build year of 1965. Detached houses make up 41.6% of units and 27% sit in buildings of 20 or more, so a water damage restoration job here can mean one family’s house or a whole floor of apartments.
Housing: U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. Distance is approximate.
About San Mateo
Why has so much of San Mateo been on FEMA's flood map?
Low ground near the Bay, plus a creek that drains a reservoir. FEMA studies in the 1980s put areas north of Highway 92 in a special flood hazard area, and that map took effect in 2001. San Mateo Creek, the only natural outlet of Crystal Springs Reservoir, can still spill near El Camino Real in big storms.
The city has been working its way off that map ever since. A levee wall went up on the south side of San Mateo Creek in 2001 and on the north side in 2004, the same year Caltrans put in a larger box culvert under Highway 101 at 3rd Avenue. A tide gate and levee at O’Neill Slough followed in 2007, and the South Bayfront Levee Improvement Project, completed in 2011, took about 4,000 properties off the flood map and kept roughly 4,000 more from being added (City of San Mateo).
North Shoreview and North Central were next. Voters approved the North Shoreview Assessment District in March 2018, which pays for about a tenth of the work, and the North Shoreview Flood Improvement Project finished in 2023. It upgraded the Coyote Point and Poplar Avenue pump stations and raised a 1,300-foot levee segment between San Mateo and Burlingame.
The storm of December 31, 2022 showed what’s left. The city expected an inch to an inch and a half of rain and got about five. Dispatch took about 1,300 calls that New Year’s Eve, nearly three times normal, the wastewater plant was pushed toward 60 million gallons a day, and areas near San Mateo Creek flooded extensively. The city proclaimed a local emergency at its January 3, 2023 council meeting.
Permits & rebuilding
When does a San Mateo repair need a building permit?
Almost always, once it goes past paint. The city’s permit FAQ says a permit is required for any construction, repair, improvement, modification or demolition, and drywall repair isn’t on its exempt list. Many repair permits are issued over the counter, including ones for replacing water piping, drains, vents, a water heater or a damaged sewer line.
San Mateo permit and sewer steps to know
- Phone the Building Division at (650) 522-7172 or go to City Hall, 330 W. 20th Avenue, before any demolition starts.
- Sewer or water line work in the public right-of-way also needs a Public Works encroachment permit, on top of the over-the-counter plumbing permit.
- Under SMMC 23.33, restoring a home in a special flood hazard area for 50% or more of its pre-damage market value counts as substantial damage.
- Replacing the whole sewer lateral? The city’s cost-share grant pays 50% of the lowest approved bid, up to $2,500, and doesn’t cover spot repairs.
- Selling? If you don’t have a Sewer Lateral Inspection Report from a qualified plumbing contractor, one has to be submitted before closing.
Services in San Mateo
Which RestoreX services fit San Mateo properties?
Floors and walls soaked by creek or street runoff, sewage backups from a private lateral, and mold behind walls that stayed wet too long. We also handle pack-outs and the rebuild, whether it’s a detached house west of El Camino Real or a unit in a larger building downtown.
FAQ
San Mateo Questions
Did the 2024 FEMA map change take my San Mateo home out of the flood zone?
If you’re in North Central or North Shoreview, it may have. FEMA’s letter of map revision, effective October 11, 2024, moved large parts of both neighborhoods from Zone AE to Zone X and removed about 1,600 addresses. A 2018 FEMA coastal study could add an estimated 176 North Central addresses to the high-risk zone, so confirm your address with the city.
Where does San Mateo still flood?
The city names a few spots: San Mateo Creek where it can spill near El Camino Real, local runoff that drains to the Coyote Point and Poplar Avenue pump stations, and tight capacity at the 19th Avenue Channel and Laurel Creek. Laurel Creek work near Glendale Village is estimated at $27.5 million. In February 2025, southbound US-101 flooded under 3rd Avenue.
Who is responsible for a San Mateo sewer lateral?
You are, from the building all the way to the public main, including the wye connection. Under SMMC 7.38.432 the city doesn’t repair or clean private laterals. A cleanout has to be added whenever a lateral connection is installed or replaced, and inspection and testing are required when you sell or before certain larger remodels.
Which utilities handle San Mateo's water and wastewater?
California Water Service delivers the water, all of it bought from the San Francisco regional system run by the SFPUC. Wastewater goes to the City of San Mateo’s treatment plant, which serves about 170,000 people. Its Clean Water Program, a roughly $1 billion, 10-year rebuild of sewers and the plant, answers a Regional Water Quality Control Board order over wet-weather sewer overflows.
Nearby
Does RestoreX also work outside San Mateo?
Yes. The same Hayward office covers San Francisco to the north, Mountain View to the south, and Hayward and Fremont on the east side of the Bay. Every one of them has a page below, written for that city alone, and (844) 623-3946 reaches the same crew.
Talk to RestoreX
Creek water or a leak in a San Mateo home?
Call (844) 623-3946 to reach our East Bay office in Hayward.