What is Historic Preservation?

Historic preservation helps residents maintain a tangible connection to San Mateo’s past. Efforts to safeguard and carefully adapt the City’s historic resources can enhance the community’s economic, cultural, and environmental character and support a strong sense of place and identity. A historic resource generally:

• Is a building, structure, object, site, landscape, or a grouping of these types of properties (known as a historic district) that is significant in history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture;
• Is more than 50 years old;
• Is eligible for listing in a local, state, or national historic register based on their association with significant historic events, individuals, or architectural design or construction techniques.

Local Policies/Requirements:

• Historic Preservation Ordinance
• 1989 Historic Building Survey
• Historic Resources General Handout 
• Downtown Historic District Design Guidelines
• Downtown Historic District Resolution 
• Mill Act Resolution

Federal and State Policies/Requirements:

The City does not control the content of these websites.

• California Office of Historic Preservation
• Secretary of Interior’s Standards
• National Park Service Technical Preservation Services
• National Park Service National Register of Historic Places
• National Register Fact Sheet 
• National Register – How to Support or Object to Listing

California Register – How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register

Historic Ordinance Update

The City is currently working to update its Historic Preservation Ordinance and prepare a Citywide Historic Context Statement as part of the implementation of San Mateo’s General Plan 2040. For information about this process, draft documents and upcoming events, please visit the Historic Policy Update Effort page.