Surplus Property Program

The Sustainability Department’s Surplus Property Program beneficially reuses surplus equipment from County departments such as furniture, office supplies, electronics equipment, and much more. These items are offered at no cost to County departments, local nonprofits, and partner agencies. If these groups have no need for the items, they are then auctioned to the public through GovDeals.com.

Program Benefits:

Diverts valuable items from landfills, reducing waste, and environmental impact
Conserves natural resources by extending the lifespan of usable goods
Saves the County money by reducing both purchasing costs and disposal fees

Visit the County’s GovDeals page for a list of surplus items currently available for auction.

Partner Agencies – Requesting Items for Free Via GovDeals

County of San Mateo Departments, cities, schools, and certified 501C non-profit organizations may request retired property free of charge any time before an auction ends on GovDeals by following these steps.

Requesting Items Via GovDeals

Visit www.govdeals.com/SanMateoCounty to see the listings of all available surplus property.
If you haven’t already, register for a bidder account and subscribe to the “Community Partners” tier by following these step-by-step instructions (PDF).
Once approved for the “Community Partner” tier, your organization can bid on any available items at no cost.
To request items open to the general public, email SUST_surplus@smcgov.org with the item link. State the department or organization you are from, and your GovDeals username. We will pull the item from auction and provide pickup instructions.
Your organization is responsible for the removal, packing, loading, and transportation of surplus equipment.

Reuse Request Form

Looking for something specific that’s not currently listed on GovDeals? Fill out the Reuse Request Form for all desired items and we will contact you if the item becomes available for immediate transfer.

Reuse Request

Success Stories

The County of San Mateo offers retired surplus property at no cost to County departments, cities, schools, and certified 501(c) non-profit organizations. During large-scale departmentwide moves, the Surplus Property Program collaborates with departments to maximize the redistribution and donation of surplus equipment by hosting “Shopping Days,” where organizations can pick up items directly from the site. To ensure surplus items are put to their best use, we also conduct targeted outreach to specific communities and organizations based on the type of items available.

Collaboration with County’s Health Department

In 2023, the Surplus Property Program collaborated with the County’s Health Department to redistribute surplus supplies like furniture, office supplies, and appliances generated from the decommissioning of two buildings at the San Mateo Medical Center.

Our efforts successfully led to the redistribution of supplies to 10 County departments and 55 schools and community-based organizations within the County. From the first building, 1,167 items were repurposed across 9 shopping days in May and June. From the second building, an additional 517 items were reused during 5 shopping days in July.

This effort diverted thousands of items from the landfill and provided valuable resources to community organizations. Together, we turned surplus into opportunity!

Repurposing Hotel Materials to Support the Community

In 2021, the Surplus Property Program partnered with the County’s Human Services Agency to redistribute materials from Coastside Inn, a 50-room hotel in Half Moon Bay purchased by the County to serve as a housing shelter. This facility provides safe temporary living accommodations and intensive on-site support services to assist people experiencing homelessness with finding and moving into permanent housing. The hotel came fully equipped with items such as beds, dressers, and kitchenware. While many of these materials were repurposed for use at the shelter, a significant portion was made available through the Surplus Property Program to benefit the broader community.

Targeted outreach was conducted to Core Service Agencies—organizations providing critical safety net services to residents in need of food, emergency housing assistance, emergency utility assistance, shelter, and other basic needs. The Surplus team collaborated with case service managers to ensure these resources reached community-based organizations and individuals transitioning into stable housing. Over 500 items were donated, providing essential support to facilities and clients while keeping usable materials out of landfills.