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Using Translation

The County of San Mateo has added a translation feature developed by Google Translate to assist web visitors in understanding information on this website in a variety of foreign languages. Please be aware that Google Translate, a free third party service which the County does not control, provides automated computer translations that may not give you an exact translation. The County cannot guarantee the accuracy of translations through Google Translate so translations should not be considered exact and only used as a rough guide. Anyone relying on information obtained from Google Translate does so at his or her own risk. The County disclaims and will not accept any liability for damages or losses of any kind caused by the use of the Google Translate feature.

two San Mateo County residents deconstructing the side of a home
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Cutting down on landfill waste.

Construction and Demolition

Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste can be generated as a result of new construction, addition, remodel, or demolition projects. To minimize this waste, the County requires that certain projects in unincorporated San Mateo County submit a Waste Management Plan to the Sustainability Department.

If your project is located in an incorporated city within San Mateo County, please refer to pages 2 and 3 of the Construction, Deconstruction, and Demolition Guide (PDF) for the relevant requirements.

Do I need a Waste Management Plan?

A Waste Management Plan is necessary to demonstrate compliance with County regulations that require covered projects to salvage, reuse, or recycle all inert solids and at least 65% of all of the construction and demolition debris generated by the project.

A Waste Management Plan is required if your project consists of one or more of the following:

  • Demolition work only of existing permitted buildings;
  • Construction of new permitted buildings;
  • Additions and alterations of existing permitted buildings where the addition or alteration increases the building’s conditioned area, volume, or size;
  • Alterations to kitchens and/or an existing building where the square footage of the work exceeds 500 square feet;
  • All single-family residential whole building demolition projects required to obtain a demolition permit shall complete a deconstruction survey provided by a third party approved by the Building Official, or designee. The survey shall itemize the materials that are reusable and salvageable in the project;
  • Single-family residential demolition projects required to get a deconstruction survey shall allow 10 days, once the deconstruction survey is submitted, to recover the maximum feasible amount of salvageable designated recyclable and reusable materials prior to demolition.

If any of these apply to your project, you are required to submit a Waste Management Plan. Click the dropdown below for details on how to prepare your plan.

How do I prepare the Waste Management Plan?

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is a cost-effective and environmentally responsible alternative to conventional building demolition, where hazardous materials are removed, reusable appliances, flooring, and other building materials are salvaged and non-reusable materials are recycled.

Watch this video on the benefits of deconstruction!

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