Handyman Leads in Millbrae: License, Trees, Turf Ban

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Working legally here

Millbrae's business license, renewed every July

Under Municipal Code Section 7.05, every business with a mailing address or location in Millbrae, and every out-of-town business operating there, must keep an active Millbrae business license, and the Building Division states plainly that all contractors working in the city need a valid, current one. HdL Companies takes new Business Tax Certificate applications and renewals online for the city. The license year starts July 1 and ends June 30, and the license has to be applied for, paid and received before work begins. Local applicants route a Departmental Approval Form through zoning and other departments, but contractors located outside the city limits are exempt from it. Send copies of your federal, state and county registrations and a real street address: no license goes to a post office box.

Source: City of Millbrae, Finance Department

Permits

Millbrae permits: an online-only portal, private trees, no new turf

Every application goes through the online portal
Millbrae takes building permit applications only through its online permitting portal and does not accept hard copies. A permit is needed to build or alter a structure or to install, repair or modify electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems. Exempt work includes a wood fence up to 7 feet, a retaining wall up to 4 feet with no surcharge, a shed of 120 square feet or less, and finish work such as painting, tile, cabinets and countertops. Plan check takes about 15 days, but solar PV and kitchen or bath remodels with no structural change get a streamlined in-house review. Request inspections at least a day ahead.
Source: City of Millbrae, Building Division
Private trees joined the ordinance in July 2024
The council enacted an updated Tree Protection and Urban Forestry Ordinance in July 2024; the old one reached only street trees, while Chapter 8.60 now also covers protected trees on private lots. Pruning a street tree or a protected tree needs a Tree Pruning Permit, which carries no fee. Removal needs a paid permit filed in person at Community Development, replacement trees or an in-lieu payment, and sometimes an arborist's report. The city cites state law (B&P 7026.1) limiting gardeners to incidental trimming of trees under 15 feet, and tree work from the street takes a separate encroachment permit. Routine trimming under 25 percent of a tree's mass is exempt.
Source: City of Millbrae, Tree Permits
Artificial turf is off the table
Millbrae has adopted an ordinance prohibiting the installation of synthetic grass and artificial turf. Owners who already have it must pull it out and put in natural landscaping once it shows visible wear, and turf removed to plant or replace a tree has to come back as natural, water-efficient landscaping at that time. On a yard or landscaping job, quote plants instead. The city also encourages drip irrigation, which it says uses 30 to 50 percent less water than conventional spray systems.
Source: City of Millbrae, Code Enforcement

The homes

8,566 homes, most of them from three post-war decades

The ACS 2019-2023 estimates count 8,566 housing units in Millbrae, with a median year built of 1960. The 1950s alone produced 24.4 percent of them, the 1940s 18.1 percent and the 1960s 16.8 percent, so 59.3 percent date from those thirty years, and just 6.1 percent were built in 2010 or later. Detached houses hold 63.7 percent of units and buildings of 20 or more units 17.0 percent, so most calls come from single-family owners. Owners occupy 63.2 percent of occupied homes. Utility gas heats 67.0 percent of them and electricity 29.1 percent, so most heating work still starts from gas equipment.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Part by part

Millbrae neighborhoods and what each one changes

Lower Highlands
The General Plan singles out lower Highlands for the strong Spanish Mission character of its homes and its compact grid of streets lined with mature sycamores. The same plan asks that additions and remodels stay compatible with the building and the surrounding neighborhood, so an exterior change here is expected to respect that style.
Lomita Hills and Capuchino
These northern neighborhoods were built up after World War II to house returning veterans, on gently curving streets that follow the contours instead of a grid. The plan notes that expansions are common across the city, from second-story additions to garage conversions and ADUs, and a large second-story addition goes to design review.
The western hillsides
The newest single-family development sits on the western hillsides, which also hold most of Millbrae's larger lots and homes. The Safety Element records past landslides on the steeper western slopes, the recent ones after heavy rainfall, so look closely at slope and drainage before quoting grading or retaining-wall work.
The Station Area and Marina Vista
About 116 acres at the southeast edge, along the Burlingame line, between El Camino Real and Broadway on the west and the U.S. 101 interchange on the east. The 2016 Station Area Specific Plan steers transit-oriented apartments and offices around the BART and Caltrain station, and calls for a second access route into Marina Vista.
Landing Lane and San Anselmo Avenue
FEMA maps about 33.77 acres of Millbrae in the 100-year flood zone, including the areas around Landing Lane and San Anselmo Avenue between Lomita Park Elementary School and Center Street, plus a stretch of the BART line just east of Landing Lane. Check the flood map before quoting foundation or floor-level work there.

Getting around

A Millbrae workday: Sunday hours, El Camino, two-hour parking

The Building Division sets construction hours at 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; anything outside them needs the Building Official's approval in advance. U.S. 101 runs along the bay side and Interstate 280 along the west. Between them, El Camino Real is a six-lane state highway under Caltrans that separates downtown and the westside neighborhoods from the station. Downtown parking is usually limited to two hours, though some streets carry no limit, so plan where the truck sits before a long job there.

How hot leads work

From the first text to the homeowner's door

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Questions

Working in Millbrae: what pros ask

Does a contractor based in Daly City need a Millbrae business license?

Yes. The requirement covers out-of-town businesses operating in Millbrae as well as local ones, and the Building Division says every contractor working in the city must hold a valid, current license. Apply or renew online through HdL Companies, and have it issued before you start. Because your shop is outside the city limits, you skip the Departmental Approval Form local businesses file.

Can I install artificial turf for a Millbrae homeowner?

No. The city has an ordinance prohibiting new synthetic grass and artificial turf. Owners with existing turf must replace it with natural landscaping once it shows visible wear, and turf pulled up to plant or replace a tree must be replaced with natural, water-efficient planting at that time. Quote plants and drip irrigation instead.

Can my crew cut back a big backyard tree in Millbrae before a fence job?

Only lightly. Routine trimming under 25 percent of a tree's mass needs no permit, and the city's tree page says that without a tree and palm contractor license, a gardener may only do incidental trimming of trees under 15 feet. Major work on a protected or street tree needs a Tree Pruning Permit, issued without a fee, and a state licensed tree contractor. Removing a protected tree takes a paid permit and replacement trees.

Can I start a Millbrae job at 8 a.m. on a Sunday?

Not without approval. Sunday and holiday construction is allowed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so an 8 a.m. start works on a Saturday but not a Sunday. Weekdays run from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any work outside those windows has to be approved in advance by the Building Official.

Will the hot list send me jobs outside Millbrae?

Yes. A text goes out for every new Bay Area job as it goes on sale, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., whatever the trade or the city, and you decide one by one whether a drive is worth it. Each text names the work and the area and carries a link; the link shows the job and its price before you pay, and you pay only for the ones you pick. No subscription, no bidding. Reply STOP to end it.

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Where these facts come from

Checked against these public sources in October 2026. Rules and fees change: confirm license and permit requirements with the city before work starts.

ci.millbrae.ca.us: Starting a Business in the City of Millb
ci.millbrae.ca.us: Building Division
ci.millbrae.ca.us: Building Permit
ci.millbrae.ca.us: Tree Permits
ci.millbrae.ca.us: Code Enforcement
ci.millbrae.ca.us: 2040 General Plan Land Use PDF
ci.millbrae.ca.us: 2040 General Plan Health Safety HM PDF
ci.millbrae.ca.us: 2040 General Plan Mobility PDF
data.census.gov: ACSDP5Y2023
data.census.gov: ACSDT5Y2023

Working in Millbrae: a July license year, tree permits and Sunday hours

Get job leads in Millbrae from today

You're on the hot list

Millbrae's business license, renewed every July

Millbrae permits: an online-only portal, private trees, no new turf

Every application goes through the online portal

Private trees joined the ordinance in July 2024

Artificial turf is off the table

8,566 homes, most of them from three post-war decades

Millbrae neighborhoods and what each one changes

Lower Highlands

Lomita Hills and Capuchino

The western hillsides

The Station Area and Marina Vista

Landing Lane and San Anselmo Avenue