Handyman Leads in Redwood City: Rules Before You Work

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Working legally here

Redwood City's business license tax certificate

The city's permit page is blunt: contractors need a business license before they do any work in Redwood City. Every business that comes in to work registers for a Business License Tax Certificate, whether it runs from a Redwood City home office or from another town. Since July 1, 2025 the tax follows Measure BB, which voters passed in November 2024: an annual base tax plus an additional amount tied to factors such as the number of employees, with rates that vary by business category. The city says outright that it does not tax gross sales. You apply online and pay nothing until the application is reviewed; within five business days the city emails the amount due. Every license expires on June 30 and renews online with the license and PIN numbers printed on the notice.

City of Redwood City, Revenue Services (opens in a new tab)

Permits

Redwood City permits: online filing, the Shores boards, protected trees

Online filing, and a short exempt list
The city now takes permit submittals online only, through eTRAKiT, where inspections are booked as well; the counter at City Hall on Middlefield Road is open Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., best by appointment. The Building Division's January 2026 list of work exempt from permits includes fences up to 7 feet, sheds up to 120 square feet, and finish work such as painting, tiling, cabinets and countertops. Swapping out a defective concealed drain or supply pipe counts as new work and needs a permit, and an emergency replacement still needs an application by the next working business day.
Redwood City Building Division (opens in a new tab)
Redwood Shores exteriors go to a design board first
In ZIP 94065, a change to a property's exterior or landscaping needs approval from the design review board that governs that part of the Shores before construction begins. Developments built since 1981 fall under the Redwood Shores Owners Association, the umbrella over 3,173 single-family homes in 26 local HOAs, while most older homes west of Shell Parkway answer to the Architectural Design Board of the Redwood Shores Community Association. The city's own policy asks that association-approved plans go in with the permit set, to avoid rounds of revisions.
Redwood City Building Division handout (opens in a new tab)
A 38-inch trunk makes it a protected tree
Chapter 35 of the municipal code makes it unlawful to cut or remove a tree without a permit from the Parks and Recreation Director, and it defines a tree as any woody plant with a single trunk at least 38 inches around, measured anywhere from 6 to 36 inches above the ground. The Parks and Recreation Commission can also name a heritage tree of any size. The application lists the number, location and species of each tree, the reason, and a plot plan, so a removal folded into a fence or deck job needs lead time.
Redwood City Municipal Code, Chapter 35 (opens in a new tab)

The homes

Redwood City's housing by the Census numbers

The ACS 2019-2023 estimates count 32,334 housing units in Redwood City, with a median year built of 1968. Only 43.9% are detached single-family houses; another 12.9% are attached houses such as townhomes, and 18.2% sit in buildings of 20 or more units, so a working week here mixes condo and apartment calls with house calls. Owners occupy 47.7% of occupied homes, which puts a good share of jobs in rentals, where the owner has to approve the work. The stock spans every era: 7.8% predates 1940, 21.5% went up in the 1950s, and 9.9% was built between 2010 and 2019. Utility gas still heats 61.9% of occupied homes, against 34.9% heated by electricity.

U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab)

Redwood City's City Hall. Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Part by part

Redwood City neighborhoods and what their homes ask for

Redwood Shores
Most single-family homes belong to small HOAs under the umbrella association, so fences, gates, landscaping and waterfront-yard work start with a board approval. On lagoon lots the city's Lagoon Bank Policy allows floating docks and decks that add no weight to the bank, but not pier docks or retaining walls on the slope, and even a dock repair needs Planning Services approval first.
Downtown
Meters run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and a pay-by-space stall can be paid at any meter in the city with its space number, by cash or card. On recognized holidays the street spaces and surface lots are free, but the garages still charge, so a holiday job downtown costs less parked at the curb.
North Fair Oaks, Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll
San Mateo County's LAFCo lists these, with Kensington Square, Sequoia Tract and Trailer Villa, as unincorporated communities in Redwood City's sphere of influence, outside the city itself. Building and planning permits for their parcels go through the county's Online Permit Center for unincorporated areas, never through the city's own portal.

Getting around

A working day in Redwood City: noise rules and the site sign

Chapter 24 limits general construction noise on private projects to weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the loud work to 9 to 4; deliveries, truck idling, backup beepers and radios count too. Sites in or near a residential district post a white sign with black letters at each entrance listing those limits. Saturday work needs a Building Division request 30 days ahead and a letter to neighbors within 500 feet.

How hot leads work

From the first text to the homeowner's door

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Questions

Working in Redwood City: what pros ask

Do I need a Redwood City business license for a single repair visit?

Yes. The city says every business that comes into Redwood City to work must register for a Business License Tax Certificate, and its permit page says contractors need it before the work starts. Apply online; nothing is paid until the city reviews the application, and the amount due arrives by email within five business days. Each license runs to June 30, whatever month you register.

Is every job around Redwood City inside the city limits?

No. North Fair Oaks, Emerald Lake Hills, Kensington Square and Oak Knoll are unincorporated San Mateo County communities in the city's sphere of influence, not part of the city. Permits for those parcels come from the county rather than the city's eTRAKiT portal, and the city's noise chapter does not govern them. Check the parcel before you quote anything that needs a permit.

Can I work a Saturday in Redwood City to finish a job?

Only with approval. The noise chapter allows no construction noise above the local ambient level on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. To work a Saturday, the site superintendent files the Building Division's request at least 30 days ahead with a copy of a letter to neighbors within 500 feet, and approved noisy work normally runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Owners working on their own unit get weekend hours of 9 to 5 instead.

Does exterior work in Redwood Shores need anything beyond a city permit?

Usually, yes. Exterior changes in ZIP 94065 need the governing design board's approval first: the Redwood Shores Owners Association for developments built since 1981, or the Architectural Design Board for most older homes west of Shell Parkway. A home's own small HOA can add rules on top. The city recommends submitting the association-approved plans with the permit application.

Can I take down a tree in a Redwood City back yard to make room for a shed?

Not without checking it first. If the tree has a single trunk 38 inches or more around, measured between 6 and 36 inches above the ground, removing it needs a permit from the Parks and Recreation Director, who weighs the application against the factors set out in Chapter 35. A smaller tree the commission has named a heritage tree is protected too.

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

Working Redwood City jobs: the tax certificate, eTRAKiT and the Shores boards

Get job leads in Redwood City from today

You're on the hot list

Redwood City's business license tax certificate

Redwood City permits: online filing, the Shores boards, protected trees

Online filing, and a short exempt list

Redwood Shores exteriors go to a design board first

A 38-inch trunk makes it a protected tree

Redwood City's housing by the Census numbers

Redwood City neighborhoods and what their homes ask for

Redwood Shores

Downtown

North Fair Oaks, Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll

A working day in Redwood City: noise rules and the site sign

From the first text to the homeowner's door

Confirm your mobile

A text for each new job

See it before you pay

Pay, then call the homeowner

Working in Redwood City: what pros ask

Nearby cities and more

Join in a nearby city

Where this page belongs

Where these facts come from

Fix it faster. Find work faster.