Commercial Real Estate in Burlingame: Downtown Districts, the Bayfront and SFO Airport Rules

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Burlingame’s commercial property falls into three distinct areas: the downtown retail streets around Burlingame Avenue and Howard Avenue, the mixed-use corridors on Broadway, California Drive, El Camino Real and North Rollins Road, and the Bayfront east of Highway 101, where hotels, offices and research buildings sit beside SFO. Each runs under a different chapter of the city’s zoning code, and much of the city sits inside the airport’s land use compatibility zones. Confirm the district and airport zone for each parcel with the City of Burlingame Planning Division before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Burlingame is an incorporated city, so Title 25 of the Burlingame Municipal Code governs land use inside city limits, amended most recently by Ordinance 2046 on March 2, 2026. San Francisco International Airport adjoins the city to the north and east, and Title 25 has its own chapter on consistency with the airport’s Comprehensive Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. Shoreline parcels also deal with Bay buffer rules written into the commercial chapter. Unincorporated County land is limited here; see our San Mateo County commercial guide for County rules.

Burlingame zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District	Intended uses	Notes
BAC Burlingame Avenue Commercial	Retail core: shops, personal services, restaurants	35 ft, 55 ft with special permit; offices kept off the ground floor
HMU Howard Mixed-Use	Ground-floor retail with housing above, south of Burlingame Avenue	55 ft; multi-unit dwellings permitted
MMU Myrtle Road Mixed-Use	Buffer east of the tracks on Myrtle Road and East Lane	35 ft, 45 ft with special permit; 6,000 sq ft retail cap
BMU Bayswater Mixed-Use	Buffer between downtown and homes to the south and east	35 ft, 55 ft with special permit
CAC Chapin Avenue Commercial	Banks and offices on Chapin between Primrose and El Camino	35 ft, 55 ft with special permit
DAC Donnelly Avenue Commercial	Retail, service and office north of Burlingame Avenue	Purpose statement bars new housing
CAR California Drive Auto Row	Auto dealers and auto-related uses	Non-auto retail and services by minor use permit
C-1, BFC, I-I	General commercial; Bayfront office, R&D and hotels; Innovation Industrial	No housing beyond caretaker units
RRMU, NBMU, BRMU, CMU	North Rollins Road, North Burlingame, Broadway and California Drive mixed use	Tiered density and FAR bonuses in RRMU and NBMU

Downtown: Burlingame Avenue, Howard Avenue and Auto Row

The downtown districts implement the Downtown Specific Plan, and their use tables are built to keep storefronts active.

Burlingame Avenue. In BAC, professional offices must be above or below the first floor and behind at least 30 feet of ground-floor retail. Medical and co-working offices are also kept off the ground floor, and the table flags banks as not allowed at street level in BAC or MMU. Dry cleaners need a minor use permit, and every district requires a 15-foot minimum ground-floor ceiling.
Howard and Myrtle. HMU allows multi-unit housing over retail up to 55 feet. MMU caps general retail stores at 6,000 square feet.
Chapin and Donnelly. CAC is the downtown’s office and bank street, and DAC extends the retail core north while its purpose statement allows only existing homes to remain.
Auto Row. On California Drive, dealers are permitted outright and rental agencies need a conditional use permit. Other retail and services need a minor use permit and must fit the auto focus.

The chapter’s tables show some inconsistencies, such as a bank cell marked permitted despite the ground-floor note, so verify any specific use with Planning.

The Bayfront, Innovation Industrial and the mixed-use corridors

Bayfront Commercial. BFC is aimed at office, R&D and local and tourist commerce that use Bay views and access.

Hotels. Permitted by right.
Offices and labs. Professional and medical offices and labs are permitted; retail is accessory only.
Intensity. Height is 65 feet, more with a special permit, and FAR runs from 1.0 at Tier 1 to 2.0 and 3.0 at Tiers 2 and 3, which require a special permit and two or three community benefits approved by the Planning Commission.

Innovation Industrial. I-I favors light industry, R&D and creative firms and encourages reuse of existing buildings.

Location splits. Medical offices are allowed only east of Highway 101, and offices west of 101 are limited to creative and design firms. Hotels are allowed only on Old Bayshore Highway frontage.
Intensity. Office/R&D FAR steps from 0.75 to 2.75 by tier, with 3.0 for hospitality.

Corridors. The North Burlingame district on El Camino Real allows office at up to 2.0 FAR and housing up to 140 units an acre at Tier 3, with heights to 80 feet, or 100 feet on the east side of El Camino. North Rollins Road near the Millbrae station mixes live/work, light industry and labs; offices there are capped at 5,000 square feet. Broadway keeps retail and services on the ground floor with housing above.

SFO airport, Bay buffers and lodging

Airport safety. Uses must comply with the airport compatibility plan’s noise, safety and airspace policies, including parapets and elevator overruns. Taller projects may need FAA notice on Form 7460-1.
Safety Zone 3. Labs using hazardous materials need a conditional use permit in Zone 3 and are barred in Zone 2, and Biosafety Level 3 and 4 labs are not allowed.
Noise. Hotels inside the 65 dB CNEL contour need sound insulation and an avigation easement.
Bay buffer. A 100-foot buffer inland from the shoreline is reserved for sea level rise infrastructure and trails, and new construction must follow the city’s Map of Future Conditions.
Short-term rentals. Under Chapter 6.56, only a host’s primary residence can be rented short term, with unhosted stays capped at 120 days a year, so hotels carry the visitor market. Lodging pays the city’s transient occupancy tax under Chapter 4.09.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The County Recorder charges documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value, less assumed liens. Burlingame’s own real property transfer tax chapter, adopted by Ordinance 872 in 1967, sets $0.275 per $500 under the state’s standard enabling law and is administered by the County Recorder. Cities using that law typically receive a share of the county rate rather than adding to it, and the County’s page names only the City of San Mateo as adding a separate tax, so the total is likely $0.55 per $500; confirm on the escrow estimate. The city’s business license tax is in Chapter 6.08; we did not verify rates. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Burlingame

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the district and whether the use is allowed on the ground floor downtown.
Locate the parcel in the SFO safety, noise and airspace zones, and check for avigation easements.
For Bayfront or Innovation Industrial projects, budget for community benefits if you need Tier 2 or 3 intensity.
On shoreline parcels, check the 100-foot Bay buffer and the Map of Future Conditions.
For labs, confirm the hazardous materials rules and biosafety level allowed in the airport zone.
Check commercial linkage fees under Chapter 25.44 for new floor area.

Questions people ask

Can an office lease ground-floor space on Burlingame Avenue?

Generally no. In BAC, professional offices must be above or below the first floor and behind at least 30 feet of ground-floor retail.

Are hotels allowed on the Burlingame Bayfront?

Yes, by right in BFC. In Innovation Industrial, only on Old Bayshore Highway frontage.

Can I build a lab in Burlingame?

Labs are permitted in BFC, I-I, North Rollins Road and North Burlingame. Labs using hazardous materials need a CUP in airport Safety Zone 3 and are barred in Zone 2, and BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs are prohibited.

How tall can a Bayfront building be?

65 feet in BFC, more with a special permit, subject to SFO airspace limits.

Is there a Burlingame transfer tax?

Chapter 4.24 sets $0.275 per $500, administered by the County Recorder. It appears to share the County’s $0.55 rate rather than add to it; confirm with escrow.

What is Auto Row?

The CAR district on California Drive, where auto sales are permitted and other retail needs a minor use permit.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Burlingame?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Burlingame.

Sources & notes

Note: We did not read the Downtown Specific Plan document, Chapter 25.24 (airport consistency), Chapter 25.44 (commercial linkage fees) or the business license tax rates. Whether the city transfer tax is credited within the County rate was inferred, not confirmed.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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