Commercial Real Estate in Woodside: Community Commercial Rules, Stables and Rural Constraints

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

Woodside is a rural residential town, and its commercial land is deliberately small: a Community Commercial district in the town center serving everyday local needs, plus scattered public, institutional and equestrian uses such as schools, churches and professional stables. Most of the town is zoned for large-lot homes, open space and horses, and much of it relies on septic systems. Commercial buyers here are usually looking at a town-center building, a restaurant or service business, or an equestrian facility. Confirm the zoning and permit history with the Town of Woodside Planning Department before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Woodside is an incorporated town, and Chapter 153 of the Woodside Municipal Code is its zoning ordinance. The district list in Section 153.101 dates to Ordinance 1980-291 and was last amended by Ordinance 2025-646, effective March 27, 2025. The zoning code’s district purposes stress rural character, and Chapter 153 adds environmentally sensitive area, geologic hazard, tree protection and stream corridor chapters that apply to every district. Unincorporated County land adjoins the town in places; see our San Mateo County commercial guide for County rules.

Woodside zoning for commercial and nonresidential uses

The Community Commercial district

The CC district is the town’s only general commercial zone.

• By right, under 2,000 square feet. Banks, offices and retail stores such as bakeries, pharmacies, florists and bookstores.
• By conditional use permit. Any store over 2,000 square feet, restaurants, bars, cafes of up to 50 seats, delicatessens, food stores, service stations, schools and churches.
• Housing. Single-family homes, emergency shelters and transitional housing are also permitted, and an ADU is allowed as an accessory use inside a CC building.

For a buyer, the 2,000-square-foot threshold is the key number: a new restaurant, a grocery or a larger retail tenant will need a use permit and a public hearing, so the value of a vacant space depends on the uses that can be approved there. Check the existing permit for any restaurant or cafe, since seat counts and hours are typically set by conditions.

PCCD overlay. The Planned Community Commercial overlay lets a CC property use more flexible design through a conceptual plan, a specific development plan and a conditional use permit for every use. It cannot change CC height or parking standards, and other numeric CC standards cannot be relaxed by more than 25%.

Equestrian, institutional and rural business uses

Stables. In the SCP, RR, SR and R-1 districts, horses are allowed on lots of at least an acre at one per half acre. Private stables are accessory, and riding arenas covering up to 10% of the lot are accessory too, while larger arenas need a use permit. Professional stables are a conditional use in SCP and RR and must also meet the town’s stables chapter, Chapter 115. Boarding, training and lesson operations should be checked against both.

Open space districts. The five open space districts allow recreation and resource uses that implement the general plan’s open space element, which can include managed resource production in OSM.

Cannabis and business licensing. The town has a cannabis chapter (Chapter 99) and a general business license chapter (Chapter 110) with license taxes in Article IV; check both before leasing to any regulated or home-based business.

Septic, geology and site constraints

• Septic. Under the town’s private wastewater rules, septic systems are allowed only where public sewer is not available. They need town permits after a site inspection and percolation tests, and must follow the County Health Officer’s regulations. The town may refuse a permit where soil or area will not support a sanitary system, which can limit a restaurant or any use with heavy wastewater.
• Sewer conversion. If public sewer becomes available and a connection is made, the private system must be abandoned.
• Environmental limits. Chapter 153 includes environmentally sensitive area, geologic hazard, tree protection and stream corridor sections, all of which can shape what can be built on a commercial or institutional site.
• Lot size. The SCP district sets 5, 7.5 or 10-acre minimum lots depending on how many constraints a parcel has, such as steep slope, geologic hazard, poor access or water problems.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The County Recorder charges documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500 of value, less assumed liens. Woodside’s real property transfer tax article, adopted by Ordinance 1967-193, sets 27.5 cents per $500 under the state enabling law and is administered by the County Recorder. That law typically gives the town a share of the County rate rather than an added tax, and the Recorder names only the City of San Mateo as adding its own; confirm in escrow. Business license taxes are in Chapter 110; we did not verify rates. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Woodside

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Confirm CC zoning and whether a PCCD overlay or specific development plan applies.
• Get the conditional use permit for any restaurant, cafe or store over 2,000 square feet and read its conditions.
• Have the septic system inspected and confirm its permitted capacity for the intended use.
• For an equestrian property, confirm acreage, animal limits and any professional stable permit.
• Check environmentally sensitive area, geologic hazard and stream corridor rules for any expansion.
• Confirm fire district driveway and access standards for public-serving uses.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Woodside Municipal Code (GoCodebook)
2. Section 153.100, Zoning Districts and Uses
3. Chapter 115, Stables
4. Chapter 51, Article III, Private Wastewater Disposal
5. Chapter 35, Article III, Real Property Transfer Taxes
6. San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax

Note: We did not read Chapter 115’s text, the PCCD specific plan provisions in full, the home occupation limits in Section 153.111, the cannabis chapter, the general plan or business license tax rates. The transfer tax ordinance’s effective date is garbled in the GoCodebook copy. Whether the town tax is credited within the County rate was inferred.

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

Related: Woodside real estate guide · Multifamily property in Woodside · Commercial real estate services