Commercial Real Estate in Colma: Cemetery Zoning, Commercial Centers and Auto Dealer Rules

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

Colma is a town built around its cemeteries. Most of its land is zoned for cemeteries, memorial parks and golf, and the rest is a compact band of retail centers, auto dealerships, offices and a few residential neighborhoods along El Camino Real, Serramonte Boulevard and Mission Road. That mix makes Colma’s commercial rules unusual: cemetery-related businesses, dealer inventory storage and crematoriums are regulated in the same chapter as shopping centers. Confirm the zone and any use permit for each parcel with the Town of Colma before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

The incorporated Town of Colma applies its zoning ordinance, Subchapter 5.03 of the Colma Municipal Code, first adopted by Ordinance 234 in 1979, with its use and non-residential standards tables last replaced by Ordinance 818 on February 14, 2024. The zoning map is the town’s April 2008 General Plan land use map, incorporated by reference.

Not all of "Colma" is in the town. Unincorporated Colma, next to Daly City, is County land under Title 8, where the County uses Planned Colma districts and adopted a Planned Colma High Density district and other new districts on April 21, 2026. Check the parcel’s jurisdiction first; the rules below apply only inside the town. See our San Mateo County commercial guide and Daly City guide.

Colma zoning for commercial, cemetery and mixed use

Section 5.03.050 names the town’s zones, including G, R, R-S, C, P, E and PD, plus several others not described in the text we reviewed.

District	Intended uses	Notes
G Golf and Cemetery	Cemeteries, memorial parks, open-field agriculture, golf courses, driving ranges	Incidental uses such as crematoriums and monument shops need a City Council use permit; 36 ft for non-cemetery buildings
C Commercial	Commercial centers, commercial establishments, retail merchandising units, light industrial	Each by conditional use permit; 40 ft, 42 ft on Mission Road; 5 ft setbacks
E Executive, Administrative	Administrative, medical and professional offices; restaurants	Conditional uses; 36 ft
PD Planned Development	Larger mixed sites, including commercial centers and housing	30 ft setback on El Camino Real; 20 ft for a commercial center
P Public	Parks, public buildings, municipally supported senior housing	Town-related uses
R Residential and R-S Sterling Park	Housing	R-S bars commercial and light industrial uses

The G zone: cemeteries, crematoriums and dealer storage

Permitted outright. Under Section 5.03.071, a cemetery or memorial park is permitted in G without a use permit, as are open-field farming, golf courses and driving ranges.

City Council use permits.

Cemetery-related uses. Crematoriums, monument shops and similar businesses need a City Council use permit.
Crematoriums. Under Section 5.03.072, retort vents must be at least 650 feet from the nearest residence.
Small structures. Those not visible from the right-of-way may be approved administratively.
Height. Non-cemetery buildings in G are held to 36 feet.

Auto dealer inventory. Off-site storage of dealership inventory on G land also needs a City Council use permit. Section 5.03.072 sets eight conditions, including that stored vehicles be under five years old and operable, that the site not be readily visible from public streets, and that the operator have a security plan. For a dealer, that makes cemetery land a possible but tightly conditioned overflow lot.

For an investor, G land is rarely for sale as raw development land; the practical opportunities are leases for storage, ancillary cemetery businesses and golf or agricultural uses that fit the zone.

Commercial centers, offices and El Camino Real

C zone. No listed use in the C column is permitted by right: commercial centers, individual commercial establishments, retail merchandising units and light industrial establishments each need a conditional use permit.

Re-tenanting. An existing building or tenant space can be re-occupied with administrative approval if the building code occupancy class does not change, no building modifications are needed and parking is not exceeded. Like-for-like retail tenants can often move in without a hearing.
Height and lots. Buildings may reach 40 feet, or 42 feet on Mission Road, on lots at least 33.33 feet wide and 100 feet deep, with 5-foot setbacks and roughly 50% coverage.

E zone. Administrative, medical and professional offices, and restaurants, are conditional uses in E, with a 36-foot height limit.

PD zone. Planned development sites carry a 30-foot setback on El Camino Real and 20 feet for a commercial center. Conditional uses include multiple housing developments and professional offices, so a PD shopping center can, in principle, add housing through a use permit.

We did not find hotels, cardrooms, cannabis or auto sales addressed in the use table text we reviewed; confirm any such use directly with the town.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The San Mateo County Recorder charges documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500, less assumed liens, and names only the City of San Mateo as adding its own tax. The parts of Colma’s revenue chapter we viewed, including Chapter 7.05 on the town’s general transactions and use tax, did not show a town transfer tax. That sales tax add-on matters to retail and dealer tenants. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Colma

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm town or unincorporated County; unincorporated Colma follows County Planned Colma districts.
Pull the conditional use permit for any C zone shopping center or commercial building.
For a re-tenanting, confirm the administrative approval criteria: same occupancy class, no modifications, parking met.
For dealer storage on G land, review the Council use permit and the eight conditions.
Check distance from homes for any crematorium or incidental cemetery use.
On Mission Road, use the 42-foot height limit; elsewhere in C, 40 feet.

Questions people ask

Why is most of Colma zoned for cemeteries?

The town’s G zone permits cemeteries and memorial parks outright, along with golf and open-field farming, and that zone covers much of the town.

Can I build a crematorium in Colma?

Only in G with a City Council use permit, and the retort vents must be at least 650 feet from the nearest home.

Can a car dealer store inventory on cemetery land?

Yes, with a City Council use permit and eight conditions, including vehicles under five years old, screening from streets and a security plan.

Does a new retail tenant need a use permit?

New commercial uses in C are conditional. An existing space can be re-tenanted administratively if the occupancy class, building and parking do not change.

How tall can commercial buildings be in Colma?

40 feet in C, 42 feet on Mission Road, and 36 feet in E.

Is unincorporated Colma governed by the town?

No. It is County land under Title 8, with Planned Colma districts and new districts adopted April 21, 2026.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Colma?

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

Sources & notes

Note: The use and standards tables are garbled in the published text, so table entries should be confirmed with the town. We did not review the T, F, DR and DR(s) zones, business license provisions, the transactions and use tax rate, or sign rules. The County rezoning of unincorporated Colma comes from the County page as summarized on our county guide.

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

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