San Mateo County Condos for Sale

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

Most San Mateo County condos and townhomes are on the bayside, in the cities strung along Caltrain, BART and US 101, from Daly City south to Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. Whichever building you choose, two rules matter most: the seller must hand over the association’s disclosure package under Civil Code 4525 before you remove contingencies, and your lender has to approve the project, not only you. If you plan to rent the unit, check the HOA’s rules and the city’s short-term rental code before you write an offer.

At a glance

Where to look in San Mateo County

Attached housing in San Mateo County follows the rail lines. Nearly every bayside city has a Caltrain or BART station, and condo and townhome communities tend to sit near those stations, downtown cores and the El Camino Real corridor. Our county overview is on the San Mateo County real estate page, and the San Mateo County where-to-live guide compares towns by transit, water district and local rules.

We’ve written city-level ownership cost guides for the places where condos and townhomes are most common. Each covers that city’s HOA, tax-bill and records questions in more detail than this page:

• North county. Daly City condo and townhome costs, Colma condo and townhome costs and Broadmoor condo and townhome costs. Broadmoor is unincorporated, so county rules apply there.
• Airport cities. Brisbane condo and townhome costs, South San Francisco condo and townhome costs, San Bruno condo and townhome costs and Millbrae condo and townhome costs. Millbrae has both BART and Caltrain.
• Mid-county. Burlingame condo and townhome costs, San Mateo condo and townhome costs and Belmont condo and townhome costs. For the lagoon city east of US 101, see Foster City real estate; for the next city south on Caltrain, see San Carlos real estate.
• South county. Redwood City condo and townhome costs, Menlo Park condo and townhome costs and East Palo Alto condo and townhome costs. East Palo Alto has its own rent stabilization program, so an investor buying a unit there should read the city’s rules first.
• Coastside. Attached housing is limited on the coast. Start with Half Moon Bay real estate, and remember that the unincorporated villages nearby are in the county’s Coastal Zone.

A city name on the mailing address doesn’t always match the jurisdiction. Check the parcel’s jurisdiction on the county record, because it decides which transfer tax, rental code and permit office apply.

What to check before you buy

The HOA package

Civil Code 4525 lists what the seller must provide: the CC&Rs, bylaws and rules, the annual budget report and reserve disclosures, a statement of current assessments and any approved special assessment, notices of violations or construction defects, any rental restrictions, the most recent balcony inspection report and, on request, a year of board minutes. Our HOA documents guide walks through each item.

The budget report deserves a slow read. Under Civil Code 5300 it must summarize the association’s property, liability, earthquake, flood and fidelity coverage, with limits and deductibles, and for a condominium project it must say whether the project is FHA-approved and VA-approved. In older Peninsula buildings, compare the reserve study’s repair schedule with the reserve balance before you decide whether the monthly dues are realistic.

Project approval for your loan

A condo loan is approved twice: once for you and once for the project. FHA insures loans in approved projects, and in some unapproved ones through Single-Unit Approval (HUD). VA loans require a VA-approved project (VA). Conventional lenders apply Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac project standards, and pending HOA litigation, heavy commercial space or unfunded critical repairs can make a project ineligible. Ask your lender to review the project before your loan contingency deadline. Our buying a condo in California guide explains each program.

Balconies, decks and stairways

Under Civil Code 5551 (the SB 326 rules), associations must have a licensed engineer or architect inspect a random sample of wood-supported balconies, decks, walkways, stairs and railings more than six feet above ground. The first round was due by January 1, 2025, with repeats at least every nine years. A building permitted on or after January 1, 2020 gets its first inspection within six years after the certificate of occupancy. Read the report in the 4525 package and check whether recommended repairs are funded or headed for a special assessment. Rental apartment buildings fall under a separate law; see SB 721 balcony inspections.

Sewer laterals and tax-bill charges

Some Peninsula cities and sanitary districts tie sewer lateral rules to a sale. In a condo the association usually controls shared lines, but townhomes and small projects can differ, so read our sewer lateral requirements at sale and the CC&Rs. Plan for a supplemental tax bill after closing.

Master insurance and your own policy

The association’s master policy covers what the CC&Rs make the association responsible for. Your own unit policy, usually called an HO-6, covers the rest: often interior finishes, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments. The CC&Rs decide where the line falls, so read them together with the budget report’s insurance summary. Note the master policy’s deductibles and whether the CC&Rs pass them to owners after a loss. Earthquake coverage is a separate question: the summary will show whether the association carries any. Bind your own coverage during escrow; see homeowners insurance during escrow.

Renting out a San Mateo County condo

HOA rules come first. Civil Code 4741 bars an association from prohibiting rentals or capping them below 25% of units, but it lets the association ban rentals of 30 days or less. Owners who bought before a rental restriction took effect keep their earlier rights under Civil Code 4740. Ask for the current rental rules in the 4525 package.

City of San Mateo short-term rentals. Under Chapter 5.66, a host must register a unit with the city before advertising it (5.66.050) and get a business license. Hosted stays have no day limit; unhosted stays are capped at 120 days a year. ADUs and junior ADUs can’t be registered, and a 24-hour local contact must answer complaints within 60 minutes. An HOA ban on short stays still applies even if the city would allow them.

Unincorporated Coastal Zone. County Zoning Code Chapter 8.368 requires a short-term rental permit and limits a unit to 180 rented nights a year, not counting nights the owner is present. We read that rule on a third-party reproduction of the code, so confirm it with San Mateo County Planning and Building. Other cities’ short-term rental rules weren’t verified for this page.

Transfer tax. The county charges $1.10 per $1,000 of value. The City of San Mateo adds 0.5% on transfers under $10 million under Municipal Code 3.48.010. See California transfer tax for who customarily pays.

Questions people ask

Where are most condos in San Mateo County?

Mostly in the bayside cities along Caltrain, BART and US 101, especially near stations and downtowns. The Coastside has far fewer attached homes.

What HOA documents do I get when buying a condo here?

The Civil Code 4525 package: governing documents, the budget report and reserve disclosures, an assessment statement, defect and violation notices, rental restrictions, the latest balcony inspection report and, if you ask, a year of board minutes.

How do I check whether a condo is FHA-approved?

Search HUD’s FHA-approved condominium list by project name, city or ZIP code, and read the FHA/VA statement in the HOA budget report. If the project isn’t approved, ask your lender whether Single-Unit Approval is possible.

Can my HOA stop me from renting my condo?

It can ban rentals of 30 days or less, but under Civil Code 4741 it can’t prohibit longer-term renting or cap rentals below 25% of units.

Can I run a short-term rental in a City of San Mateo condo?

Possibly, if the HOA allows it. The city requires registration and a business license, caps unhosted stays at 120 days a year, and doesn’t allow ADUs.

Is there a city transfer tax on San Mateo County condos?

The City of San Mateo charges 0.5% below $10 million on top of the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. Ask escrow whether another city on your list has one.

What is the SB 326 balcony inspection?

It’s the Civil Code 5551 requirement for condo associations to have wood-supported balconies, decks and stairways inspected at least every nine years. The latest report comes with the seller’s disclosures.

Sources & notes

1. California Civil Code 4525, 4741, 5300 and 5551
2. HUD, Condominium Mortgage Insurance and FHA-approved condominium search
3. VA, Purchase Loan
4. City of San Mateo Municipal Code Chapter 5.66, Short Term Rentals, sections 5.66.040 and 5.66.050
5. City of San Mateo Ordinance 2022-15 (Municipal Code 3.48.010)
6. San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder, Documentary transfer tax
7. San Mateo County Zoning Code Chapter 8.368 (third-party reproduction)
8. Caltrain, Stations and BART, Stations

Statute text was read on a public mirror of the official code; links go to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Short-term rental rules for cities other than San Mateo weren’t verified. The county’s Coastal Zone rule comes from a third-party code reproduction because the county’s planning page couldn’t be opened. No prices, inventory or market figures are given here; ask us for current numbers on a specific building.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Updated November 2026. Primary sources are linked in this guide.

Related: San Mateo County real estate · Where to live in San Mateo County · Buying a condo in California · HOA documents in California