City
Los Altos
Los Altos is a city record. City or town offices may handle local rules inside their limits, while county offices still handle records, taxes, courts, and many services.
Starting point
Confirm the address is inside local limits first.
If the address is inside Los Altos, city or town offices may handle local permits, code, and services. If it is outside limits, county routing may be the better first stop.
A mailing city is not always the same as city government jurisdiction.
2025 population
30,965
Land area
6.54 sq mi
Water area
0 sq mi
Directory notes
Local layers to keep on the same page.
Confirm city or town limits.
A mailing address can use a nearby place name. If the address is outside limits, county offices may handle permits, code, and land-use routes.
County still matters.
Santa Clara County can still matter for assessor, tax collector, recorder, court, public health, social service, and election records.
Some layers are separate.
Water, sewer, fire, school, utilities, coast, earthquake maps, wildfire zones, parks, and trails may point outside city hall.
County layer
County shown for Los Altos
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Los Altos
County layer · History and culture · Reviewed July 7, 2026
History Park keeps old San Jose in walking distance
History Park in Kelley Park gathers historic buildings, small museums, streetscapes, and everyday objects that help San Jose feel older than Silicon Valley.
County layer · Home and property · Reviewed July 7, 2026
Milpitas flood maps are a normal address check
Milpitas has mapped FEMA flood hazard areas, so flood information, AlertSCC, and Valley Water resources are useful address checks for residents and buyers.
County layer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 6, 2026
San Jose VTA trips need the route and fare layer together
VTA is the main bus and light-rail layer around San Jose, with route pages, alerts, Clipper payment details, and transfer rules to check by trip.
County layer · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Campbell building permits run through MGO Connect
Campbell uses MGO Connect for building permit applications and inspections, with checklists, property information, a permit map, and code complaint links nearby.
County layer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Gilroy permits and business licenses use different online paths
Gilroy uses GO Permit for project permits and inspections, while business licenses are handled through the city's HdL business-license service.
County layer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Palo Alto parking permits start with the district
Palo Alto has several residential parking permit districts, so residents should start with the neighborhood district before applying or changing a vehicle.
Almanac notes
Stories and local context near Los Altos
Place note · History and culture
Los Altos still has apricot roots under Silicon Valley
Los Altos History Museum and the Heritage Orchard keep the city's apricot-growing past close to today's Silicon Valley setting.
County layer · History and culture
Murphy Avenue shows Sunnyvale learning to linger downtown
Historic Murphy Avenue is being reshaped as a pedestrian mall after a temporary 2020 outdoor-dining closure showed how much people liked a slower downtown street.
County layer · History and culture
Sunnyvale's fruit-cocktail tower keeps the cannery years visible
The Libby Water Tower in Sunnyvale keeps a playful fruit-cocktail label in view while pointing back to the city's cannery jobs, orchards, and office-park change.
County layer · History and culture
The Triton Museum gives Santa Clara a local art room
Santa Clara's Triton Museum of Art focuses on accessible exhibitions, education, community programs, and California artists near the city's civic center.
County layer · Outdoors
McClellan Ranch gives Cupertino a quiet creekside history
McClellan Ranch Preserve is an 18-acre former horse ranch in Cupertino with a nature trail, creekside habitat, an environmental education center, and blacksmith shop history.
County layer · History and culture
The Jose Higuera Adobe gives Milpitas a foothill history stop
Jose Higuera Adobe Park connects Milpitas to Rancho Los Tularcitos, Calera Creek, old crops, cactus hedges, and a neighborhood park at the foothill edge.
County layer · History and culture
Computer History Museum turns Silicon Valley into a walkable story
Computer History Museum in Mountain View connects Silicon Valley to computing history through artifacts, exhibits, demos, software stories, and a former SGI building.
County layer · History and culture
Gilroy's garlic story grew from real farm roots
Gilroy is known for garlic because local farming, row crops, community volunteers, and the Garlic Festival turned an agricultural identity into a California food story.