City
South San Francisco
South San Francisco 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 South San Francisco, 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
64,941
Land area
9.204 sq mi
Water area
20.97 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.
San Mateo 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 South San Francisco
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for South San Francisco
Place note · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Free South City Shuttle links the hill, downtown, and transit
South San Francisco's free shuttle runs on weekdays and links local stops with SamTrans, BART, Caltrain, downtown, parks, stores, and civic destinations.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
South San Francisco permit work starts at the Permit Center
South San Francisco routes building permits, plan submittals, inspections, business licenses, and many over-the-counter permit types through its Permit Center and online portal.
Place note · Cars and driving · Reviewed June 30, 2026
Oyster Point makes South San Francisco a ferry-and-rail commute stop
South San Francisco has an Oyster Point ferry terminal and a Caltrain station, which shape the city's job-center commute geography.
County layer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Daly City street sweeping is really a parking-window check
Daly City's street sweeping rules depend on the posted block and time window, and citations can still happen after the sweeper has already passed.
County layer · History and culture · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Redwood City keeps old civic buildings in daily downtown life
Redwood City's historic downtown includes the Historic San Mateo County Courthouse, Fox Theatre, Lathrop House, and Courthouse Square, where the old center still works as a public gathering place.
County layer · Home and property · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Redwood City utility bills and garbage bills can split apart
Redwood City bills water and sewer in some cases, while garbage collection and billing are handled through Recology, so residents should check which bill they are holding.
Almanac notes
Stories and local context near South San Francisco
Place note · History and culture
South San Francisco's biotech story grew from an industrial city
South San Francisco is known as the birthplace of biotechnology, with Genentech's 1976 start helping shift an older industrial city into a major life-science center.
Place note · History and culture
Sign Hill turns South San Francisco's old slogan into a walk
South San Francisco's Sign Hill carries the famous 'The Industrial City' sign, but the hillside is also a 65-acre open space with rare plants and habitat.
County layer · Outdoors
Coyote Point shows San Mateo's busy Bay edge
Coyote Point Recreation Area brings together Bay views, a marina, marsh habitat, a beach promenade, windsurfing, playgrounds, CuriOdyssey, picnic areas, and SFO planes overhead.
County layer · History and culture
The Cow Palace gives Daly City a big Bay Area memory
The Cow Palace in Daly City began in 1941 and still carries a mix of rodeo, concert, sports, convention, and community history near the San Francisco line.
County layer · History and culture
Atherton began as Fair Oaks, a quiet rail stop for estate country
Atherton's story starts with Fair Oaks, the San Francisco-to-San Jose rail line, large country estates, and Holbrook-Palmer Park's surviving estate buildings.
County layer · History and culture
Bay Meadows still explains a big piece of San Mateo
The former Bay Meadows racetrack site shows why part of San Mateo now mixes housing, offices, shops, parks, and Caltrain access in one busy rail-side area.
County layer · History and culture
Half Moon Bay turns pumpkin season into a Main Street event
Half Moon Bay's pumpkin festival, weigh-off, farm fields, and coastal Main Street make the town's fall identity easy to see.
County layer · History and culture
Millbrae's old depot keeps the railroad story near today's transit
Millbrae's historic depot connects the city to early Peninsula rail service, Darius Mills, milk shipments, station life, preservation, Caltrain, and BART.