HVAC permit guide for the Peninsula
Does your furnace swap need a permit?
It depends on the city, so here is what each Peninsula city asks of a furnace, AC or heat pump replacement, taken from its own pages. Last checked October 2026.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in San Mateo?
Yes. The City of San Mateo lists a furnace replaced or installed in the same location among the mechanical permits it can approve over the counter, so a like-for-like swap doesn't have to wait for plan review.
Moving the furnace, or changing the kind of system that heats the house, is a different job and a different conversation with the Building Division.
Source: City of San Mateo Building Division FAQ, checked 2026-10-17
What does each city ask for, side by side?
The table sets out what each city's own pages say about a furnace, an AC or a heat pump, and how to apply. Where a page doesn't say, the cell says so.
| City | Furnace | AC or heat pump | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | A furnace replaced or installed in the same location can be approved over the counter. | A new home AC unit needs plans that state the equipment model, its capacity and its decibel level. | Through the city's Building Division. |
| Hillsborough | Heating work normally gets its own permit, separate from electrical and plumbing permits. | Air-conditioning work normally gets its own permit too. | Through the town; see its Obtaining a Permit page. |
| Burlingame | Filed under the Residential Mechanical permit type. | Residential Mechanical too. Adding a condenser or a heat pump needs a site plan with the outdoor unit's distances to the front, side and rear property lines. | Through the online permitting portal. Inspections are booked on 650-558-7260 or by email to the Building Division. |
| Belmont | Call the Permit Center to ask whether a building permit is needed. | Same: call the Permit Center to ask. | Permit Center, (650) 595-7422. |
| San Carlos | A permit is required; the mechanical contractor usually obtains it. | Mechanical work in general needs a building permit. | Building Division, (650) 802-4261. |
| Menlo Park | May be replaced with a gas furnace or a heat pump. | A heat pump is required instead of a new AC condensing unit, unless the hardship exception applies. | Online only, through the Accela Citizen Access portal. |
| Palo Alto | An instant permit covers a furnace or air handler system and its ducts in detached single-family homes, duplexes and ADUs. | The instant permit also covers heat pump systems in the same homes. | Licensed contractors with an Accela account. Final inspections are booked on (650) 329-2496, option 2. |
| Redwood City | The city's page covers how to apply, not which jobs need a permit. Ask the city. | Same: ask the city. | Electronic applications only, through the eTRAKiT portal. |
Last checked October 2026. City pages change, so confirm with the city before you book the work.
Where does each city's answer come from?
From the city's own pages. Each notice below puts the city's wording on file with its link and the month we checked it.
Do I need a permit to replace an air conditioner?
Plan on it. The cities above handle AC and heat pump replacements through their own permit rules, and a few add conditions that can change which unit you can put in:
- San Mateo: plans for a new home AC unit state the equipment's model, its capacity and its decibel level.
- Burlingame: adding a condenser or a heat pump needs a site plan with the outdoor unit's distances to the front, side and rear property lines.
- Menlo Park: a heat pump goes in instead of a new AC condensing unit when a project replaces or upgrades an existing AC condenser.
- Menlo Park: an AC condenser must sit at least 5 feet from a clothes dryer vent outlet.
The Belmont and Redwood City pages don't list AC conditions, so call the city or ask us before the unit is ordered.
Source: City of San Mateo Building Division, Air Condition Guide for Residential 1 and 2 Dwelling Units (revised 10/25/2019), checked 2026-10-17
Source: City of Burlingame Building Division, Residential HVAC Replacement Permit Requirements (Apr 2026), checked 2026-10-17
Source: City of Menlo Park, 2025 CalGreen: Replacing A/C Condenser with Heat Pump, checked 2026-10-17
Source: City of Menlo Park Community Development, Residential HVAC Alteration handout, checked 2026-10-17
Not sure what your job needs?
Call and tell us the city and the equipment, or book a visit online.
Who pulls the HVAC permit, the contractor or the homeowner?
It depends on the city, and not every city says. San Carlos says most furnaces are replaced by mechanical contractors, who obtain the permit. Palo Alto's instant permit is limited to licensed contractors with an active Accela Citizen Access account.
Menlo Park and Redwood City take applications online only, and Burlingame files HVAC work through its online portal. For the other cities, the pages we read don't say who applies, so ask the city, or ask us what applies at your address.
What are the city permit counter numbers?
These are the numbers the cities publish, shown as text. Last checked October 2026.
- Burlingame, building inspections: 650-558-7260, or email the Building Division.
- Belmont, Permit Center: (650) 595-7422.
- San Carlos, Building Division: (650) 802-4261.
- Palo Alto, final inspections: (650) 329-2496, option 2.
- Redwood City, Public Works, for its heat pump rebate: (650) 780-7464.
San Mateo, Hillsborough and Menlo Park: the pages we read give no counter number. Menlo Park takes applications online only.
What does the state require on every HVAC change-out?
The ducts and the paperwork. When an air handler, an outdoor unit, a packaged system or a coil is replaced, the connected ducts must be sealed by the installer and verified by an independent ECC-Rater. And the registered CF1R-ALT-02 document can be handed in at final inspection, not before the permit is issued.
Source: California Energy Commission, 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual (June 2025), checked 2026-10-17
How do I check an HVAC contractor before the work starts?
The state licensing board tells homeowners to confirm, before an HVAC system is installed, that the contractor holds an active HVAC licence in good standing. It takes a minute on the board's website.
Ours is CSLB licence #1155755, C-20 Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning, under AD Mechanical Services Inc. and its owner, Adlan Cherkesbiev.
Source: Contractors State License Board, HVAC upgrade information for consumers, checked 2026-10-17
Tell us what it's doing. We'll take it from there.
Call and describe the problem: the noise, the smell, the room that never warms up. Or book a visit online.
