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Burlingame Park
City’s oldest and most exclusive neighborhood, 1890s-1910s. Large lots, mature trees, pre-earthquake architecture. Best candidates for detached ADUs and garage conversions.
Burlingame ADU Specialists — CSLB #1041528
ADU Construction in Burlingame — Heritage Tree Compliance and Hillside Expertise
From the pre-war neighborhoods of Burlingame Park to the mid-century Hillside Overlay Zone — we design, permit, and build ADUs on Burlingame’s most protected properties.
Burlingame Overview
A Century of Housing in Two Square Miles
Burlingame’s housing stock starts where most Peninsula cities’ housing stock ends. The city’s first subdivision — Burlingame Park — was platted in the 1890s, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire sent waves of San Franciscans south to buy lots at $600 apiece. By the time Daly City and South San Francisco were building their first post-war tracts in the late 1940s, Burlingame already had four decades of established residential neighborhoods, mature landscaping, and architectural identity.
That history shapes everything about building an ADU here. A Burlingame ADU project is more likely to involve a 1920s Craftsman with knob-and-tube wiring than a 1950s tract home with copper plumbing. It’s more likely to involve a Heritage Tree within the foundation footprint than a clear backyard. And it’s more likely to serve a property worth $2.8 million — Burlingame’s median home price — than any other city on the Peninsula.
Burlingame calls itself the “City of Trees” — a title earned by landscape architect John McLaren, who planted an estimated 80 percent of the city’s current trees beginning in 1875, and protected by a Heritage Tree Ordinance enforced since 1975. The trees are beautiful. They also constrain where and how you can build. Every ADU project in Burlingame starts with the question: where are the trees?
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Design Build Contractor
We handle site assessment, design, engineering, permitting, and construction with our own crew
Local Market
Why Burlingame Homeowners Are Building ADUs
$2.8M
Median Home Price
Highest on the Peninsula — strong ADU investment opportunity
12
Neighborhoods
Spanning from pre-earthquake 1890s to mid-century 1960s construction
6,000+
Sq Ft Lots
In Burlingame Park and Easton Addition — room for detached ADUs
Burlingame packs twelve distinct neighborhoods into roughly two square miles of residential land, spanning nearly a century of construction. The housing stock ranges from pre-earthquake cottages to mid-century Eichlers. Pre-war neighborhoods — Burlingame Park, Easton Addition, Burlingame Terrace, Downtown — offer the best candidates for garage conversions and detached rear-yard ADUs. The 6,000-square-foot lots in Easton Addition and Burlingame Park provide enough depth for a detached unit.
The oldest homes also present the greatest infrastructure challenges. Pre-1940s foundations, knob-and-tube wiring, and 1920s plumbing may need evaluation or upgrading when adding an ADU’s utility load. ACI specializes in this work — bringing pre-war homes into compliance while respecting their architectural character.
Burlingame’s pre-war heritage and large lot sizes make it one of the best-positioned cities for ADU development on the Peninsula. But the path to your ADU depends entirely on which neighborhood you’re in, which trees are on your property, and which overlay zones apply to your lot.
2 sq mi
City Area — 12 Distinct
Neighborhoods
Planning Constraints
Burlingame’s Defining Constraints
Heritage Tree Ordinance
Trees Shape Every Project
Burlingame’s Heritage Tree Ordinance protects trees 12 inches or larger in diameter. Any work within the tree’s dripline — which can extend 50+ feet from the trunk — requires a Heritage Tree permit. Foundation work, grading, utility runs, and even heavy equipment access are constrained by tree roots.
Most ADU projects in Burlingame involve at least one Heritage Tree on or near the building site. Some projects cannot proceed without tree removal or relocation, which requires City Council approval and arborist certification that no viable alternative exists.
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We coordinate with arborists, understand dripline restrictions, and design building footprints around protected trees. Tree protection is built into our site evaluation process.
Hillside Overlay & Height Limits
Declining Height Envelope
Burlingame’s Hillside Overlay Zone affects mid-century neighborhoods like Mills Estates, Burlingame Hills, and Cypress Point. In these areas, structures on lots with slopes 15% or greater are subject to a declining height envelope that steps down as the building extends downslope.
This means a 25-foot height limit at the top of your lot may drop to 18 feet halfway down. A detached ADU on a sloped lot must be positioned and designed to respect this envelope, often requiring creative siting and architectural solutions.
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Our team designs around slope restrictions and has experience with height-envelope ADUs. We know how to work within Burlingame’s Hillside Overlay limits.
Permitting Process
ADU Permitting in Burlingame
Burlingame’s ADU permitting follows state law, but with local overlays: Heritage Tree permits, Hillside Overlay design review, and conditional use permits for some attached ADUs. The timeline is typically longer than ministerial cities like Pacifica.
Heritage Tree Review
If a protected tree exists on or within 50 feet of the building site, a Heritage Tree Permit is required before you can begin any ground-disturbing work.
Hillside Overlay Check
Properties in the Hillside Overlay Zone must demonstrate compliance with the declining height envelope and slope-based design restrictions.
Detached ADU Approval
Detached ADUs are ministerial under state law. Attached ADUs may require a Conditional Use Permit depending on neighborhood zoning.
Pre-War Infrastructure
Older properties may require utility capacity studies, sewer line reviews, and title 24 energy calculations before approval.
Parking Requirement
Burlingame typically requires one off-street parking space per ADU, though waivers may apply in transit-rich areas.
Architectural Review
Some neighborhoods have Architectural Review guidelines. Your design must respect existing neighborhood character while meeting modern codes.
Timeline reality: Burlingame permitting typically takes 3–6 months from application to approval, compared to 60 days in ministerial cities. The Heritage Tree and Hillside Overlay reviews add cycles that can’t be rushed.
We attend pre-application meetings with planning staff, coordinate arborist reports, and prepare design documents that anticipate review comments. Our experience with Burlingame’s specific constraints shaves months off the typical timeline. Call (650) 224-3052 for a free site evaluation tailored to your property’s constraints.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods We Build In
- 📍Easton Addition
Pre-war residential east of the Southern Pacific line. 6,000-sq-ft lots with good depth. Craftsman and Colonial Revival architecture. ADU-friendly zoning with Heritage Tree considerations.
- 📍Burlingame Terrace
Residential area between Park and Easton, 1910s-1930s. Mixed housing stock with pockets of larger lots. Moderate Heritage Tree density.
- 📍Mills Estates
Mid-century development on slopes. Subject to Hillside Overlay height restrictions. Requires declining height envelope design. Detached ADUs challenging due to grade and overlay.
- 📍Burlingame Hills
Late 1950s-1970s Hillside Overlay neighborhood. Modern homes on slopes. Height envelope and architectural review required. Best for smaller, carefully sited ADUs.
- 📍Cypress Point
Hillside homes near San Francisco Golf Club. High-value properties, strict overlay compliance. ADUs here are custom solutions for complex sites.
- 📍Downtown & Central
Mixed residential and commercial areas. Smaller lots, less restrictive overlays. Best for garage conversions and smaller detached units.
- ☎Not Sure?
We know Burlingame’s 12 neighborhoods and their specific constraints. Call (650) 224-3052 for a neighborhood-specific evaluation.
Investment
What an ADU Costs in Burlingame
Burlingame construction costs track with the Peninsula baseline, but Heritage Tree compliance, pre-war infrastructure upgrades, and Hillside Overlay design work add layers of complexity and cost.
*All ranges reflect Peninsula market conditions — varies by scope, site conditions, and finish level
Garage Conversion
Easton Addition or Burlingame Park lots; limited tree issues
$150K – $280K+Attached ADU
Shares wall with primary; may require pre-war foundation assessment
$220K – $380K+Detached ADU — Pre-War Lot
Burlingame Park or Easton; includes tree coordination, utility work
$300K – $450K+Detached ADU — Hillside Lot
Mills Estates, Hills; height envelope design, slope site work
$350K – $500K+
Burlingame costs run 10-15% higher than baseline Peninsula rates due to tree coordination, pre-war infrastructure, and overlay complexity. Heritage Tree removal or significant relocation can add $20,000–$50,000. For a neighborhood-specific, site-based estimate, call (650) 224-3052 or visit our ADU Cost Guide.
Our Process
Our ADU Construction Process
For full details on our design-build approach, see our ADU Construction hub page. Here’s how Burlingame projects flow:
Site Evaluation & Tree Assessment
We visit your property, identify Heritage Trees, assess soil and infrastructure, understand overlay constraints. Free consultation — we already know Burlingame’s neighborhoods and restrictions.
Pre-Application Coordination
We meet with planning staff before design. This pre-application meeting identifies tree permits needed, height envelope requirements, and design review standards unique to your lot.
Design, Engineering & Permits
Floor plans, elevations, arborist coordination, structural engineering (when required), Title 24 compliance, and full application package. We manage Heritage Tree and Hillside Overlay permits.
Plan Check & Approvals
We respond to planning comments, address tree coordination issues, and shepherd the application through review. Typical Burlingame timeline: 3-6 months to approval.
Construction
Foundation, framing, mechanical/electrical/plumbing, insulation, finishes, site restoration, and tree protection throughout. We work within Heritage Tree driplines and overlay requirements.
Inspections & Occupancy
We schedule every inspection, obtain your Certificate of Occupancy, and don’t consider the job complete until you can occupy your new ADU.
Why ACI
Why Burlingame Homeowners Choose ACI
We know Burlingame
We’ve built ADUs across all 12 Burlingame neighborhoods. We understand Heritage Tree ordinances, Hillside Overlay requirements, and which neighborhoods offer the clearest paths to approval.
Arborist coordination
We work with certified arborists, understand dripline restrictions, and design around protected trees. Tree protection isn’t an afterthought — it’s part of our site assessment.
Pre-war expertise
Burlingame’s pre-war homes need foundation assessment, utility upgrades, and architectural sensitivity. We specialize in bringing 1920s homes into modern code compliance.
Design-build advantage
One team, one contract, one person to call. We handle design, engineering, permitting, and construction — no coordination headaches between separate firms.
CSLB #1041528
Licensed GC — Class B
Bonded & Insured
Family-Owned