Photo: Us Census Bureau · Public domainLiving in Highlands, CA: what to set up and who to call
Highlands has no town government of its own, so San Mateo County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend San Mateo Union High School District. For emergencies, Highlands is closest to San Mateo Medical Center, 2.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Highlands, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Highlands.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Highlands. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from California Water Service - San Mateo
California Water Service - San Mateo supplies almost all of Highlands. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 102,348 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 4.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.6 ppb. That’s higher than 88% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA4110008.
5 home internet providers serve Highlands
100% of 781 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 99% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 100% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 13% | 250/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Highlands’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Highlands.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Highlands is in two districts that split the grades: San Mateo Union High School District and San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District.
ASchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Highlands is unincorporated, so San Mateo County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Highlands is in ZIP code 94402
ZIP codes where Highlands residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Highlands | ZIP’s residents in Highlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94402 | San Mateo, CA | 100% | 9% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Highlands
Who supplies Highlands’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
California Water Service - San Mateo (EPA ID CA4110008). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.4 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Highlands?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Highlands?
Xfinity, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Etheric Networks (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Highlands?
94402. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Highlands in?
San Mateo Union High School District and San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Highlands?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the San Mateo County Clerk - Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.