Ernest Coxhead House · Photo: Eugene Zelenko · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in San Mateo, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in San Mateo: San Mateo Union High School District and San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District. The closest public drop-off to San Mateo is Recology San Mateo County, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Mateo, 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 San Mateo.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Mateo. 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 San Mateo: about 96% of residents live in its service area. 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.
8 home internet providers serve San Mateo
100% of 23,164 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 79% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 94% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, DSL, Fiber | 89% | 1,500/50 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 67% | 250/100 |
| Sonic Telecom | Fiber | 35% | 10,000/10,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 53% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in San Mateo
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in San Mateo, from the town’s own site.
San Mateo Drop-off
333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
- Mon8:30 am–4 pm
- Tue8:30 am–4 pm
- Wed8:30 am–4 pm
- Thu8:30 am–4 pm
- Fri8:30 am–4 pm
- Sat8:30 am–4 pm
Accepted at the curb
- Cardboard
- Aluminum and bi-metal cans
- Clean aluminum foil
From cityofsanmateo.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
San Mateo 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
San Mateo spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Mateo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Mateo | ZIP’s residents in San Mateo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94403 | San Mateo, CA | 43% | 100% |
| 94401 | San Mateo, CA | 33% | 100% |
| 94402 | San Mateo, CA | 21% | 84% |
| 94404 | San Mateo, CA | 3% | 9% |
A few homes fall in 94010. 94497 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in San Mateo
Who supplies San Mateo’s 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 San Mateo?
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 San Mateo?
Xfinity, AT&T, Astound Broadband, Etheric Networks, Sonic Telecom, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Mateo?
94403 (43%), 94401 (33%), 94402 (21%), 94404 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Mateo in?
San Mateo Union High School District and San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District and Sequoia Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in San Mateo?
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: San Mateo’s own website (cityofsanmateo.org), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.