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Service area · San Mateo County
Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape builds paver driveways and walkways, retaining walls, irrigation, landscape lighting and drainage for Hillsborough homes (94010). Large hillside lots mean big projects, and in Hillsborough moving 50 cubic yards of soil or more, or redoing over 10,000 sq ft of landscape, needs Town design review first.
Services in Hillsborough
Hillsborough is an all-residential town of large single-family estates on wooded hills, where almost every home is owner-occupied and long driveways, terraced slopes and mature trees are the norm.
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Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape builds paver driveways, curved walkways and patios for Hillsborough homes. With 25-foot front setbacks and long approaches, a Hillsborough driveway is often the largest surface on the lot, and big projects that move 50 cubic yards of soil or more need Town design review first.
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Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape builds block and concrete retaining walls and terraced slopes for Hillsborough homes. On hillside lots, walls often hold back driveways or the hill itself, so walls over 4 feet or with a surcharge need a building permit and engineered plans.
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Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape installs drip and sprinkler systems for large Hillsborough landscapes, zoned by plant type, sun and slope. Hillsborough landscaping must follow the Town's water-conservation rules in Chapter 15.29, and replacing lawn can earn $1 per sq ft through BAWSCA.
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Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape installs low-voltage LED lighting for Hillsborough driveways, front walks, walls, mature trees and patios. Long approaches and wooded lots mean lighting does real work here, guiding the way from the street to the door.
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Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape installs French drains, catch basins and exterior sump basins for Hillsborough properties. Hillside lots collect water from long driveways, roofs and the slope above, and it needs a planned path away from the house and walls.
See sump pumps in HillsboroughLocal know-how
Under Hillsborough Municipal Code §17.56.050, design review is required for landscape projects that move 50 cubic yards of soil or more, rehabilitate more than 10,000 sq ft, install synthetic turf visible from the street, remove protected trees, or landscape a new home.
Terracing a Hillsborough slope often means walls that hold back a driveway or the hill itself. Under the California Residential Code, walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or any wall with a surcharge, need a building permit and engineered plans.
Landscaping in Hillsborough must follow the Town's water-conservation rules (Chapter 15.29), including drought-tolerant plant choices and irrigation plans when required. Through BAWSCA, Hillsborough water customers can get $1 per sq ft for replacing lawn; the Town does not take part in the rain garden rebate.
Hillsborough's 25-foot front and 20-foot interior setbacks put long approaches between the street and the house. That makes driveway paving, path lighting and drainage along the route a larger share of the project than in nearby cities.
Rules at a glance
Hillsborough's Planning and Building Departments handle design review and permits. We confirm which review applies to your address at the site visit.
Summary of official guidance for planning only. We confirm the rules for your address during the site visit.
| Location / item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Moving 50 cubic yards of soil or more | Design review (§17.56.050) |
| Landscape rehabilitation over 10,000 sq ft | Design review (§17.56.050) |
| Synthetic turf visible from the street | Design review (§17.56.050) |
| Retaining wall over 4 ft or holding a surcharge | Building permit + engineered design (CRC §R105.2) |
| Setbacks | 25 ft front, 20 ft interior |
| BAWSCA Lawn Be Gone! rebate | $1 per sq ft; no rain garden rebate |
Coverage
Hillsborough Town Hall · Carolands · Crystal Springs Uplands School · Crystal Springs Reservoir
94010
How it works
Tell us your Hillsborough address, the project and your timeline.
We measure, check drainage and confirm Town of Hillsborough and HOA limits.
Materials, finish, layout and schedule, in writing and free.
We build, clean up and review the finished work with you.
It does if it moves 50 cubic yards of soil or more, rehabilitates more than 10,000 sq ft of landscape, adds synthetic turf visible from the street, removes protected trees, or landscapes a new house. Those triggers are listed in Hillsborough Municipal Code §17.56.050.
Walls taller than 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or walls that hold back a driveway, building or slope, need a building permit and engineered plans under the California Residential Code (§R105.2). Lower garden walls with no surcharge generally don't.
Yes. Hillsborough takes part in BAWSCA's Lawn Be Gone! program at $1 per sq ft, with a 200 sq ft minimum and a Notice to Proceed required before work starts. Hillsborough does not take part in the $300 rain garden rebate.
Landscaping must meet the Town's water-conservation requirements in Chapter 15.29, which favor drought-tolerant plants and require irrigation plans for some projects. Drip irrigation and smart controllers help meet them.
Send your address and a few photos. We'll confirm the Hillsborough rules and give you a free estimate.
