Weekly mowing, hydrangea and camellia care, heritage-tree pruning, sprinkler retrofits — one Peninsula crew that knows Craftsman bungalows, the Easton Drive canopy, and Burlingame's unusually low 15-inch heritage-tree threshold. Since 1998.
1 · More trees are protected than homeowners realize. Burlingame's tree ordinance covers any tree with a trunk circumference of 48 inches or greater — measured at 54 inches above grade. That's roughly a 15-inch diameter, which is meaningfully lower than Atherton's threshold or San Mateo's 10-inch oak / 15-inch everything-else rule. In practice: a lot of "normal-looking" front-yard trees on Howard Avenue or Trousdale are protected, and removal or a major prune requires a city permit. We check every Burlingame quote against the tree map before scheduling work, and we've kept customers out of surprise enforcement more than once.
2 · Easton Drive is not like the rest of town. Burlingame has two personalities — the Craftsman-bungalow flats and the oak-canopied estates along Easton Drive. Easton lots are deeper, the trees are bigger, several blocks are in a historic district with design review, and the canopy is on the National Register. Crews that don't respect that are usually one job away from being unwelcome. We schedule Easton work carefully, use wildlife-safe methods under mature oaks, and talk to the city's tree staff before any major pruning.
3 · The marine layer dictates the schedule. Burlingame sits right where Zone 17 (strongly marine-influenced, airport side) hands off to Zone 16 (thermal belt, El Camino and east). Summer mornings fog in and lawns dry slowly — which is why we schedule Burlingame mows late enough that our crews aren't tracking wet-grass stripes across anyone's front walk, and we time hydrangea and camellia care to take advantage of the cooler exposure rather than fight it.
Put that together and Burlingame is a city where knowing the code book matters as much as knowing how to mow. We've been doing both here since 1998.
Weekly lawn care is the core; here's the mix of specialty work we do most often across Burlingame's flats and hills.
Mow, edge, blow, tidy hardscape. Most Burlingame flat-lot yards cut at 2.5–3" (3–3.5" in full sun). We schedule weekdays 8:30 am onward, Saturdays 9:30 am.
Structural pruning on valley oaks, Monterey pines, and mature ornamentals. We pull the Burlingame city permit whenever the trunk is 15"+ diameter and handle the arborist coordination.
Pruning, soil amendment, and pH adjustment for the plants that actually thrive here. Timed for cool-morning Burlingame exposure.
Older Burlingame systems often leak at valves and over-spray sidewalks. Retrofits to pressure-regulated heads and EPA WaterSense controllers.
Hillside mowing, drip conversion for slope plantings, annual defensible-space clearance for homes near Mills Canyon.
Installed the Monday after Thanksgiving, removed first week of January. Wildlife-safe clips on heritage trees, never staples.
Burlingame runs slightly cooler and more marine-moderated than inland Peninsula cities — which means your lawn usually wants a bit less water than a Palo Alto or Atherton equivalent. Starting points below; real numbers depend on exposure, slope, and what the lawn actually shows.
| Season | Weekly water | Cycles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun–Sep | 0.75–1.0 in | 2 | Early morning (4–7 am). Marine layer often holds into late morning on the airport side. |
| Apr–May | 0.5 in | 2 | Ramp up slowly; aerate compacted flat-lot clay. |
| Oct | 0.5 in | 1–2 | Cool nights arrive earlier on the hill side. |
| Nov–Mar | Rainfall typically | 0 | Spot-water after 10+ dry days. Controller off in wet weather. |
Burlingame is served by the City of Burlingame Water Department, which buys wholesale from SFPUC (Hetch Hetchy) via BAWSCA. Current outdoor watering rules are posted at burlingame.org/water. We stay current and adjust schedules when rules change.
Everything on this page affects what we can do, when, and whether a permit is needed. We keep the summary current; on any real decision, verify against the linked primary source.
| Topic | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Noise hours (powered equipment) | Mon–Fri 8 am – 7 pm · Sat 9 am – 6 pm · Sun / holidays 10 am – 6 pm | Burlingame Municipal Code Ch. 10.40 |
| Heritage tree ordinance | Any species with trunk circumference ≥ 48" (about 15" diameter) measured at 54" above grade. Removal or >25% canopy prune requires city permit. | Burlingame Tree Protection — burlingame.org/trees |
| Business license | Required for contractors; apply through Finance Department. | City of Burlingame Finance |
| Water restrictions | Irrigate before 9 am or after 6 pm · no runoff · current stage varies. | City of Burlingame Water Department |
| Historic district review | Portions of Easton Addition have design review for façade, tree, and hardscape changes. Weekly mowing is unaffected. | City of Burlingame Planning |
| Yard waste / compost pickup | Weekly green cart (Recology of San Mateo County). Branches ≤ 4" bundled at ≤ 4' lengths; tree-work debris is a separate haul. | Recology of San Mateo County |
This table is a summary; it isn't a substitute for reading the ordinance when the stakes are high.
Burlingame's neighborhoods run from tight Craftsman streets to deep Easton lots to hillside terraces above Mills Canyon. Each plays differently, and we schedule routes around their different rhythms.
If the trunk is 48" or greater in circumference — roughly 15" in diameter — measured 54 inches above grade, yes, it's protected regardless of species. That's lower than many neighboring cities, so a lot of "average-size" front-yard trees qualify. We check every Burlingame quote against the tree map before scheduling any tree work.
Powered equipment is permitted Mon–Fri 8 am – 7 pm, Sat 9 am – 6 pm, and Sun / holidays 10 am – 6 pm (Burlingame Municipal Code Ch. 10.40). Our routes typically start 8:30 am weekdays and 9:30 am Saturdays.
Yes. Portions of Easton Addition fall within a historic district with design review — we operate within the city's guidelines on tree work, hardscape, and front-yard changes. Weekly mowing, edging, and blower work don't require review; major tree work, hardscape, and removal do.
Hydrangeas (especially oakleaf and bigleaf), camellias, bay laurel hedging, boxwood, ferns, Japanese maples, and a wide range of understory perennials — the cool mornings and moderately acidic clay loam are friendly to all of them. We often pair California natives (toyon, coffeeberry, Cleveland sage) in back with more traditional Craftsman-era plantings out front.
Most flat-lot Burlingame yards run $59–$89 per weekly visit. Larger Easton Drive lots and Burlingame Hills properties typically run $99–$149. Pricing is driven by measured turf area, not lot size — we send a real measured quote in 15 minutes after you submit the form.
Currently yes, within the noise-hour window, though the city has had ongoing discussions about tighter restrictions. We run mixed fleets — gas where permitted, battery-electric on request for neighbor-sensitive properties and for early/late edges of the workday.
Yes. Hillside mowing, drip retrofit, and annual defensible-space clearance for homes near Mills Canyon. We use slope-appropriate equipment and modify irrigation designs to avoid runoff.
Yes. CSLB C-27 Landscape Contractor license #1049723, general liability and workers' comp current, Burlingame business license renewed annually. Certificates of insurance are available on request.
Drop your address and we'll text a measured price in 15 minutes. No sales call, no spam — just the number you'd pay weekly if we were your crew.
We run weekly routes across the Peninsula — here are the neighbors.