San Mateo County · CA
Chimney sweep and repair across San Mateo County
One crew, twenty miles from central Sunnyvale, covering the ten San Mateo County cities below.
No obligation. Someone answers every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The short answer
Nation Wide Chimney Sweep & Repair works a twenty-mile radius centered on Sunnyvale, and in San Mateo County that circle takes in ten places: Redwood City, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, Woodside and Portola Valley, plus the unincorporated communities of Ladera, West Menlo Park and Emerald Lake Hills. One crew, one set of tools, and the same sweep, inspection, repair and cap work in all ten. What the county adds is age and a fault line: U.S. Census estimates put most of its homes in buildings from before 1980, and the San Andreas Fault runs through it, so an older masonry chimney here gets its mortar, crown and seismic bracing checked as part of the inspection, not offered as an extra.
Local specifics
What is true about San Mateo County
- 01
San Mateo County has been part of the Bay Area Air District since the district was formed in 1955, so its wood-burning rule, Regulation 6, Rule 3, applies here: no fireplace, wood stove or pellet stove may be used while a Spare the Air Alert is in effect, in any season.
- 02
The San Andreas Fault runs through the county along a rift valley that Crystal Springs Reservoir now floods, and past the Filoli Center in Woodside, where studies cited by the U.S. Geological Survey put the 1906 earthquake’s slip at about 2.5 meters.
- 03
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates that 72.5 percent of San Mateo County’s housing units are in buildings from before 1980, and that the 1950s, at 21.6 percent, were the busiest single decade of construction.
- 04
Ladera, West Menlo Park and Emerald Lake Hills are census-designated places, communities the Census Bureau defines as not legally incorporated; building permits there come from the County of San Mateo, whose Building Division issues and inspects permitted work across the unincorporated area.
Housing stock
What the housing stock means for the chimney work
San Mateo County’s housing is older than the valley floor’s. Census estimates put 40.5 percent of its housing units in buildings from before 1960, against 21.7 percent in Santa Clara County, and 72.5 percent from before 1980. For the chimney work that means a lot of chimneys from the postwar decades: crowns and mortar joints with six or seven decades of weather on them, flue liners worth a camera, and, with the San Andreas this close, the question of whether an unreinforced masonry stack is braced.
Unincorporated areas: Ladera · West Menlo Park · Emerald Lake Hills
Approximate coverage; call to confirm a specific address.
Services here
What we do across the county
Reviews
What customers actually said
5.0
45 Google reviewscounted
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counted
Kiara Harper
We recently purchased a 1920s Tudor and sought a Level 2 NFPA 211 examination. The tech didn't simply sweep he crawled into the attic to verify clearances against the roof framework, and documented everything in a crystal clear …
Tyler Warren
I was concerned about insurance requirements for the chimney. They performed a detailed inspection, provided a professional report with photos and video, cleaned the system, and made the small repairs needed. …
Jaxon Wells
The damper on our masonry fireplace became hard to open and close. During the service they lubricated the linkage, replaced the worn rope seal, adjusted the fit for tighter closure, cleaned the throat area, and polished the glass …
Maria Lear
Completed the full chimney cleaning today. Inspection revealed creosote glaze and some lint from the surrounding area. …
Cities in the county
Every city we serve in the county
East Palo Alto
Ravenswood · Woodland Park · Gardens district
Ladera
Alpine Road corridor · Stanford border
Menlo Park
Allied Arts · Sharon Heights · Belle Haven
West Menlo Park
Stanford border · Menlo Park border
Atherton
Lindenwood · Circus Club area · Fair Oaks
Portola Valley
Ladera border · Woodside Highlands · Portola Valley Ranch
Woodside
Central Woodside · Kings Mountain foothills
Redwood City
Downtown / Caltrain corridor · Redwood Village · Emerald Hills border
Emerald Lake Hills
Emerald Lake area · Redwood City border
San Carlos
Downtown / Laurel Street · San Carlos hills · White Oaks
Questions
What people ask about San Mateo County
Which San Mateo County cities do you cover?
Ten: Redwood City, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, Woodside and Portola Valley, and the unincorporated communities of Ladera, West Menlo Park and Emerald Lake Hills. All sit inside our twenty-mile radius from central Sunnyvale; call with your address and we will confirm whether it is covered.
Does a Spare the Air alert stop chimney service in San Mateo County?
No. The Bay Area Air District’s rule bans burning in a fireplace or stove while an alert is in effect; it does not restrict having one swept, inspected or repaired, so that work goes ahead on alert days.
Does an older San Mateo County chimney need seismic bracing?
Often, yes. The San Andreas Fault runs through the county and most of its homes predate 1980, so an unreinforced masonry chimney is a structural question as well as a masonry one. We check for bracing on every inspection.
What can go in when a San Mateo County fireplace is remodeled?
Under the Air District’s rule, a fireplace or chimney remodel that needs a local building permit and passes the rule’s cost threshold may only install a gas-fueled, electric or EPA-certified device, and no wood-burning device may go into new construction at all.
Does selling or renting out a home here involve a wood-smoke disclosure?
Yes. The Air District’s rule requires anyone selling, renting or leasing property in its area to provide disclosure documents describing the health hazards of fine-particle pollution from burning wood or other solid fuel.
Book a visit anywhere in San Mateo County
Tell us your city and what you have noticed, and we will confirm the right service.
Or call (888) 698-8416, every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.