Blog · October 14, 2026 · California
Reading the Burlingame Plat Map for a lot
Lots in Burlingame trace back to recorded plats filed with the county.
Main page: San Mateo County, CA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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When a deed near Hillsborough says lot and block, you'll need the Burlingame plat map to make sense of it. What this Burlingame guide covers: where to request a copy, plat versus tax map, and what to look for on the sheet.
Tracking down the Burlingame plat map
For a lot in Burlingame, the deed usually cites the plat; that makes the request quick.
Pulling up a parcel
Your first stop is the San Mateo County parcel viewer; it includes every tax parcel in the county, Brisbane included. Out toward South San Francisco, put in a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, then pick the result to center the map on it. For a parcel near Hillsborough, the parcel card usually lists the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, a parcel ID and in many cases the last transfer.
Where the recorded documents are
Before you sign anything, request the recorded deed through the County Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, and that holds around Brisbane too. Long-held tracts around San Mateo can sit on many deeds, and a title company earns its fee on a real sale.
Burlingame, CA: the basics
Burlingame is part of San Mateo County, California, so its parcels are on the county's map. With a lot near San Bruno, City or town hall handles matters such as zoning, permits and utilities inside its limits, and the county still keeps the parcel and deed records. Acreage past the town limits near Brisbane generally follows county rules instead.
Which office to call
Questions about value or the owner field for land near South San Francisco belong with the County Assessor, the office behind the parcel record. Building or septic questions for a lot near Millbrae go to planning, building or health offices, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Replats and vacations
Lots near San Bruno can be combined or reconfigured by a replat, search the index for replats of the same subdivision; vacated streets or alleys also get recorded.
Field tips
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, handy when you're parked on a road near Brisbane, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A printout of the tract near San Bruno keeps working without signal.
Two different maps
Where lines don't match in Burlingame, go with the plat and a surveyor's work.
Neighboring parcel maps
San Mateo County touches Alameda County, San Francisco County, Santa Clara County, and Santa Cruz County, all with their own assessor records. A tract near the line by Millbrae can be split across two assessors' files, so look at the neighboring map before you assume the acreage. Closer to South San Francisco, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map for California.
Metes and bounds instead
Acreage around San Mateo outside a subdivision is often described by metes and bounds or survey description; the deed and any recorded survey describe it instead.
What the map can't tell you
Acreage on the record is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor sets the real lines for a parcel near Hillsborough. On ground around Millbrae, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
Lots, blocks and easements
Utility or drainage strips on a lot in Burlingame limit where you can build or fence; read the notes on the sheet.
How land is described here
California is laid out under the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near San Mateo cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Millbrae can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near San Mateo when you talk to a surveyor.
Online indexes and office visits
For a tract near San Bruno, some counties put plat images online, while others require a visit or a request; small fees are common.
A quick look at the area
Redwood City serves as the county seat, which is where the courthouse records live. You'll also find Millbrae, Hillsborough, San Mateo, and San Bruno, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Roughly 726,353 people call San Mateo County home (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) spread over roughly 449 square miles. Places such as Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge are easy to spot when you zoom out from San Bruno.
Questions about the Burlingame plat map
How do I split a lot in Burlingame?
Generally, combining or splitting lots near San Mateo usually needs a recorded plat change; ask staff about the process.
Are old plats online for land near Millbrae?
With a lot near South San Francisco, it varies; some offices have scanned older plats and some haven't.
What do the dashed lines on a plat mean around Brisbane?
Building on an easement near Millbrae is generally restricted, so check before you build.
Is a plat map a survey near San Mateo?
The plat near Brisbane is recorded, while the GIS layer is an approximation; trust the plat when they differ.
Does the parcel map work on a phone in Burlingame?
Most viewers run in a mobile browser; load it before you lose coverage near South San Francisco.
Open the official San Mateo County, CA parcel map See it in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.