Blog · October 14, 2026 · California
Pacifica Flood Zone Map, California: a practical guide
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Colma.
Main page: San Mateo County, CA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
Platbookmapper is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through an Amazon link on this page, we earn a commission. The link is a product, not the county map.
Before you buy or build near Colma, pull up the Pacifica flood zone map: a mapped flood zone changes insurance, building rules and resale. Covered here for Pacifica: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and confirming the outline on the county map.
The Pacifica flood zone map: start here
The official source is FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: type an address near Daly City, then open the map view for that panel. A tract near Burlingame without an address is still easy to locate: search the nearest road and click inside the land.
Pulling up a parcel
Begin with the San Mateo County parcel viewer; it includes each tax parcel around Daly City and South San Francisco. If you're looking near Millbrae, enter a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the viewer zooms to the match. If you're looking near Millbrae, a pop-up or side panel typically gives the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, the parcel number and sometimes recent sales.
Getting your bearings
Redwood City holds the county offices, home to the main records offices. You'll also find San Bruno, Millbrae, Colma, and Daly City, each with its own cluster of lots. About 726,353 people call San Mateo County home (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) on roughly 449 square miles. Places such as Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge are easy to spot when you zoom out from South San Francisco.
Next door to San Mateo County
San Mateo County touches Alameda County, San Francisco County, Santa Clara County, and Santa Cruz County, all with their own assessor records. Ground near San Bruno that runs to the line can be split in two county records, so check the neighboring map too. For a parcel near San Bruno, our state page links each neighboring county map across California.
Low spots and local drainage
Creeks and ditches near Millbrae may not have detailed mapping, so look for water marks and debris lines. Marshy spots near Daly City can limit building too; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
City limits and county records
Pacifica lies within San Mateo County, California, so its parcels are on the county's map. For property near San Bruno, City or town hall handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, while the county keeps the tax map. Land beyond the town limits toward Burlingame generally falls under county rules instead.
Decoding the flood zone labels
An AE label comes with a base flood elevation, and an unnumbered A zone has none; that elevation drives building rules near Burlingame. In and around Daly City, a shaded X area marks moderate flood hazard, roughly the 100- to 500-year range; unshaded X means minimal mapped risk.
Where the recorded documents are
For anything that matters, pull the recorded deed through the County Recorder; the parcel map near San Bruno only summarizes it. For a parcel near San Bruno, have ready the document number from the tax record to skip a name search.
Questions to ask before you buy
Ask the listing agent for any Elevation Certificate on the property near Burlingame; an insurance quote early keeps the budget honest.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so pair it with the San Mateo County parcel viewer for the outline of the tract near San Bruno.
Lenders and permits
Near San Bruno, an Elevation Certificate from a surveyor helps: it can change the insurance price a lot. Remodeling a house in a zone near Daly City can trigger elevation rules; ask the local floodplain administrator early.
Which office to call
If the acreage or value on a parcel near San Bruno looks off are handled by the County Assessor, which maintains the tax roll. Building or septic questions for a lot near Burlingame need the planning or permitting office, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Legal descriptions in California
California follows the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Daly City cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Burlingame can be irregular. Write down the legal description for the tract near Colma before you request a deed or survey.
Questions about the Pacifica flood zone map
Does the county parcel map show flood zones for land near South San Francisco?
Short answer: a flood layer may appear in the San Mateo County parcel viewer layer list, though it can lag behind FEMA's current panels.
Is AE a high-risk flood zone around Daly City?
It depends, but AE is a Special Flood Hazard Area with a published base flood elevation, which shapes building rules near South San Francisco.
Is my property near Burlingame in a flood zone?
Short answer: look up the spot near Daly City in FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer; no account is needed.
What is a base flood elevation in Pacifica?
It depends, but the BFE is printed in AE zones on FEMA's map; surveyors near Daly City use it often.
Is the parcel map a survey in Pacifica?
No; boundary questions near San Bruno need a licensed surveyor; a survey sets the real corners
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.