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# San Mateo County Certifies Green Businesses for Free. Here's Who's on the List
- URL: https://www.fypsf.com/san-mateo-county-certifies-green-businesses-for-free-heres-whos-on-the-list/
- Published: 2026-11-12T20:54:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-12T20:56:08.000Z
- Description: From East Palo Alto taquerias to two lighthouse hostels, 180 Peninsula businesses are on San Mateo County's free green business list. Here is how the program works and who is on it.
- Author: FYP SF Bay
- Tags: Purpose, #peninsula

Taqueria La Cazuela in East Palo Alto. Devil's Canyon Brewing in San Carlos. Estampas Peruanas in Redwood City. Panaderia Guatemalteca Tikal in San Mateo. Coastside Baking in Half Moon Bay. A Grape in the Fog in Pacifica.

All of them are recognized green businesses under the [San Mateo County Green Business Program](https://www.smcsustainability.org/resources-for/small-businesses/green-business-program/?ref=fypsf.com), which is free for businesses based in the county.

## How the certification works

A business registers, schedules a consultation, completes the action items on its checklist and submits it. The checklist covers water, energy, commuting, pollution prevention, cleaning products, waste and recycling.

The county recognizes three levels. Entry-Level businesses put baseline environmental practices in place. Certified businesses meet the best-practice standards for their industry. Innovators are the leaders in their field, running with sustainability as a core practice. Recognition at any level lasts four years.

County staff and their partners help with the work: finding high-efficiency fixtures and lighting, switching to third-party certified cleaning products, cutting packaging, setting up recycling and composting, and pointing to rebates and incentives that lower the cost.

## Who's on the list

The county's [green business map](https://www.smcsustainability.org/resources-for/small-businesses/green-business-program/find-a-green-business/?ref=fypsf.com) showed 180 businesses on November 12, 2026, sorted into nine categories.

Food and beverage is the largest group, with 62: restaurants, cafés, bakeries, taquerías, seafood spots, a brewery, a cidery and caterers. Retail and local shops come next with 31, then health and beauty with 27, which covers hair salons and yoga studios alongside two dental offices, two chiropractors and two veterinary practices.

The rest are community and nonprofit organizations (13), civic and educational institutions (12), professional services (11), design, tech and engineering firms (10), landscaping, maintenance and cleaning businesses (9) and lodging (5). The lodging list includes both of the coast's lighthouse hostels, HI Point Montara and HI Pigeon Point.

East Palo Alto's listings lean toward small food businesses: Taqueria La Cazuela, Three Brothers Tacos, Tacos y Hamburguesas Toluco, Las Adelitas and Las Michoacanitas. Siry's Beauty Salon is on the list there too.

A few more to know by name: LV Mar and Nomadic Kitchen in Redwood City, Taqueria Tres Amigos in Half Moon Bay, J&J Bakery and El Santaneco in South San Francisco, Tacos Al Vapor Nueva Italia in San Mateo, New England Lobster Market in Burlingame and Salt Studio in Pacifica.

## Getting certified, or finding them

If you run a business in San Mateo County, you can [register online](https://app.greenbiztracker.org/business/registration?ref=fypsf.com) and the county will walk you through the rest at no charge.

To find a listed business near you, open the county's map and use the sidebar to filter by category.

Listed here and something is wrong, or missing? Tell us and we'll fix it.

*Last verified: November 12, 2026.*