San Mateo becomes the 10th town in California to add gate safety regulations to its local building code.

San Mateo has recently adopted gate safety regulations to their local building code, making them the tenth town to do so and following in the footsteps of other communities in California, including Belvedere, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael and Tiburon. These new protocols are part of a broader emergency plan aimed at ensuring the safety of everyone in the community.

Effective January 1, 2026, the updated code adds new safety regulations for automatic vehicular gates, requiring stricter safety and professional standards for installation and stability, as well as regular professional inspections for most gates, including those at schools. A safety certification with a passing grade must also be kept on file as proof of compliance and recent inspection.

These new rules aim to enhance public safety by ensuring gates are structurally sound and still remain accessible for emergencies, as per state-level requirements.

Interested in exploring building code amendments for gate safety in your community? These resources may be helpful:

• Code revision sample that aims to define the scope for applicable fences and the necessary references to ASTM International standards.

• Summary of findings from Cal OSHA that includes the number of fatalities and injuries of adults that have occurred from falling gates at their places of work. Section 10 notes that there were 47 incidents, the details of which are listed in the appendix.

If you reside outside of California, your state may use the federal OSHA database or have one of its own. The California findings were discovered as a result of an inquiry to the department.