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Hayward, in short
Do I need a fire inspection to sell my house in Hayward?
If the house is in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, or in the City’s Wildland-Urban Interface east of Mission Boulevard, the City’s inspection program covers it. The owner requests the inspection through the Fire Inspection office. It costs $417, and corrections are reinspected within 14 days. To see which class an address is in, enter it in the City’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer.
The story of Hayward
Hayward, the “Heart of the Bay”.
Hayward began with a general store and a hotel on the road from Oakland to San Jose, and grew up among orchards and canneries.
The City’s history page says the Hayward area was occupied by Ohlone people for some 3,000 years before the Spanish padres and the founding of Mission San Jose.
In 1843 the Mexican government granted the soldier and surveyor Guillermo Castro almost 27,000 acres from the Bay to beyond the hills, including present-day Castro Valley, Hayward and San Lorenzo, the City’s history page says. Castro’s corral still exists today as the City’s Heritage Plaza and Arboretum.
When Castro subdivided and sold his land in the 1850s, the City says, he dedicated Heritage Plaza as a public plaza into perpetuity, which created the street layout of downtown Hayward still in use today.
In 1852, the City’s history page says, William Hayward set up a small general store at the corner of A Street and Mission Boulevard; it became a major stop on the road from Oakland to San Jose, and he built a lodging house that grew into the famous Haywards Hotel. The town was incorporated in 1876 and officially named “Haywards” after the hotel; the “s” was dropped several years later.
William Hayward was named the first postmaster and remained in the position until 1889, and served as the first Roadmaster for Eden Township and as a County Supervisor in 1856 and 1869, the Historical Society says. His wife Rachel was often called the “Mother of Hayward”, and essentially became the manager of Hayward’s Hotel.
Until relatively recently, the Society says, the harvesting of salt along the Hayward shoreline was a major industry. The Recreation and Park District says that from 1856 through the 1940s the area of today’s Shoreline Interpretive Center was used for salt production.
The first train to arrive in Hayward was the San Francisco & Alameda Railroad in 1865. The single-track electric line to Oakland officially opened on May 7, 1892, and the last car left Hayward on March 10, 1935.
On the morning of October 21, 1868, the City’s history page says, the southern segment of the Hayward Fault ruptured, and nearly every building in the Hayward area was destroyed or significantly damaged. The City’s page gives the magnitude as M7.0; the U.S. Geological Survey says it was “variously estimated as between 6.8 and 7.0”. The City says the 1868 quake was known as the “great San Francisco earthquake” until 1906, and the Society says it caused severe damage to sections of the railroad track, and the D Street station collapsed.
Starting in the late 1870s, the Historical Society says, Hayward was a local destination synonymous with “resort”. The main building of the hotel that gave the town its name burned in 1923, and the annex was demolished in 1952 to make way for the widening of A Street.
In 1878, two years after the town incorporated, a local baseball team was formed, the Society says.
The Historical Society says fruit growing made Hayward a leading fruit growing area in California, with Hunt Brothers Cannery one of the largest of the county’s five large canneries; its articles date the cannery’s arrival to about 1895 in one and 1896 in another. A 1920s chamber booklet, as the Society quotes it, said that Hayward has the distinction of being the largest apricot drying center in the world, and by 1950, the City’s history page says, Hayward had become the “Apricot City” and home to Hunt’s Cannery.
In March 1913 the citizens staged an elaborate event called the Blossom Festival, to show the orchards to visitors; as many as 50,000 attended, by the organizers’ estimates, and the Society says there does not appear to have been another.
In 1915, the Society says, trains carried five loads of locals to the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco on “Hayward Day”.
The San Francisco Bay Toll-Bridge, later renamed the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge, was ready for opening on March 2, 1929, and the new Hayward-San Mateo Bridge was dedicated on October 20, 1967.
Between 1940 and 1960, the Society says, the Hayward area began to transition from a predominantly agricultural area to a suburban community. After World War II, the City says, housing developments began replacing farms and ranches.
In 1942 the US Army constructed Hayward Army Air Field; in April 1947 the airfield was quitclaimed by the federal government and 690 acres were handed over to the City at no cost, and in 1999 the airport was renamed the Hayward Executive Airport.
In 1963 the large, enclosed Southland Mall was under construction, and the city was becoming more decentralized, with downtown Hayward less of a focal point, the Society says.
Fire safety
Your fire department
The City’s Fire page says the Hayward Fire Department operates nine engines and two aerial ladder truck companies from nine fire stations serving both the citizens of Hayward and the Fairview Fire Protection District.
Read Oct 15, 2026
Find out which fire hazard zone you are in
The City’s page on fire hazard severity maps has a Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer, where you enter your address to learn your property’s Fire Hazard Zone Classification. The City’s Municipal Code, Article 16, designates as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones the areas shown as that on the CAL FIRE map dated February 24, 2025.
Read Nov 5, 2026
See 8 more
The City’s 2025 fire hazard zone ordinance
The City Council adopted an ordinance adding Article 16, Fire Hazard Severity Zones, to Chapter 3 of the Hayward Municipal Code on June 3, 2025 (Ordinance 25-06), according to the City’s meeting record. The Municipal Code prints it as Sections 3-16.00 to 3-16.04 and shows no separate effective date.
Read Nov 5, 2026
The 2025 fire and wildland-urban interface codes
On December 2, 2025 the City Council adopted a fire prevention code, Article 14 of Chapter 3 (Ordinance 25-14), and a wildland-urban interface code, Article 17 (Ordinance 25-15), which as introduced adopts the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Title 24, Part 7, according to the City’s meeting record. The Municipal Code’s Section 3-14.10 says the fire code becomes effective on January 1, 2026; the wildland-urban interface code, Article 17, prints no effective date, and its Section 101.3.1.2 says development in the area east of Mission Boulevard, from the south side of D Street south to the city limits at Union City, is built to that chapter.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Where the City’s wildland-urban interface lies
The City’s page on inspections for real estate transfers says Ordinance 25-15 designates the area east of Mission Boulevard, from the south side of D Street south to the Union City boundary, as a Wildland-Urban Interface area.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Defensible space in three bands
The Fire Department’s defensible-space page groups its guidance in three bands under its own headings: “Zone 0: Ember-Resistant Zone (0-5 feet)”, “Zone 1: Lean, Clean, and Green (5-30 feet)” and “Zone 2: Reduced Fuel Zone (30-100 feet or to property line)”. It is the Department’s guidance on its page, not an adopted rule.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Roofs, gutters and vents in the Department’s advice
The page says “Keep roofs and gutters clean.” under its Zone 0 heading, and “Maintain clearance around chimneys and vents.” It recommends: “Replace wood-shingle roofs with Class A roofing materials (e.g., asphalt, metal, tile).” The Hayward Hills handout adds, for the first five feet: “Remove all dead/dying vegetation and combustible debris from roofs, gutters, decks, porches, stairways, etc.”
Read Oct 19, 2026
The Department’s handout for the Hayward Hills
Titled “Preventative Measures Ordinance for the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Area (Hayward Hills)”, it gives no ordinance number or adoption date, and it says its requirements are “the guidelines used by the Fire Department to determine compliance with City and State regulations”. It asks for a 30-foot defensible space around all buildings, structures and decks, and for a spark arrester on chimney outlets, made of heavy wire mesh with openings not to exceed ½ inch.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Zone Zero, in the City’s words and the State’s
The Fire Department’s page uses the label “Zone 0” for the first five feet around a home, under the heading “Zone 0: Ember-Resistant Zone (0-5 feet)”. As of November 5, 2026, the Board of Forestry’s page says the Board and its staff “continue to work with the Office of Administrative Law on a final review of the Zone 0 Regulations Rule Package”, and it publishes no effective date.
Read Oct 19 and Nov 5, 2026
The yearly fire inspection
The City’s pages describe the area the yearly inspection covers in two ways, east of Mission Boulevard, or the Hayward Hills and the Fairview Fire Protection District, so ask the Fire Prevention office whether your address is included. The inspection report also assesses whether your property complies with local and state defensible space regulations. If code violations are identified, you’ll have 21 days to address them before the re-inspection, and the recommendations in your report are mandatory; failure to comply may result in re-inspection fees, possible citations, or an abatement notice with detailed instructions on what must be corrected.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter guards
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From the Hayward blog
The creek that runs under City Hall
Read the whole post: The creek that runs under City HallHayward has a creek most people have never seen. Part of it runs under City Hall.
Sulphur Creek comes down from the hills toward the Bay, and for years it was trouble. In the county flood district’s words, “Hayward was frequently flooded by storm waters from Sulphur Creek.”
The fix came in two steps. In the 1920s much of the creek went into culverts. Then in 1962 the County rerouted its upper part to join San Lorenzo Creek at 2nd Street, to cut the flood risk downtown.
What’s left still does its job. The drainage “runs through culverts under Hayward City Hall” and drains the airport on its way to the Bay, crossing the flatlands as an open channel. Near the shore, its levee was breached in the late 1990s to let the tide back into Oro Loma Marsh, now wide meadows of pickleweed and a home for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.
The creek’s name lives on up in the Hayward hills, too, at the Sulphur Creek Nature Center. It started in the 1960s with a lost rabbit someone named Happy. The community made a home for him, an animal sanctuary grew from it, and in 1970 the park district took over an old wellness retreat whose wells “drew sulphur water from the springs.” Today it’s a wildlife hospital and nature center.
So the water that once flooded downtown is still down there, just out of sight. In a storm, plenty of the water heading for the drains starts on our roofs. The City’s own advice: make sure downspouts carry water away from the foundation, and “clear gutters before and during the rainy season.” Sometimes these important things can be out of sight. If you haven’t cleared your home’s roof, gutters and downspouts in a while, it might be a good time to give us a call. Sunshine Gutters and Roofing – Let us shine on your rainy day.
Culture and history
The Hayward Farmers Market
The City’s page says the Hayward Farmers Market is on Watkins, between B and C Streets, next to Hayward City Hall Plaza, and is open every Saturday, year-round, rain or shine, from 9 am to 1 pm.
Read Oct 20, 2026
The Day of the Dead exhibit
The Hayward Area Historical Society’s Day of the Dead exhibit runs from October 1 to November 7, 2026, according to the society’s page.
Read Oct 20, 2026
See 7 more
The Hayward Japanese Gardens
The Park District’s page says the Hayward Japanese Gardens are open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except Christmas Day.
Read Oct 20, 2026
The Hayward Municipal Band
The City says the Hayward Municipal Band, founded in 1957 by City maintenance workers, has brought free, live music to the Hayward and East Bay communities for over 60 years. Its summer concerts are Sundays in June, in Memorial Park, just behind the Hayward Plunge.
Read Oct 20, 2026
The Heart of the Bay
The City calls Hayward the “Heart of the Bay”, and says the name reflects its commitment to service and inclusivity and its centrality and connectedness within the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
A name from a hotel
The town was officially named “Haywards” after the hotel that grew from William Hayward’s lodging house. More in The story of Hayward, below.
Heritage Plaza
The City says the 1850s subdivision of Castro’s land created the street layout of downtown Hayward still in use today. More in The story of Hayward, below.
The Apricot City
By 1950, the City’s history page says, Hayward had become the “Apricot City”. More in The story of Hayward, below.
The 1868 earthquake
The City’s history page says the southern segment of the Hayward Fault ruptured on the morning of October 21, 1868. More in The story of Hayward, below.
Community
Hayward Area Historical Society
Its Research and Archives hold archival material on the Hayward area (Hayward, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Fairview, Ashland and Cherryland) and over 20,000 photographs of the Hayward area. Its online library sorts local-history articles by subject and by place.
Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
The City says it does not administer its own parks; the Recreation and Park District maintains over 30 parks and trails in Hayward. The District was formed on December 11, 1944; its boundaries encompass a 100 square-mile area that includes the City of Hayward and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland and Fairview, and it says it has become the largest recreation district in the State of California.
See 4 more
East Bay Regional Park District
The District says Hayward Regional Shoreline consists of 1,841 acres of salt, fresh and brackish water marshes, seasonal wetlands and public trails.
Sun Gallery
An art gallery and studio in Hayward since 1976, it says it has stimulated continuing community interest in the arts and expanded the image of the City of Hayward as a cultural center.
Hayward Arts Council
The City’s arts page says Hayward is home to a thriving community art scene and that the Hayward Arts Council operates galleries throughout the city.
Chabot College
The college, on Hesperian Boulevard, says it was founded in 1961.
City rules and regulations
Re-roofs need a building permit
The Permit Center’s reroofing requirements handout (revised July 27, 2021) says when a building permit is required for roof covering, and the City’s Current Codes and Permit Process handout (revised October 6, 2021) says re-roofing is among the standard projects that are almost always issued over the counter, with no plans.
Handouts of 2021
What a re-roof inspection checks
The first inspection is the “pre-roof”; the final inspection is where the inspector will check the completed roof and verify placement of spark arrestors, gutters and other associated work.
Handout of 2021
See 12 more
Roof overlays
The handout says new roof coverings can only be applied over a single layer of existing roofing, and that if a roof already has two layers, both must be removed before the new roof is installed. It lists the cases where an overlay is prohibited: wood shake, slate, clay tile, cement tile or asbestos-cement tile; a covering that is water soaked or has deteriorated; and where the manufacturer’s specifications prohibit it.
Handout of 2021
Roof colours and cool roofs
The handout says shingles or a similar roofing material are permitted for residential properties with a roof slope above 2:12, and that for all residential properties white or reflective roof colors are not permitted. It also says single-family residential reroofs do not require a cool roof in the City’s climate zone.
Handout of 2021; the adopting text is unread
Spark arrestors on chimneys
The handout says all fireplace chimneys shall have spark arrestors installed prior to final.
Handout of 2021
The building code
The City Council adopted a building code on December 2, 2025 (Ordinance 25-13), according to the City’s meeting record, and the Building Division’s page says the 2025 California Building Code (Volumes 1 and 2) and the 2025 California Residential Code are adopted and enforced in Hayward. The Municipal Code lists it in Section 9-1.00, as amended by Ordinance 25-13 on December 2, 2025, and prints no separate effective date.
Read Nov 5, 2026
What permits cost
The City’s fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026, sets building permit fees by valuation (for example $50 for $1 to $500) and lists a standard hourly rate of $227.00 for plan check, inspections or other administrative services. Its Fire Prevention fees list a re-roofing, siding and windows permit at $159.00 per application, applicable only in the wildland-urban interface.
Fees effective July 1, 2026
Roof class on a re-roof
We found no roof-class rule of Hayward’s own in its building and wildland-urban interface code sections. The Municipal Code adopts the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Section 3-17.01), so any roof-covering requirement comes from the State’s code, which this page does not quote.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Trees
The City Council adopted Ordinance 25-09, amending Article 15 (Tree Preservation Ordinance) of Chapter 10 (Planning, Zoning and Subdivisions), on September 2, 2025, according to the City’s meeting record. The Planning page says the City’s Landscape team is responsible for processing tree permits and implementing the ordinance. Section 10-15.14 lists the Protected Trees: native species such as coast live oak and California sycamore at 4 inches or more across at standard height (54 inches above the ground), non-native trees in the front yard of a residential property at 8 inches or more (invasive species on the California Invasive Plant Council list are left out), and street trees. The Code defines pruning as removing any live limb, branch or root over two inches in diameter from a protected tree.
Read Nov 5, 2026
The fault zones and the ground
The City’s plan says the City requires special geologic studies within the State’s fault zones to closely regulate the construction of human-occupied structures. It says soil conditions between Highway 238 and the shoreline pose a risk of liquefaction in high-magnitude earthquakes, particularly along the Hayward Fault.
The City’s 2021 plan
Older homes and historic review
The Municipal Code’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (Section 10-11.050, read on Municode on November 5, 2026) screens projects and building permit applications for buildings at least 50 years old, or in a historic district, to see whether a historical alteration permit is needed, and exempts residential properties developed under a tentative tract map after 1946 from historical permits.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Accessory dwelling units
The City’s page says Junior Accessory Dwelling Units are semi-independent dwelling units no larger than 500 square feet, that a Plan Review Fee is due prior to project review, and that all other permit fees are due when the permits are ready for issuance.
Read Oct 19, 2026
When you buy or sell Fire inspection before a sale
The Fire Department uses a single inspection process to evaluate covered residential properties within the City of Hayward and the Fairview Fire Protection District for compliance with applicable state and local defensible space requirements; the City’s page on inspections for real estate transfers cites California Civil Code section 1102.19 for sellers in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. A residential property is covered by the City’s inspection program if it is in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone or within the City’s Wildland Urban Interface, which Ordinance 25-15 designates as the area east of Mission Boulevard, from the south side of D Street south to the Union City boundary. Owners and their authorized representatives request the inspection through the Fire Inspection office; the fee for each inspection is $417, a separate $417 fee is charged for each follow-up inspection, and when corrections are needed the property is reinspected within 14 days of the original inspection date. The State’s rule, Civil Code section 1102.19, has a seller in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone give the buyer documentation that the property complies with Public Resources Code section 4291 or the local vegetation management ordinance; where the local jurisdiction has no ordinance requiring that documentation, the documentation must have been obtained in the six months before the seller enters into the sale.
Read Oct 19 and Nov 5, 2026
When you buy or sell Sewer lateral certificate in the Oro Loma Sanitary District
The Oro Loma Sanitary District says that all properties sold within the district must have a valid Sewer Lateral Compliance Certificate for sales entering escrow on or after August 1, 2026, and that obtaining a Certificate of Compliance costs $450. The district’s service-area sentence includes portions of the City of Hayward, and it points to its interactive map for checking whether a property is inside its service area.
Read Oct 20, 2026
Need a hand with this? Roofing
Storms, flood and drainage
Free sandbags
Up to six sandbags are available to Hayward households and 12 to Hayward businesses before and during rain storms, and the bags are free of charge. During inclement weather a self-service sandbag station is in the parking lot on Barnes Court, open 24/7; pre-filled sandbags are replenished during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 2:30 pm. Bring your ID; address verification may be required. The service is for residents and businesses in the incorporated areas of Hayward; the City says unincorporated areas, including Fairview, Cherryland, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo, fall under Alameda County jurisdiction.
Page undated, read Oct 20, 2026
Before the rains: gutters and downspouts
The City’s news item of January 27, 2026 says to make sure downspouts direct water away from foundations, clear gutters before and during the rainy season, and avoid overwatering landscapes. It adds that clearing storm drain inlets near your home, when it’s safe to do so, can help prevent backups and keep water flowing where it’s supposed to go.
January 27, 2026
See 5 more
Only rain in the storm drain
The City’s page says anything other than rainwater is prohibited from entering the City’s storm drain system. The City’s plan calls Hayward’s stormwater drainage system robust and equipped with debris screens.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Storm alerts
The City’s winter-weather page tells residents to sign up for AC Alert, the City of Hayward’s emergency alert system.
Page undated, read Oct 15, 2026
Check the flood map for your address
FEMA’s list shows the current effective flood map date for Hayward as December 21, 2018.
FEMA list of Oct 15, 2026
The shoreline and rising seas
The City’s plan says Hayward’s shoreline, while protected by extensive wetlands, is at risk of inundation from tsunamis, floods and rising sea levels. The City’s Sea Level Rise page says climate change is causing the seas to rise, which could cause severe flooding in Hayward if left unaddressed, and that as a community adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Hayward is particularly vulnerable to this threat; the page names the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency and its Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan.
Read Oct 15, 2026
Landslides on the hillsides
In the El Nino winter of 1997-1998, the City’s plan says, the eastern hillside was the site of moderate to abundant debris flow activity.
The City’s 2021 plan
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Check back Habitat for Humanity home repair grants, roofs included
The City’s page says eligible Hayward residents can receive repair grants up to $25,000 through Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. Habitat’s Hayward page says Habitat partners with the City to offer home repair grants to low-income homeowners, including mobile homes; the page’s list of eligible repairs includes roofs, and gutters are not named. To qualify you own and live in your home and earn no more than the maximum income for your household size, which for Alameda County is $95,050 for 1 person and $135,750 for 4 people, and Habitat’s page lists the other household sizes. The grants are at no cost to the homeowner and are approved only for repairs that resolve health and safety problems; you submit a Request for Service form online or by mail. Habitat’s page says a limited number of repair grants are available and that, because of the high volume of applications, homeowners applying only for the grant are currently being added to a waitlist; it gives no cap of its own.
Read Nov 5, 2026
County-wide Renew Alameda County loans, $15,000 to $200,000
Habitat’s Hayward page says the Renew Alameda County loan program, for projects from $15,000 to $200,000, is open for enrollment, with loans up to $200,000 for single-family homes, townhomes and condos at 1% simple interest over 30 years. The program’s own site, renewac.org, says its application is currently closed and invites you to join its interest list (both read November 5, 2026). To apply or join the list, visit RenewAC.org.
Read Nov 5, 2026
See 22 more
Free heat pump water heater installation
The City’s Heat Pump Water Heater Direct Installation Program, administered by Larratt Bros Plumbing on behalf of the City, provides eligible homeowners with free, start-to-finish installation of a high-efficiency heat pump water heater, and the program covers all installation costs for qualifying properties. To be eligible you are enrolled in PG&E’s CARE or FERA plan or the City of Hayward Low Income Discount program, and have a gas-powered water heater (the City prefers older ones, typically 7 or more years old); both property owners and their tenants may benefit. You call or text the City’s contractor, answer a short questionnaire, take a video-based virtual assessment, and the installation is by a licensed contractor, in as little as 48 hours after signing the agreement. The page gives no start date, end date, funding limit or status, so call or text (510) 342-3692 to ask whether the program is taking households now.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Lawn conversion rebate
Hayward water customers can receive a rebate for converting lawn or a swimming pool to a water-efficient landscape: $0.75 per square foot for front yards and areas visible to the public, $0.50 per square foot for back yards and areas not visible, and $0.25 per square foot additional for sheet mulching, to a maximum of $1,000 for single-family residential homes. The program runs from July 1, 2026 until June 30, 2027 or until funds last, on a first-come, first-served basis; a minimum of 300 square feet or the entire lawn, whichever is smaller, must be converted, with at least 50% plant coverage, and a pre-conversion site inspection and a Notice to Proceed come first. Rebates are not issued for artificial turf, and the rebate will be issued within approximately eight weeks.
July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Rain barrel rebate
Hayward water customers can receive a rebate of $50 per rain barrel, limited to 2 per single family account or 4 per multi-family or commercial account, and you create an online account on the BAWSCA website. BAWSCA’s rebate sheet runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, requires the barrel to be installed within the City of Hayward, and says rebates depend on available funds.
Read Oct 20, 2026
Free WaterSense aerators and shower heads
Hayward water customers are eligible to receive free WaterSense-labeled low-flow faucet aerators and shower heads; you request them through your WaterSmart customer portal and pick them up at the Public Works and Utilities Office, 2nd Floor, City Hall, after scheduling a pickup.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Free Residential Self-Audit Tool Kit
The City is offering a free Residential Self-Audit Tool Kit to all Hayward water customers; you request it through the WaterSmart form, and pickup is after an appointment is confirmed, Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 4 pm, at Public Works, 2nd Floor.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Rachio 3 smart irrigation controller
Hayward water customers can receive a Rachio 3 Smart Irrigation Controller at a discounted price of $100 + tax (MSRP: $279.99); supply and funding are limited.
Read Oct 20, 2026
Check back Free fall chipping: check back
The Fire Department’s free chipping service is for residents in the Hayward Hills and the Fairview Fire Protection District; this fall’s applications ran from August 10, 2026 through October 1, 2026, and chipping is scheduled between the weeks of September 1, 2026 and November 13, 2026, or until funds are depleted. Tree limbs up to eight inches in diameter can be chipped; the chipper cannot chip piles of needles or leaves. The page lists only this fall’s dates and does not say whether a spring season is planned; it says service is first-come, first-served and funding is limited.
Read Oct 19 and Nov 5, 2026
Check back Defensible space help for the Fairview district: check back
The Fire Department’s Residential Assistance Program helps Fairview Fire District residents create defensible space around their home; it is offered to low-income homeowners, seniors and disabled residents, and is not for tree or trash removal. The City’s chipping page adds that grant funding may be available through this program to help senior, disabled and low-income residents with the cost of cutting, trimming and stacking limbs and branches, and asks you to email the Fire Department to find out whether you are eligible.
Read Oct 19 and Nov 5, 2026
City low-income discount and waiver
The City’s Revenue Division offers a Garbage Collection Fee Discount, a Hayward Water System Discount (a discount on the Meter Service charge and the Emergency Services Tax each billing period), an Emergency Services Facilities Tax Exemption, an Administrative Hearing Deposit Waiver and a Utility User Tax Exemption. You are eligible if any member of the household is a current recipient of CalWORKs, CalFresh, general assistance, Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment Program, or the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or if the income is under $59,400 a year for 1 person and $84,850 for 4 people, and the City’s form lists the other household sizes (rates effective 5/1/2026); approved applicants must reside within the Hayward city limits.
Form as of 05/01/2026
Waste Management discount on garbage
Waste Management’s rate sheet lists a Low Income Discount of $12.24 under weekly curbside garbage service, subject to approval, and its brochure says a discount on garbage rates for low-income residents is available.
Rates effective March 1, 2026
Free bulky item pickup, twice a year
Waste Management of Alameda County removes up to two cubic yards of garbage and other bulky items twice per calendar year (except the first two weeks of January), with an appointment, at no fee, for single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. Items include 3 pieces of household furniture, 3 large household appliances, 3 scrap metal items, 4 passenger car tires, 2 mattresses and oversized branches and prunings tied in bundles up to 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter; construction or demolition debris, and rocks, bricks, dirt or concrete, are not accepted. Overage is $30.78 per cubic yard and an additional pickup trip is $88.06, on the rate sheet effective March 1, 2026.
Rates effective March 1, 2026
Extra-waste coupon
Each household is entitled to one coupon per year for free disposal of up to two cubic yards of garbage (no bulky items or household hazardous waste), self-hauled to the Davis Street Transfer Station; to request a coupon, call Waste Management.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Side yard collection at no extra charge
Side yard service for garbage, organics and recyclables is available at no additional charge to single-family home residents who are disabled, or 65 years of age or older, and who have no able-bodied adults living in their home; it is available to all other residents for a fee.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Other free hauler offers
The Waste Management brochure offers a green kitchen pail at no charge (pick up at Hayward City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm), free mattress and box spring drop-off (up to five a day) at its Davis Street facility, a swap of your 64-gallon green cart for a 96-gallon cart at no charge, and construction debris removal for home remodeling by roll-off container. To order two free one-gallon screw-top jugs for used oil and a bag to recycle the filter, the brochure says to call Tri-CED Community Recycling.
Read Oct 19, 2026
County-wide Free household hazardous waste drop-off
StopWaste says Alameda County residents can drop off household hazardous waste for free at any of four facilities, no appointment needed; the Hayward facility is on West Winton Avenue, open Thursday and Friday 9 AM to 2:30 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM. Bring a valid ID showing your Alameda County address; the limit is 15 gallons total or 125 lbs.
Read Oct 19, 2026
State-wide Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt: check back
The State’s 2025 ZIP code list for Northern California lists Hayward: 94541, 94542, 94544 and 94545, and says eligibility is based on ZIP code only. The program’s page says Earthquake Brace + Bolt provides up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant seismic retrofit, with supplemental grants that may pay up to 100 percent of the cost while funds last, and that registration is open for a limited time each year; the page does not say whether registration is open now.
Read Oct 19, 2026
Check back PG&E Energy Savings Assistance: check back
PG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance page says it can improve the energy efficiency of your home at no cost to you; participants must live in a house, mobile home or apartment that is at least five years old, and the income footnote reads valid through May 31, 2027. The page says the program covers appliance upgrades and home repairs, naming heat pump water heaters, furnaces, lighting and refrigerators, “all at no charge”; it does not name gutters or roofing.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Check back Ava SmartHome Battery: check back
Ava Community Energy, the default electricity provider in Hayward, says the SmartHome Battery rebate depends on a customer’s income, battery size and the capacity selected to share, and that participation payments are delivered to customers every three months over the course of five years. The page gives no rebate amounts, income limits or deadlines, and does not say whether the program is open.
Read Nov 5, 2026
State-wide Check back California Safe Homes: check back
The Department of Insurance’s California Safe Homes grant, meant for fire-safe roofs and work within five feet of the home, is not open to applicants as of November 5, 2026: the Department’s 2026 press-release index has no announcement of it. Check back.
Read Nov 5, 2026
County-wide BayREN and Air District programs
BayREN’s EASE Home program says it covers 80% of the cost of essential weatherization upgrades, including insulation and duct sealing; to qualify you have a household income at or under 120% of area median income, live in a single-family home (four or fewer units) built before 2010, and are a PG&E customer. The Air District’s Clean HEET program, for replacing wood stoves and fireplace inserts, says all Bay Area homeowners are eligible to apply, but its program page says the application period closed on July 14, 2026.
Read Nov 5, 2026
Insurance The Fire Department’s ISO class
The City’s Fire page describes the Hayward Fire Department as an ISO Class 2 department.
Read Oct 15, 2026
Insurance State fire-risk listing
The Board of Forestry’s 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community List (Resolution 2026-01, effective July 1, 2026) does not name Hayward in the list’s text we read; it names cities such as Berkeley and El Cerrito. The Department of Insurance’s rule, Title 10 CCR section 2644.9(d)(1)(A), says an insurer’s rating plan shall reflect, and the rate offered shall be based in part on, the reduced wildfire risk of a community listed by the Board under Public Resources Code section 4290.1.
Read Oct 20 and Nov 5, 2026
Who serves your home in Hayward
- Fire: Hayward Fire Department, run by the City, which also serves the Fairview Fire Protection District.
- Water: The City of Hayward for most properties; the City’s Utilities page says some properties get water from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). The City buys all of its drinking water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
- Sewer: The City of Hayward’s system for most properties; the City’s Utilities page says some properties are connected to the Oro Loma Sanitary sewer system and some have a private septic tank. The district points to its interactive map for checking whether a property is inside its service area.
- Garbage: Waste Management of Alameda County, under an agreement with the City; Tri-CED Community Recycling for recycling.
- Electricity: Ava Community Energy is the default provider; PG&E delivers it and also provides it to those who opt out.
- Gas: PG&E provides gas service to all Hayward accounts.
- Air: Bay Area Air District
- Flood control: The Flood Control District’s own pages put part of Hayward in Zone 2, part of north-west Hayward in Zone 4, and say the Old Alameda Creek watershed is in Zone 3.
- Storm drains: The City of Hayward: Maintenance Services staff sweep the streets and clean the City’s 3,000 storm drains.
- Assessor: Alameda County Assessor
Useful links: Hayward Unified School District · Hayward Area Recreation and Park District · East Bay Regional Park District (Hayward Regional Shoreline) · AC Alert (the City’s emergency alert system) · Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer (from the City’s page) · Hayward Area Historical Society · AC Transit · BART · 211 Alameda County
The homes of Hayward
About a quarter of Hayward’s housing units were built in the 1950s, the largest decade of building; 51.2 percent are single-family detached homes and 4.5 percent are mobile homes, our own calculations from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables.
Late 1800s and early 1900s
Downtown and the first residential tracts
The City’s 2014 General Plan names the kinds of homes it wants preserved: colonial, Victorian and Queen Anne homes and cottages. The City’s 2019 draft environmental report on the downtown plan describes a proposed Upper B Street historic district of late 19th and early 20th century homes in a variety of architectural styles, some in the City’s first residential tracts.
Late 1800s to the 1920s
The B Street Streetcar neighbourhood
The draft report describes modest houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries along B Street between downtown and Cannery Park, with one- and two-story single family dwellings along both sides of B Street by 1923 and, on most lots, a second unit added in back. The City’s B Street Streetcar overlay district says architecture and materials used there must be sympathetic to original Victorian, Colonial Revival or Craftsman styles.
Late 1800s to about 1950
Prospect Hill
The draft report describes a proposed Prospect Hill district of Victorian cottages and Shingle, Spanish Eclectic, Tudor, Craftsman, Mission Revival, Moderne and Colonial Revival residences, with some notable circa 1940 and circa 1950 modernist and ranch style residences.
1950s to 1970s
The postwar boom
With the exception of Downtown Hayward and a few residential neighborhoods, the City’s General Plan page says, the majority of Hayward neighborhoods and districts were developed during the post-World War II housing boom of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Today
Cottages, mobile homes and newer homes
A one-block Cottage Special Design District allows a historic pattern of small lot, single-family cottage development, where a cottage cannot exceed 1,200 square feet of living space. The Housing Element counts 2,268 mobile home spaces in 10 parks, and 7.6 percent of the housing units were built in 2010 or later, by our own calculation.
Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation
The story of Hayward
History and character
The City’s history page says the Hayward area was occupied by Ohlone people for some 3,000 years before the Spanish padres and the founding of Mission San Jose.
In 1843 the Mexican government granted the soldier and surveyor Guillermo Castro almost 27,000 acres from the Bay to beyond the hills, including present-day Castro Valley, Hayward and San Lorenzo, the City’s history page says. Castro’s corral still exists today as the City’s Heritage Plaza and Arboretum.
When Castro subdivided and sold his land in the 1850s, the City says, he dedicated Heritage Plaza as a public plaza into perpetuity, which created the street layout of downtown Hayward still in use today.
In 1852, the City’s history page says, William Hayward set up a small general store at the corner of A Street and Mission Boulevard; it became a major stop on the road from Oakland to San Jose, and he built a lodging house that grew into the famous Haywards Hotel. The town was incorporated in 1876 and officially named “Haywards” after the hotel; the “s” was dropped several years later.
William Hayward was named the first postmaster and remained in the position until 1889, and served as the first Roadmaster for Eden Township and as a County Supervisor in 1856 and 1869, the Historical Society says. His wife Rachel was often called the “Mother of Hayward”, and essentially became the manager of Hayward’s Hotel.
Until relatively recently, the Society says, the harvesting of salt along the Hayward shoreline was a major industry. The Recreation and Park District says that from 1856 through the 1940s the area of today’s Shoreline Interpretive Center was used for salt production.
The first train to arrive in Hayward was the San Francisco & Alameda Railroad in 1865. The single-track electric line to Oakland officially opened on May 7, 1892, and the last car left Hayward on March 10, 1935.
On the morning of October 21, 1868, the City’s history page says, the southern segment of the Hayward Fault ruptured, and nearly every building in the Hayward area was destroyed or significantly damaged. The City’s page gives the magnitude as M7.0; the U.S. Geological Survey says it was “variously estimated as between 6.8 and 7.0”. The City says the 1868 quake was known as the “great San Francisco earthquake” until 1906, and the Society says it caused severe damage to sections of the railroad track, and the D Street station collapsed.
Starting in the late 1870s, the Historical Society says, Hayward was a local destination synonymous with “resort”. The main building of the hotel that gave the town its name burned in 1923, and the annex was demolished in 1952 to make way for the widening of A Street.
In 1878, two years after the town incorporated, a local baseball team was formed, the Society says.
The Historical Society says fruit growing made Hayward a leading fruit growing area in California, with Hunt Brothers Cannery one of the largest of the county’s five large canneries; its articles date the cannery’s arrival to about 1895 in one and 1896 in another. A 1920s chamber booklet, as the Society quotes it, said that Hayward has the distinction of being the largest apricot drying center in the world, and by 1950, the City’s history page says, Hayward had become the “Apricot City” and home to Hunt’s Cannery.
In March 1913 the citizens staged an elaborate event called the Blossom Festival, to show the orchards to visitors; as many as 50,000 attended, by the organizers’ estimates, and the Society says there does not appear to have been another.
In 1915, the Society says, trains carried five loads of locals to the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco on “Hayward Day”.
The San Francisco Bay Toll-Bridge, later renamed the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge, was ready for opening on March 2, 1929, and the new Hayward-San Mateo Bridge was dedicated on October 20, 1967.
Between 1940 and 1960, the Society says, the Hayward area began to transition from a predominantly agricultural area to a suburban community. After World War II, the City says, housing developments began replacing farms and ranches.
In 1942 the US Army constructed Hayward Army Air Field; in April 1947 the airfield was quitclaimed by the federal government and 690 acres were handed over to the City at no cost, and in 1999 the airport was renamed the Hayward Executive Airport.
In 1963 the large, enclosed Southland Mall was under construction, and the city was becoming more decentralized, with downtown Hayward less of a focal point, the Society says.
Hayward, roof and gutters
Hayward has two kinds of ground. The City’s 2021 plan says the city covers about 63.7 square miles, from the shore of the Bay eastward toward the Hayward hills, with the Hayward Fault running through it along the base of the hillside. The plan also says the hills are susceptible to earthquake-induced landslides, while the flatlands are at risk of liquefaction. The General Plan says the planning area includes over 31 square miles of open space, including baylands and ridgelands.
Yearly rain averages about 17.3 inches at the two nearest federal weather stations, Hayward Air Terminal (16.00 inches) and Oakland’s airport station (18.68 inches), by our own calculation from NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals. At both, December is the wettest month and July the driest, and November through April holds about 89 to 90 percent of the year’s rain. The City’s Hazards Element says severe winter and spring storms can cause landslides in hillside areas and flooding along stream corridors and low-lying areas near the Bay.
The City’s 2021 plan puts parts of the western and southern land in a 100-year floodplain, calls the shoreline the area most likely to flood in a given year, and puts the central area along and north of Ward Creek, and the inland stretches of San Lorenzo Creek, in the 500-year floodplain. The plan says the City is susceptible to both riverine (creek) and nuisance flooding, and that abnormally heavy rainfall or a buildup of debris in storm drains or other parts of the stormwater management system could cause nuisance flooding in any part of the city.
The City’s plan describes the local watershed as numerous small creeks leading from the Hayward Hills down across the western part of the city to the Bay. The Flood Control District says the waterways of the Hayward Landing, Bockman Canal and Sulphur Creek watersheds flow entirely through underground culverts and engineered channels. The City’s plan says the Hayward Fault runs directly through the city from north to south, and the Hazards Element puts it generally parallel to Mission Boulevard and within a few hundred feet of it.
The City’s plan puts the highest risk of earthquake-induced landslide on the steep hillsides in the eastern part of the city, largely in areas zoned for open space or agricultural uses. It says the U.S. Geological Survey has identified the Hayward Hills as a principal debris-flow source area, a site where intense rainfall is likely to trigger a fast-moving downslope mudflow, and that relatively few homes are in areas at risk of a landslide.
The City’s page on recommended trees sends readers to a Cal Poly SelecTree list named “City of Hayward Recommended Trees”, which holds 25 trees, among them two London plane varieties. The University of California’s pest page calls sycamore and London plane deciduous, with fuzzy ball-like seed clusters that hang from the branches in winter.
The Fire Department’s defensible-space page says “Keep roofs and gutters clean.”, and its handout for the Hayward Hills lists, for the first five feet, removing dead and dying vegetation and combustible debris from roofs, gutters, decks, porches and stairways. Both are the Department’s own guidance: the handout is titled “Preventative Measures Ordinance” but gives no ordinance number or adoption date, and calls its requirements “the guidelines used by the Fire Department to determine compliance with City and State regulations”.
The median home was built in 1972, and 62.1 percent of the housing units were built before 1980, our own calculation from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables. The City’s Housing Element says housing over 30 years old is more likely to have rehabilitation needs, which may include roof repairs.
We have been working on Bay Area roofs and gutters since 2002. If yours hasn’t had a look in a while, we’d be glad to come by.
Landmarks and parks
Historic City Hall
An Art Deco building on Mission Boulevard, the city’s first permanent city hall, which the City Council agreed in 1996 to leave standing and give official historic status.
Heritage Plaza
The City’s Heritage Plaza and Arboretum downtown, with over forty species of rare and mature trees and a 25,000-square foot central event lawn.
Hayward Japanese Gardens
A 3.5-acre garden that the Park District’s brochure calls the first garden of a Japanese design to be developed in California.
Hayward Regional Shoreline
The Recreation and Park District’s page describes its Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center as perched on stilts above a salt marsh.
Bank of Haywards building
At B and Main Streets, a fixture of downtown Hayward for over 110 years, the Society says; by its 50th anniversary in 1941 the bank could claim the title of the oldest continually operating bank in all of Alameda County.
Veterans’ Memorial Building
A 1930s Art Deco building on Main Street that the Historical Society calls a gem; in 1943 it was announced that the hall would be used as the “Hayward Hospitality House”, operated by the Hayward USO.
McConaghy House
Built in 1888 and owned and occupied by the same family until 1972, it opened for docent tours in July 1976; it stands next to Kennedy Park.
Sulphur Creek Nature Center
A hidden oasis tucked into the Hayward Hills, on a site once used as a wellness retreat whose wells drew sulphur water from the springs.
How we can help in Hayward
Why Sunshine Gutters and Roofing
- Family-owned since 2002, trusted by thousands of returning Bay Area homeowners
- Licensed (CSLB #1053780), bonded, with $2 million in general liability coverage
- Our own crew, never subcontractors
- We keep track of local regulations, fire safety rules and insurance programs
- We show you what we found, with photos, so you decide what happens next
The year in Hayward
| January | Restaurant Month, all January (the City’s page announces the 2027 month) |
|---|---|
| April | Citywide Clean-Up and Community Fair at Weekes Park |
| June | Hayward Municipal Band summer concerts, Sundays in June, in Memorial Park |
| July | Downtown Summer Street Parties, third Thursday of June, July and August |
| September | Airport Open House |
| October | Day of the Dead exhibit at the Historical Society, October 1 to November 7, 2026 |
| November | Rainy season: November through April holds about 89 to 90 percent of the year’s rain at the two nearest federal weather stations |
| December | Wettest month at the two nearest federal weather stations |
Hayward questions
What Hayward homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Hayward?
To replace it, yes. The Permit Center’s reroofing requirements handout, revised July 27, 2021, lists when a building permit is required for roof covering, and the City’s Current Codes and Permit Process handout of October 6, 2021 says re-roofing is among the standard projects usually issued over the counter, with no plans. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you, as most of our customers ask us to. Repairs usually don’t need one.
Where can I get sandbags in Hayward, and how many?
Up to six sandbags are available to Hayward households and 12 sandbags for Hayward businesses prior to and during rain storms, and the bags are free of charge. During inclement weather there is a self-service sandbag station in the parking lot on Barnes Court, open 24/7, and pre-filled sandbags are replenished during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 2:30 pm. Please bring your ID.
Which building and fire codes does Hayward use?
The Building Division’s page says the 2025 California Building Code (Volumes 1 and 2) and the 2025 California Residential Code are mandatory throughout California and are adopted and enforced in Hayward. According to the City’s meeting record, the City Council adopted its building code (Ordinance 25-13), fire prevention code (Ordinance 25-14) and wildland-urban interface code (Ordinance 25-15) on December 2, 2025. The Municipal Code lists the building code in Section 9-1.00 and the fire code in Section 3-14.01, which says it becomes effective on January 1, 2026; the wildland-urban interface code, Article 17, prints no effective date.
Do single-family re-roofs in Hayward need a cool roof?
No, according to the City’s reroofing handout, revised July 27, 2021: “Single-family residential reroofs do not require a cool roof in our climate zone.” The same handout says: “For all residential properties, white or reflective roof colors are not permitted.” The handout is older than the City’s 2025 codes.
What our customers say
Get a free estimate
We usually respond promptly within the day. Phone first for emergencies: (510) 525-0880.
Where we work
Hayward neighbourhoods we serve
Downtown
The City’s history page describes a historic downtown with buildings that trace their roots back to the 1860s.
Jackson Triangle
North Hayward
Southgate
South Hayward
The City’s 2014 plan names the South Hayward BART Urban Neighborhood and the South Hayward BART Mixed-Use Corridor among its five Priority Development Areas.
Mt. Eden
The Historical Society says where the name “Mount Eden” came from is still unknown, and that the flower industry in and around Mount Eden was a highly profitable business by the time World War II broke out.
Longwood/Winton Grove
Mission/Garin
Mission/Foothill
Whitman/Mocine
Harder/Tennyson
Hayward Hills
The name the Fire Department’s pages use for the wildland-urban interface area of the hills; one of its pages carries the heading “Preventative Measures for the Hayward Hills”.
Also serving nearby: Union City · Fairview · San Lorenzo · Castro Valley · Cherryland · Fremont · Sunol · Pleasanton