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Hercules, in short
Who inspects a re-roof in Hercules, the City or the County?
The County does. The City’s code says the County’s building officials act for the City while the County provides the City’s building inspection services. A re-roof needs a permit before it begins, and the City’s re-roof handout says every re-roof needs two inspections.
The story of Hercules
Hercules, “established as a dynamite factory in the 1800s” and now “primarily a suburban, family-oriented community,” in the City’s words.
The City’s history page says Hercules began as a company town around the California Powder Works, which sold its dynamite under the name Hercules Powder; the plant opened in 1881, and the town incorporated in 1900. From 1974 the company’s land was sold for homes, and the first housing subdivisions came in 1975.
The Historical Society says humans occupied these lands about 6,000 years ago, and that generations of indigenous peoples walked the routes across Refugio Valley; today’s San Pablo Avenue traces one of the main routes.
The City’s history page says the California Powder Works had plants near Santa Cruz (1861) and near Golden Gate Park (1869), and that as San Francisco grew the company was forced to find a more rural location.
In 1879, the City says, that location was found, and the Hercules plant opened in 1881 and began producing dynamite. The Historical Society says the company bought a 44.94-acre piece of Rancho El Pinole from the Martinez heirs in 1879 and grew the site to about 3,000 acres, extending two miles up Refugio Valley.
The City and the Historical Society both say the name is the brand of the dynamite, which the company sold as Hercules Powder; the City adds that the Greek hero was chosen as the product’s name to showcase how potent it was. The Mineralogical Record, a mineral collectors’ magazine, says the choice of the Hercules name was “a deliberate jab” at the rival Giant Powder Company, because it was Hercules who had slain the giants.
The Society says the railroad station on the site was first named Powning, for the company’s general manager, and was renamed Hercules when he retired in 1894: “The name of the product had become the name of the place.”
In the late 1890s, the Society says, a large home called White Columns was built for the plant’s superintendent, along with 12 cottages for workers and their families, and the company-owned village eventually grew to some 100 houses and duplexes. It had no retail district, but it did have a clubhouse, a post office and a rail depot.
The town incorporated in 1900, and the City says Hercules remained a company town until the 1970s.
In spring 1918, the Society says, the need for housing was never so great as when hundreds of workers were hired to build the TNT plant; they were advised to bring a blanket.
San Pablo Avenue was designated US 40 in 1926, and Interstate 80 was built in 1959, the Society says; the City says San Pablo Avenue, which bisects the City, is part of Historic Highway 40, the main artery into town before Interstate 80 was built.
In the 1940s, the City says, the company decided to build a fertilizer plant; dynamite manufacturing was discontinued in 1964, and Hercules Powder was renamed Hercules, Incorporated.
A refinery opened in Hercules in 1966 and provided hundreds of good paying jobs for residents, the City says; Pacific Refinery ceased refinery operations in August 1995 and dedicated the land to the City in 2000.
The City’s first general plan, in 1972, divided the city into “villages,” each a subdivision of homes, to make a bedroom community.
In 1974, the City says, Centex Homes of California bought the first section of the company’s land, a large residential area near modern day Lupine Road, and the first housing subdivisions came in 1975.
Hercules Elementary, now Lupine Hills, opened in 1976, and Ohlone Elementary the following year with close to 100 students enrolled, the City says.
In 1976 Hercules, Inc. sold the plant to Valley Nitrogen Producers, the City says, and a strike and economic conditions led to its permanent closure; the Historical Society says industrial production of chemicals continued until 1977.
In 1980, Hercules Village, the plant’s company village, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The City says Hercules was growing so quickly in the 1980s that it was the fastest growing suburb in California: Sycamore Place and Creekside shopping centers opened, new parks including Refugio Valley and Foxboro were created, and the Civic Center and Community Swim Center, drawn up in the 1980s, opened in the early 1990s.
In 2000, the City says, officials involved the community in a charrette, and over 300 participants outlined what they wanted to see for their community. The City’s plan names four neighborhoods: Hilltown, the Waterfront, the Central Corridor and the Hospitality District.
Residential building in the lower Refugio Valley began in 2001, the Society says, after the upper valley was subdivided from 1972. In 2003, the City says, several new home subdivisions began opening, including Victoria by the Bay and Promenade, and the Bayside and Baywood neighborhoods a few years later.
Fire safety
Your fire department
The City’s Fire page says Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) annexed the 98-year-old Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District on July 1, 2025, and operates Station 76 in Hercules, on Refugio Valley Road. Con Fire’s history page gives the same date.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Find out if you are in a fire hazard zone
Con Fire’s page on its local-area fire hazard severity zone maps lists a map for the City of Hercules and says: “Residents and property owners are encouraged to review the map and understand their property’s designation.”
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
See 2 more
Weeds and grass
Con Fire’s annual weed-abatement program lists Hercules among the West County places in its yearly deadlines, and the page says every parcel owner is ultimately responsible for managing the hazardous vegetation on their parcel. Grass must be trimmed.
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
Roofs and gutters
The City’s Fire Prevention page says: “Additionally, you should clean your roof and rain gutters of debris such as leaves and pine needles.”
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter guards
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From the Hercules blog
Before the goats, there were sheep
Read the whole post: Before the goats, there were sheepLong before Hercules was a suburb, the hills around it were a buffer for a dynamite works. And the people who worked there knew what dry grass could do.
In 1980 two local high school students sat down with old-timers and wrote their memories into a booklet. One story stands out. “Workers knew how dangerous fire was in an explosives plant and how quickly it could spread through the dry grass around the plant.” So an employee had an idea: let sheep eat the grass.
Soon, as the old-timers told it, 2,000 to 3,000 company sheep were grazing around the plant. A full-time herder lived in a shack near today’s Sycamore Avenue and raised them with his dogs. When work at the plant slowed at shearing time, the workers pitched in to shear.
Later the company sold the flock, and the new owner kept the sheep on the job. Then dogs from Hercules and Pinole got into the flock, and cattle took over the grazing. After the explosives stopped, crews tried burning the dry grass, gave that up as too risky, and went back to cutting it by hand.
The young City picked up the job. Its 1982 newsletter talked about cutting firebreaks; in 1987 it added hand cutting along fence lines. A City map from 2010 shows goats on the firebreaks, and the City’s page still lists “Goat herds on harder to reach hillsides” for its 50-foot breaks.
The grass on those hills comes back every year, and at house scale the job is the same. The City’s page puts it plainly: “clean your roof and rain gutters of debris such as leaves and pine needles.” If you can’t find a goat to climb up your roof, give us a call, we might be able to… 😉
Culture and history
Community Clean-Up Day
The City’s events page says Community Clean-Up Day is held on the first Saturday of May every year at the Corporation Yard on Sycamore Avenue, with a dumpsite for outdoor trash, yard clippings, tree limbs and more. You must be a Hercules resident and show ID, and no construction materials are accepted.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
The Cultural Festival
The City says the Cultural Festival, a City-sponsored event run by the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce, is typically held the first Sunday of June at Refugio Valley Park, from about 11 am to 6 pm, with live music, local performers, food trucks and vendors, and that it is free. The Chamber’s calendar lists the next one for Sunday, June 6, 2027.
City page and Chamber calendar, read Oct 25 2026
See 10 more
Lunar New Year Parade and Festival
The Bay Front Chamber of Commerce’s calendar lists the 3rd Annual Hercules Lunar New Year Parade and Festival for Sunday, February 14, 2027. The parade starts at 1 pm on Refugio Valley Road between Hercules High School and Hercules Middle School, and entertainment and food trucks follow at the Hercules Community Center. The Chamber, the City of Hercules and Yee’s Martial Arts host it.
Chamber’s pages, read Oct 25 2026
Summer movie nights
The City says it holds three free movie nights in the park during the summer, also called Friday Family Flix & Fun, with food trucks and a storywalk from the Hercules Library; movies start after sundown.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
National Night Out
The City says National Night Out is observed on the first Tuesday in August every year at Refugio Valley Park, a night that focuses on the community and promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
Bay Front Festival and Run
The City says the Bay Front Festival and Run is held on the first Sunday of October. The Chamber runs it for the City, with a run along Bayfront Boulevard and the Bay Trail.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
Halloween in Hercules
The City’s annual Halloween event, Trunk or Treat with a pumpkin carving contest called PUMPKATAAZ, is held the Friday before Halloween at the Hercules Community Swim Center. Both are free to the Hercules community, the City’s page says.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
Holiday Tree Lighting
The City says the Holiday Tree Lighting is held at the Hercules Community Swim Center on the first Sunday in December every year; Santa lights the tree, and the event is free.
City page undated, edited in 2026, read Oct 25 2026
The Hercules Library
The City says the library was built by the City, the State of California and Contra Costa County, with donations from civic organizations and individuals, and was completed in November 2006. It has a Teen Homework Center, two meeting rooms, three study rooms and the Friends of the Hercules Library Bookstore.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Hercules Village
The Historical Society says visitors can see 20 restored workmen’s homes on Bay and Pinole streets, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More in The story of Hercules, below.
Society page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Historic Highway 40
The Historical Society put up 12 “Historic US 40 Route” signs along Hercules’s part of the old highway. More in The story of Hercules, below.
Society page undated, read Oct 25 2026
How Hercules got its name
Hercules was the brand name of the plant’s dynamite. More in The story of Hercules, below.
Community
Hercules Historical Society
Formed in July 1982 and incorporated in 1985, the Society’s main focus is the restoration and preservation of the historical aspects of the City of Hercules. Its general meetings are held in person on the second Wednesday of each month at the Society’s History Center, and the public is welcome to attend.
Society’s About page, read Oct 25 2026
Bay Front Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber runs the City-sponsored Cultural Festival and Bay Front Festival and Run, and with the City hosts the Lunar New Year Parade and Festival. Its calendar also lists its Crab Feed for Saturday, January 23, 2027, from 4 pm to 10 pm at the Hercules Community Center.
Chamber’s calendar, read Oct 25 2026
See 1 more
Groups the City recognizes
The City’s list of approved nonprofit organizations for 2026 names 14 groups, among them the Friends of the Hercules Library, the Hercules Community Garden, the Hercules Senior Citizens Club, the Hercules Sister City Association and the Rotary Club of Hercules.
City list headed 2026, read Oct 25 2026
City rules and regulations
The County’s building codes
The City’s code adopts by reference the County’s 2025 building codes (County Ordinance 2025-19, approved November 4, 2025).
City code, Title 9
What the City’s re-roof handout asks
The City’s Residential Re-Roofs handout says a permit is required before a re-roof begins and that every re-roof needs two inspections.
City handout undated; it cites the 2019 California codes
See 5 more
Where roof water may go
The City’s code bars “roof runoff” from the City’s sanitary sewer, and its Code Enforcement page says: “Only rainwater can be discharged into a storm drain.”
City code section 5-4.06; Code Enforcement page undated, read Oct 25 2026
What counts as a mature tree
The City’s mature-tree chapter defines a mature tree as a living tree with a trunk diameter of 12 inches or more at “breast height,” roughly 4-1/2 feet above the ground, and counts removing more than a third of its foliage as removal, except for periodic maintenance suited to the species.
City trees
The City’s Tree Trimming Program promotes the health and continued growth of the City’s trees along streets and in open space, with annual inspections and maintenance trimming of City trees.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Hazardous trees and fire-hazard vegetation
The City’s nuisance chapter lists as public nuisances overgrown vegetation that causes a fire hazard, and dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous trees, weeds and other vegetation that constitute a danger to public safety and welfare or are detrimental to nearby property.
When you buy or sell A fire inspection at a sale
The State’s sale rule, Civil Code 1102.19, says a seller of a home in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, as the State identifies them, must give the buyer documentation that the property complies with the State’s clearing law or with local vegetation management ordinances. Con Fire lists compliance inspections during property sales among the programs of its Wildfire Prevention Unit. Con Fire’s own handout on this sale inspection (AB 38) says it applies when a parcel with a structure is sold in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and the parcel is within the District. The seller emails the parcel’s address to info@cccfpd.org, applies and pays the fee, and an inspector then contacts them to schedule; the handout says this “can take up to 5 working days.” The inspector is usually on site one to two hours, the owner does not have to be there, and the findings, with pictures of anything that falls short, come by email. A parcel that does not pass gets a list of the work and a second visit, and if it still does not comply when the sale closes, the seller and buyer can sign a written agreement that the buyer will get documentation of compliance within one year after closing. The handout says to request the inspection “Prior to closing.” It names no town and prints no fee amount, so a Hercules seller emails the address first to learn whether the parcel is in a zone.
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
Need a hand with this? Roofing
Storms, flood and drainage
Street drains
The City’s Storm Water page says staff inspect about 300 catch basins a year, and that catch basins and storm drain mains are cleaned twice a year, before and after the rainy season. Here a catch basin is a street drain, not the gutter on a roof.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Creeks and ditches
The City says its V-ditches are inspected and maintained between July and August every year, and that its Creek Maintenance Program, which clears excessive vegetation along Refugio Lake, Refugio Creek and Ohlone Creek, is done every year and finished before the winter storm season.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
See 2 more
Refugio Creek
The City’s Safety Element says the lower channel of Refugio Creek has a history of overflowing, and that storm water floods Refugio Valley in periods of heavy rain and runoff that coincide with high tides, when a backwater effect keeps flood water from reaching San Pablo Bay. It calls localized flooding “a recognized hazard in some areas of Hercules but does not threaten structures.”
Safety Element, updated May 13, 2025
Flood information for a property
The City’s Flood Hazards page sends residents who want flood information for a property to a request on Hercules Connect or to FEMA’s online flood maps. On FEMA’s map viewer, flood hazard areas follow the Bay shoreline and the creeks; to check an address, use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.
City page undated, read Oct 25 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Check back Hercules Healthy Homes: check back
The City’s Affordable Housing page says the City is partnering with Rebuilding Together East Bay Network to provide free home modifications to qualified homeowners in Hercules, and that the program can help homeowners make minor repairs or modifications to assist them in aging in place and ensure their homes are safe and healthy. The home must be in the City of Hercules. The page says: “Funds are limited and income limits apply.” Rebuilding Together East Bay Network’s application says: “We receive applications from more homeowners than we can serve. We do maintain a fixed waiting list.” It also says the average turnaround is 2 to 8 months and describes the home modifications as fully subsidized. No page says the program is taking applications now.
Read Oct 25 2026
Habitat for Humanity home repairs
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley’s Home Repair page lists Hercules among the Contra Costa cities where its services are currently available, and names roof repairs among its critical repairs, with upgrading electrical systems, replumbing, flooring replacement and replacing windows. Its program for seniors, run with Rebuilding Together East Bay Network, offers free home safety modifications; its repair loans are for mobile homes. The income limits on its page are $95,050 for one person and $135,750 for four; the page lists the other household sizes.
Read Oct 25 2026
See 15 more
County-wide County weatherization for income-qualified households
The County’s Weatherization Program is “a Federal and State-funded program whose purpose is to assist low and/or fixed income people in making their homes more energy-efficient,” and the City’s Code Enforcement page lists it among its resources. The County’s FAQ says the program is available to all parts of Contra Costa County, costs nothing, and bases qualification on the gross monthly income for the home. The improvements the County lists include ceiling insulation, gas furnace, stove and water heater repair or replacement; roofs and gutters are not named. The program page says: “Call 925-655-2714 to get an application.”
County pages read Oct 25 2026
County-wide BayREN EASE Home: weatherization for income-qualified homes
BayREN’s EASE Home page says: “BayREN covers 80% of the cost for essential weatherization upgrades, including insulation and duct sealing. Your portion is capped at 20% of the project cost.” To qualify you must live in a single-family home (four or fewer units) built before 2010, be a PG&E customer, and have a household income “under or at 120% AMI.” Its income tool lists Contra Costa among nine Bay Area counties, and the page shows an Apply Now button.
Read Oct 7 2026 from the county sheet, and Oct 25 2026
County-wide Free creek consultation for owners
The County’s Private Creek Maintenance page says the Streamside Management Program for Landowners, offered by the California Urban Streams Partnership, “can provide free advice about creek care, restoration, and maintenance for Contra Costa County Residents.”
Read Oct 8 2026 from the county sheet
County-wide Check back Neighborhood Preservation Program: check back
The County’s page says: “Due to overwhelming interest in the program, the Neighborhood Preservation Program currently is not taking new applications.” and “Please continue to check back for more information.” The City’s Code Enforcement page lists the program as not accepting new applications as of February 2024. The program offers rehabilitation loans of up to $70,000, one at 1% simple interest over 15 years, amortized, and one at 1% simple interest over 30 years, deferred; grants of up to $15,000 are for mobile home owners and single-family homeowners without enough equity. The County’s FAQ names roof repair/replacement among the work it typically covers. Income limits start at $95,050 for one person and are $135,750 for four; the County’s page lists the other household sizes. To qualify you must not live within the incorporated limits of the cities of Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg or Walnut Creek, which leaves Hercules in, and must have owned and lived in your Contra Costa County residence for at least 6 months.
Read Oct 25 2026; the page is undated
County-wide Check back Con Fire’s Low-Income Exterior Hazard Control Program: check back
Con Fire’s Measure X page says the program “assists eligible low-income property owners with exterior hazard removal, including overgrown or dead vegetation, weeds, combustible debris, and tree litter,” with up to $1,500 in hazard control or weed abatement work; it names no roof or gutter work. The County’s Wildfire Mitigation Program flyer says: “Anyone within Contra Costa County, regardless of their local fire district or department, can apply for a Wildfire Mitigation Program, as long as they meet the requirements for the specific program.” and describes this program as “Reimbursement of up to $1,500 for property owner expenses spent on exterior hazard control or weed abatement.” Con Fire’s page gives no date or open or closed word.
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
County-wide Check back Con Fire’s Home Hardening Outreach Program: check back
Con Fire’s Measure X page says: “This program will provide education and resources to help homeowners make their homes more resistant to wildfire. Coming soon – check back for details on how to apply.”
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
County-wide Check back Con Fire’s community wildfire projects: check back
Con Fire’s Measure X page says the program “offers residents the opportunity to identify, propose, and apply for projects that make communities safer and more resilient to wildfire.” The project types it lists include community chipping days, which are available to Firewise communities or neighborhoods with at least 10 participating homes, evacuation route cleanups, Firewise USA community plans, removal of dead or dying trees in common or open spaces, and shaded fuel breaks. The page gives no date or open or closed word. It does invite residents to send in a project through its Wildfire Mitigation Project Application Form, for the Fire Prevention team to consider; whether a Hercules neighborhood’s proposal would be taken now is not on the page, and Fire Prevention’s number there is 925-941-3300.
Con Fire page, read Oct 25 2026
Check back PG&E Energy Savings Assistance: check back
PG&E’s page says the program improves the comfort, health and safety of homes with appliance upgrades and home repairs for renters and homeowners, “All at no charge.*”, in a house, mobile home or apartment at least five years old, and that its income guidelines are “Valid through May 31, 2027.” The page names no county or town; Hercules is in PG&E’s gas and electric territories. The page does not say whether a home whose electricity comes from MCE qualifies; PG&E’s program specialists take that question at 1-800-933-9555.
Read Oct 25 2026
Check back MCE Home Energy Savings: check back
MCE’s Home Energy Savings page offers a free in-home home energy assessment and, to qualifying single-family homeowners and renters in MCE’s service area, “Free home energy upgrades – valued at up to $7,000 – such as attic insulation, duct sealing, and more.” Hercules is an MCE member community, but the page’s list of neighborhoods its partner is visiting now does not include it, and the page says home assessments and upgrades are scheduled based on location, one community at a time. Roofs and gutters are not named.
Read Oct 25 2026
County-wide Diablo Firesafe Council: Five Easy Actions
The Council says: “To assist residents in Alameda and Contra Costa County, DFSC offers a free program called Five Easy Actions, an informative, 90-minute hands-on talk to discuss home hardening for your FIREWISE group.”
Read Oct 7 2026 from the county sheet
County-wide Check back Diablo Firesafe Council cost-share: check back
The Council’s page says: “Up to $3,500 of cost-share funds is available to reduce your fire risk.” It also says: “DFSC has temporarily closed the applications for the Partners in Wildfire Prevention fuel reduction grant match.” and “No new applications can be submitted at this time.” under the line “Update May 2025:”, and that it will reopen the application form when new funding is available. It says the Council may assist Alameda County or Contra Costa County property owners with vegetation management projects in areas designated as Priority Hazard Zones; the page does not say which areas those are or name Hercules.
Read Oct 7 and again Oct 25 2026
County-wide Check back Air District wildfire chipping program: check back
The Bay Area Air District’s free wildfire-prevention chipping, done by The Davey Tree Expert Company, is for qualifying properties in its nine counties, but its page says it is not currently accepting applications and that services will resume when additional funding becomes available. The page was last updated 9/26/2024.
Read Oct 8 and again Oct 25 2026
State-wide Check back California Safe Homes: check back
The California Department of Insurance’s October 2025 release says the California Safe Homes Act establishes “a grant program within the Department of Insurance to assist qualifying residents in obtaining new or replacement fire-safe roofs and implementing fire-safe mitigation measures within 5 feet of their homes.” The Department’s 2026 press-release list, read on October 25 2026, carries no announcement that applications have opened.
CDI release of October 2025 and its 2026 release list, read Oct 25 2026
State-wide Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt: check back
The California Residential Mitigation Program’s page says Earthquake Brace + Bolt “offers up to $3,000 for homeowners to seismically retrofit their houses”, that a retrofit “is only done on wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation”, and that registration “is open for a limited time each year.” The program’s 2025 ZIP-code list for Northern California has a row for Hercules with 94547. Its registration page, read on October 20 2026, said: “The EBB Program is currently closed.” Typing ZIP code 94547 into the program’s ZIP-code lookup on October 25 2026 gave: “The ZIP Code you entered is for an area included in the EBB Program, but registration is currently closed.”
Program pages read Oct 20 and Oct 25 2026
Insurance State fire-risk listing
The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Risk Reduction Community List 2026, effective July 1, 2026, names the Contra Costa Fire Protection District. The state’s insurance department says its Safer from Wildfires pages recognize two community-wide programs, Firewise USA and Fire Risk Reduction Communities, and that the Board of Forestry certifies Fire Risk Reduction Communities. What that is worth on a given policy depends on the insurer’s own filing: ask your insurance company or agent. The Board’s designation form for the District names the body and no territory, so the form does not say whether the listing reaches the Hercules territory Con Fire took in on July 1, 2025.
Effective July 1, 2026
Who serves your home in Hercules
- Fire: Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire), which serves 13 cities, Hercules among them, the County’s page says.
- Water: EBMUD; the City’s page names it as the water provider, and EBMUD’s board page lists Hercules in Ward 1.
- Sewer: The City’s own sanitary sewer system, which carries wastewater to the Hercules-Pinole JPA treatment plant, the City’s page says.
- Garbage: Republic Services; the City’s page says every residence is required to have curbside waste collection.
- Electricity: MCE, a community choice provider; its page lists Hercules as a member community since 2025. PG&E continues to deliver the electricity, handle the billing and maintain the power lines, MCE’s FAQ says.
- Gas: PG&E, whose service-area page lists Hercules in both its Contra Costa gas territory and its electric one.
- Storm drains: The City of Hercules, which says its storm drains are underground pipes designed to prevent flooding on the streets and sidewalks, with the water eventually flowing into San Pablo Bay.
- Flood control: The Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, whose page says it covers all of Contra Costa County, including its cities.
- Schools: The West Contra Costa Unified School District, for the majority of residents, the City’s page says; residents on the border of Hercules and Rodeo are within the John Swett Unified School District.
- ZIP codes: Most of the city lies in ZIP code 94547; part of its east side lies in 94572, for which USPS recommends the city name Rodeo and also recognizes Hercules as a name for addresses in it.
- Permits: The City’s Building Department & Permit Services, on Civic Drive, with the building inspections provided by the County.
Useful links: West Contra Costa Unified School District · John Swett Unified School District (for the Hercules-Rodeo border) · Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire), including its local-area fire hazard severity zone maps · City of Hercules: Storm Water and Flood Hazards · City of Hercules: Building Department and Permit Services · City of Hercules: Community Events · Hercules Library · Hercules Historical Society · Bay Front Chamber of Commerce · East Bay Municipal Utility District · MCE (community choice electricity) · Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) · Republic Services (Hercules) · Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District · Contra Costa County Community Warning System alerts
The homes of Hercules
About 44 percent of Hercules’s homes were built in the 1980s, and about 78 percent are single-family houses, detached or attached, our own calculations from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables. The City’s Housing Element says Hercules “was developed as a community of single-family dwelling units and has primarily remained as such.”
From the late 1890s
The company village
The 1979-80 National Register form describes the village’s houses as two-story “pattern book” wood-frame houses with hip roofs, with Queen Anne cottages and bungalows among them; the form is that document’s account of its day.
Before 1980
The older neighborhoods
The City’s Code Enforcement page says homes built before 1980 include much of the Trees and Flowers neighborhoods and portions of the Birds, Astronauts and Valley Run.
1980s and after
Production subdivisions and custom estates
The City’s Housing Element says most of Hercules’s residential neighborhoods were developed during the 1980s and later. Its Land Use Element describes the low-density single-family category as suburban “production” subdivisions with a limited number of models, two or three different exterior designs, and its Estate category as custom-built, individually designed homes.
Since 2003
Live/work buildings
Live/work buildings are a part of both the Promenade and Bayside neighborhoods, the City’s history page says.
Waterfront District
Italianate, Victorian and Craftsman
The Housing Element says new single-family detached homes there are required to follow one of three design styles, and are meant not to be “conventional ‘tract houses'” with a few special details applied.
Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation
The story of Hercules
History and character
The Historical Society says humans occupied these lands about 6,000 years ago, and that generations of indigenous peoples walked the routes across Refugio Valley; today’s San Pablo Avenue traces one of the main routes.
The City’s history page says the California Powder Works had plants near Santa Cruz (1861) and near Golden Gate Park (1869), and that as San Francisco grew the company was forced to find a more rural location.
In 1879, the City says, that location was found, and the Hercules plant opened in 1881 and began producing dynamite. The Historical Society says the company bought a 44.94-acre piece of Rancho El Pinole from the Martinez heirs in 1879 and grew the site to about 3,000 acres, extending two miles up Refugio Valley.
The City and the Historical Society both say the name is the brand of the dynamite, which the company sold as Hercules Powder; the City adds that the Greek hero was chosen as the product’s name to showcase how potent it was. The Mineralogical Record, a mineral collectors’ magazine, says the choice of the Hercules name was “a deliberate jab” at the rival Giant Powder Company, because it was Hercules who had slain the giants.
The Society says the railroad station on the site was first named Powning, for the company’s general manager, and was renamed Hercules when he retired in 1894: “The name of the product had become the name of the place.”
In the late 1890s, the Society says, a large home called White Columns was built for the plant’s superintendent, along with 12 cottages for workers and their families, and the company-owned village eventually grew to some 100 houses and duplexes. It had no retail district, but it did have a clubhouse, a post office and a rail depot.
The town incorporated in 1900, and the City says Hercules remained a company town until the 1970s.
In spring 1918, the Society says, the need for housing was never so great as when hundreds of workers were hired to build the TNT plant; they were advised to bring a blanket.
San Pablo Avenue was designated US 40 in 1926, and Interstate 80 was built in 1959, the Society says; the City says San Pablo Avenue, which bisects the City, is part of Historic Highway 40, the main artery into town before Interstate 80 was built.
In the 1940s, the City says, the company decided to build a fertilizer plant; dynamite manufacturing was discontinued in 1964, and Hercules Powder was renamed Hercules, Incorporated.
A refinery opened in Hercules in 1966 and provided hundreds of good paying jobs for residents, the City says; Pacific Refinery ceased refinery operations in August 1995 and dedicated the land to the City in 2000.
The City’s first general plan, in 1972, divided the city into “villages,” each a subdivision of homes, to make a bedroom community.
In 1974, the City says, Centex Homes of California bought the first section of the company’s land, a large residential area near modern day Lupine Road, and the first housing subdivisions came in 1975.
Hercules Elementary, now Lupine Hills, opened in 1976, and Ohlone Elementary the following year with close to 100 students enrolled, the City says.
In 1976 Hercules, Inc. sold the plant to Valley Nitrogen Producers, the City says, and a strike and economic conditions led to its permanent closure; the Historical Society says industrial production of chemicals continued until 1977.
In 1980, Hercules Village, the plant’s company village, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The City says Hercules was growing so quickly in the 1980s that it was the fastest growing suburb in California: Sycamore Place and Creekside shopping centers opened, new parks including Refugio Valley and Foxboro were created, and the Civic Center and Community Swim Center, drawn up in the 1980s, opened in the early 1990s.
In 2000, the City says, officials involved the community in a charrette, and over 300 participants outlined what they wanted to see for their community. The City’s plan names four neighborhoods: Hilltown, the Waterfront, the Central Corridor and the Hospitality District.
Residential building in the lower Refugio Valley began in 2001, the Society says, after the upper valley was subdivided from 1972. In 2003, the City says, several new home subdivisions began opening, including Victoria by the Bay and Promenade, and the Bayside and Baywood neighborhoods a few years later.
Hercules, roof and gutters
The City’s Safety Element says much of Hercules lies in the lower part of Refugio Valley, beside San Pablo Bay, and that the valley floor is fairly level. The City’s Open Space and Conservation Element, its account of 1998, describes the city’s property as “gentle-to-steep grass-covered hills with trees clustered in the water courses and on the hillsides.”
Yearly rain averages about 20 inches at the two nearest stations of the weather service’s own cooperative network, Vallejo (21.49 inches) and Martinez WTP (19.39 inches), by NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals. At both, November through March brings 83 to 84 percent of the year’s rain, and June through September together bring about 0.3 inch.
The Open Space and Conservation Element says Refugio Creek and its tributaries drain the bulk of the city into San Pablo Bay, and that the creek “is not in its natural channel, apparently having been straightened, deepened, and channeled by the former Hercules Powder Company property owners in the early part of the century.”
The same element names eucalyptus groves, mostly blue gum, as the dominant non-native tree masses in Hercules, says the City has considered removing some of them over fire hazard and falling limbs, and says fallen eucalyptus debris presents a street and storm drain maintenance problem. It places coast live oak woods along drainages in the southeast and on the Refugio Valley hillsides, and willows along the creeks, with arroyo willow dominant.
The median home in Hercules was built in 1988, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 table.
For the Central Hercules area, the City’s 2001 plan lists gabled, hipped, barrel-vaulted and domed roofs, shingle, tile and metal finishes, and gutters of copper, aluminum or galvanized steel, with downspouts matching the gutters in material and finish.
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
Hercules Village
The plant’s company village, a National Register historic district around Kings, Railroad, Santa Fe and Hercules Avenues, Talley Way, and Bay and Pinole Streets.
Quinan Inn
Originally a residence for the plant’s technical employees, now known as the Masonic Hall, the Historical Society says.
Hercules Library
A 21,500-square-foot library with a Sky Garden, a Children’s Garden, a story area called the Story Cone and a reading area around a fireplace.
Refugio Valley Park
The City calls it Hercules’s largest park, home of the Cultural Festival and National Night Out.
Shoreline Park
On Tug Boat Lane; the regional Bay Trail guide gives the way in from San Pablo Avenue by Victoria Crescent and Victoria Park.
How we can help in Hercules
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 Hercules
| January | Bay Front Chamber Crab Feed (Saturday, January 23, 2027) |
|---|---|
| February | Lunar New Year Parade and Festival (Sunday, February 14, 2027) |
| May | Community Clean-Up Day (first Saturday of May) |
| June | Cultural Festival (first Sunday of June; June 6, 2027) |
| July | The City inspects and maintains its V-ditches, July through August July is the driest month at the two nearest federal stations |
| August | National Night Out (first Tuesday in August) |
| October | Bay Front Festival and Run (first Sunday of October) Halloween in Hercules: Trunk or Treat and PUMPKATAAZ (the Friday before Halloween) |
| December | Holiday Tree Lighting (first Sunday in December) |
Hercules questions
What Hercules homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Hercules?
To replace it, yes: a permit and inspections apply. The City’s Residential Re-Roofs handout says a permit is required before a re-roof begins, and the City’s Building Department & Permit Services desk is on Civic Drive. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you, as most of our customers ask us to.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my property in Hercules?
The City’s mature-tree chapter says the City Council “specifically declares its intention not to restrict the removal of trees by residential property owners,” and its ban on removing mature trees covers undeveloped or partially developed property. For a particular tree, ask the City Clerk.
What should I clear from my roof and gutters for fire safety in Hercules?
The City’s Fire Prevention page says: “Additionally, you should clean your roof and rain gutters of debris such as leaves and pine needles.”
Where may the water from my roof go in Hercules?
Not into the sanitary sewer. The City’s code bars “roof runoff” from the City’s sanitary sewer, along with other storm water, surface water and groundwater, and its Code Enforcement page says: “Only rainwater can be discharged into a storm drain.”
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
Hercules neighbourhoods we serve
Hilltown
One of the four neighborhoods of the City’s Central Hercules Plan. The City’s Development Projects page lists a Hilltown project on San Pablo Avenue near Victoria by the Bay, which the City Council approved on April 14, 2020.
The Waterfront
Another of the plan’s four neighborhoods. The City’s Development Projects page lists the Waterfront, also called Hercules Bayfront, as a 40-acre mixed-use development.
The Central Corridor
Named on the City’s history page as one of the plan’s four neighborhoods, with Hilltown, the Waterfront and the Hospitality District.
The Hospitality District
The fourth of those neighborhoods on the City’s history page, after the Central Corridor.
Victoria by the Bay
A subdivision that began opening in 2003, the City’s history page says.
Promenade
A subdivision that began opening in 2003; it has live/work buildings, the City says.
Bayside
A neighborhood that opened a few years after 2003; it has live/work buildings, the City says.
Baywood
A neighborhood that opened a few years after 2003, the City’s history page says.
Hercules Village
The plant’s company village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Historic Town Center
The City’s Land Use Element says the former administrative center and some residences of the Hercules Powder Company may be an important historical asset of Hercules.
Also serving nearby: Pinole · Rodeo