Mount Diablo rising over the leafy Walnut Creek valley and downtown at golden hour

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Walnut Creek, in short

Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my property in Walnut Creek?

Yes, if the tree is big enough. In Walnut Creek, a tree 28 inches around (about 9 inches across), measured 4.5 feet above the ground, needs a City tree removal permit, dead or alive. The City’s Tree Removal Permit page says none is needed for a tree under 9 inches across.

The story of Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek, from Arroyo de las Nueces, the stream of the walnuts.

The Historical Society’s account begins with a creek: the Spanish called it Arroyo de las Nueces, the stream of the walnuts, and by the late 1850s the small village at the crossing of two main roads was known as The Corners. When the post office began delivering mail in December 1862, The Corners was officially renamed Walnut Creek. The town incorporated in 1914 and, the Society says, was the fastest-growing community in California in the 1950s and 1960s.

Native Americans were the first people to live along the creeks and streams in what today is Contra Costa, the Historical Society says; the Bay Miwok tribes harvested acorns and nuts, hunted small game and pulled fish from the creeks. The Volvons lived near the peak of Mt. Diablo, and each autumn tribes met on the mountain to trade.

In 1834 the Mexican government granted Doña Juana Sanchez de Pacheco nearly 18,000 acres of land in recognition of the military service of her husband, and the grant was later renamed Rancho San Miguel in his memory. Her grandson Ygnacio Sibrian is the namesake of the valley and the road.

In 1849, the Society says, the first American settler, William Slusher, built a cabin on the west bank of Arroyo de las Nueces, also called Nuts Creek. Commerce arrived in 1855 when Milo Hough built a hotel called the Walnut Creek House near the intersection of Main Street and Civic Drive, and the Society says the town’s name may have been borrowed from that landmark.

By the late 1850s the small village was called “The Corners”, for the crossing of the road from Pacheco to San Jose and the road from Oakland to Antioch; those corners are today at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Main Street. When the U.S. Post Office began delivering mail in December 1862, The Corners was officially renamed Walnut Creek.

In 1872, after filing a subdivision map the year before, Homer Shuey laid out a larger subdivision that established the street pattern for Walnut Creek’s present-day downtown.

Hubert Howe Bancroft established one of the most successful fruit farms in the state in the Ygnacio Valley in 1885; in the 1930s the farm was awarded first place in the state for pears 8 out of 9 years, and it remained in operation until the late 1960s, when the property was rezoned and sold to developers. The Ruth Bancroft Garden now occupies land that was once part of a 400-acre fruit farm that produced walnuts and Bartlett pears.

In 1891, the Society says, the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad significantly shortened travel time between Walnut Creek and other Bay Area communities.

Hiram Penniman built the stately Colonial Revival-style house of the Shadelands Ranch in 1903; in the 1906 earthquake, the Penniman family’s letters say, the ranch was fortunate to have only the chimney fall onto the porch.

In 1914 Walnut Creek voters approved incorporation, making it the eighth city in Contra Costa County; the Society says local businessmen began the effort in order to raise local taxes to pave downtown streets. The paving project stalled for years, and in November 1921 citizens celebrated the completion of the downtown paving.

In 1917 local growers formed their own association and, a few years later, built a walnut processing plant next to the railway line; the plant closed in 1957 after most walnut groves were replaced by housing developments.

With the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Caldecott Tunnel in 1937, the Society says, Walnut Creek residents could travel by car or bus to San Francisco in less than an hour.

The Broadway Shopping Center opened in October 1951 with 38 stores; the Society calls it one of the country’s first open-air, auto-oriented malls.

In 1955 the Eichler Company developed the first major residential subdivision, a tract of “mid-century modern homes” in an orchard south of Ygnacio Valley Road, called Rancho San Miguel.

Before the creeks were “under-grounded” in the late 1950s, Walnut Creek’s namesake creek ran just to the east of downtown and parallel to Main Street.

In 1960 the I-680/Highway 24 interchange opened and Main Street no longer served as a highway. The Society says the city’s population quadrupled between 1950 and 1960 and again by 1970, and that during those 20 years Walnut Creek was the fastest-growing community in California.

Rossmoor, a gated Leisure World community for active retirees, opened in 1964 on a 2,200-acre site of the former Stanley Dollar Ranch in the Tice Valley.

In 1970 the City opened Heather Farm Park, which at around 100 acres became the community’s largest park; it began as John Marchbank’s thoroughbred horse farm, and a 1965 bond election let the City buy 50 acres of it.

In 1972 the Historical Society opened the Penniman family home as the Shadelands Ranch Historical Museum, and in 1973 BART arrived in Walnut Creek.

In 1974 voters approved a $6.75 million open space bond; its initial land purchases became the core of Shell Ridge, Lime Ridge, Sugarloaf and Acalanes Ridge, and the final payment was made in 2004.

The Lesher Center for the Arts opened in October 1990 and replaced the Civic Arts Theatre and Gallery, “The Nuthouse”, which the City had made from an old walnut warehouse.

In 2014 the city celebrated its Centennial with more than 150 community-sponsored events, and the Centennial Grove at Heather Farm Park holds 100 trees given by the community.

The Boundary Oak, a tree that lived 325 years, fell in an October 2019 windstorm; 64 artists made works from its wood for an exhibition at the Bedford Gallery.

In 2020 the failing cedar shake roof at the historic Penniman House was replaced with new, recycled aluminum roofing, the Society’s newsletters say, and the City won a public-works Project of the Year award for the job.

Read the full story of Walnut Creek

Fire safety

Your fire department

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) names Walnut Creek among the cities its services go to, and the City says it works closely with CAL FIRE and Con Fire to keep its parks and open space safe.

Pages read Oct 7 2026

The State Fire Marshal’s map of Walnut Creek

The State Fire Marshal’s map of the city’s local-area fire hazard severity zones shows High and Moderate zones and no Very High zone inside the city’s outline (read by eye from the map’s picture). The High and Moderate areas lie along the north-east, east, south-east and south-west edges, the middle and north are unzoned, and the map names no street, so it cannot tell you about one address. Measured against the Census outline of Walnut Creek, using the State’s map of local-area zones dated March 24, 2025, about 28 percent of the city’s area falls in the High zone, about 15 percent in Moderate, and about 57 percent is marked non-wildland, with no Very High zone. To see your own address, use the State’s address search or the fire district’s map.

Read Nov 5, 2026

See 4 more

The State’s 2025 maps and the district’s

The State released its 2025 local-area maps in four phases between February 10 and March 24, 2025. The district’s Local Responsibility Area Maps page says that it and the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Protection District “have adopted updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps effective July 10, 2025”, and it lists a Walnut Creek map.

District page read Oct 7 2026; undated

Clear and thin around your house

The City’s Fire Preparedness page tells owners to “Create and maintain a defensible space around your property.” For the 30 feet around your house it lists “Remove most flammable vegetation” and “Thin and maintain vegetation, clear out dead vegetation and debris”, and for the area out to 100 feet or the property line it lists “Reduce flammable vegetation” and “Provide both vertical and horizontal separation of vegetation”.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

What the City does on its open space

The City says it reduces vegetation on its open space through rotational cattle and goat grazing, provides approximately 18 miles of disked fuel breaks where possible along ridge lines, fire roads and property lines and over 10 miles of additional hand trimmed fuel breaks along open space property lines, and removes hazardous trees.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

The City’s fire and wildland-urban interface codes

The City’s code adopts the State’s Fire Code and Wildland-Urban Interface Code and, with them, the amendments of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (the district’s Ordinances 2025-14 and 2025-15), by Ordinance 2254, adopted November 18, 2025, effective December 19, 2025.

Code current through May 5, 2026

Need a hand with this? Gutter guards

Walnut Creek this month

Storm season: the City stocks five sandbag stations for residents and local businesses, and says sand and bags are available at them during the winter months.

The Walnut Creek blog starts when there is enough local news to keep it current.

Culture and history

A name from a creek and a crossroads

The Spanish called the creek Arroyo de las Nueces, the stream of the walnuts, and the village at the crossing of two main roads was known as The Corners before the post office renamed it Walnut Creek in 1862. More in The story of Walnut Creek, below.

Shadelands Ranch Museum

The Historical Society calls the Shadelands Ranch Museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, “a time capsule of turn-of-the-20th-Century Walnut Creek”. Its docent-led tours run Sundays and Wednesdays from 1 to 4 pm, each week from February through October. More in The story of Walnut Creek, below.

Society’s pages read Oct 24 2026

See 9 more

The Holiday Faire at Shadelands Ranch

Since 1983, the Society says, the Holiday Faire has been a seasonal tradition at Shadelands Ranch: the house is overflowing with handcrafted items and gifts from dozens of vendors. In 2026 it runs Saturday, November 28 to Sunday, December 13, 10 am to 4 pm daily, and admission and parking are free.

Society’s page read Oct 24 2026

Borges Ranch

The City’s Borges Ranch, a cattle ranch established in 1899 in the foothills of Mount Diablo, is open for viewing daily during daylight hours, with a monthly open house on the second Saturday from 9 am to noon. The family home is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed in 1981.

City page, undated, read Oct 24 2026

Downtown history tours and the Heritage Walk

The Historical Society’s docent-led downtown history tours run on the second Saturday of each month, March through October; they are free and registration is required. The free, self-guided Downtown Heritage Walk, on your phone, visits some 60 sites.

Society’s page read Oct 24 2026

Public art walking tours

Bedford Gallery offers one-hour, docent-led Public Art Walking Tours of the downtown public art collection every third Saturday, April through November.

Center’s page read Oct 24 2026

The tree lighting and the ice rink

The City and the Walnut Creek Downtown association light the holiday tree in Civic Park on November 20, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm; it is free and open to the public. Walnut Creek on Ice, the seasonal rink in Civic Park, runs November 20, 2026 to January 18, 2027.

Association’s pages read Oct 24 2026

Lesher Center for the Arts

The Lesher Center for the Arts, owned and operated by the City, first opened in October 1990 and says it now presents more than 900 productions and events each year. More in The story of Walnut Creek, below.

Ruth Bancroft Garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden, a preservation project of The Garden Conservancy, houses a collection of cacti, succulents and drought-tolerant plants from around the world.

Garden’s pages read Oct 7 2026

The Gardens at Heather Farm

The Gardens at Heather Farm says that, with over 6.5 acres of gardens and what it calls the renowned Cowden Rose Garden, it remains free and open to the public 7 days a week.

Garden’s page read Oct 24 2026

Rossmoor, begun in 1964

Rossmoor, a gated Leisure World community for active retirees, began here in 1964. More in The story of Walnut Creek, below.

Community

Walnut Creek Historical Society

Founded by members of the Walnut Creek Women’s Club, the Society works with the community and the City of Walnut Creek to “collect, preserve and interpret the history and heritage of the Walnut Creek area”, and keeps an archive of old newspapers, photographs and government records at the Shadelands Ranch Museum.

Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation

The City’s report says the Foundation has led multiple initiatives to maintain and restore valued forest ecosystems such as an Oak Habitat Restoration.

See 4 more

Firewise USA sites

The National Fire Protection Association’s state listing shows three California sites with the city “Walnut Creek”, all “In Good Standing”: Heather Farms HOA, Rossmoor and Beacon Ridge. Con Fire’s January 2026 release says over 40 new Firewise communities were formed in the district.

NFPA listing read Oct 7 2026

Walnut Creek Downtown

A Business Improvement District of the downtown business community, it says it promotes the downtown through advocacy, beautification, events and marketing.

Rossmoor

Rossmoor’s own site says it is a gated community in Walnut Creek’s Tice Valley, run by the Golden Rain Foundation and organized into 23 homeowners associations called “Mutuals”. The same site says “Rossmoor is part of the city of Walnut Creek”.

Community’s own pages, read Oct 7 2026

Lindsay Wildlife Experience

The Lindsay Wildlife Experience, in Larkey Park, calls itself “the country’s first wildlife hospital, a zoological organization, and an educational museum specializing in native California wildlife”.

City rules and regulations

Re-roofs need a building permit

The City’s code says: “New roof coverings shall not be applied without first obtaining a re-roofing permit.” It also requires an in-progress inspection from the City during the installation of the new roof covering, and the City’s permit FAQ lists “re-roofing” among the typical work that needs a building permit.

Code current through May 5, 2026; FAQ undated

Who may pull the permit

Permits are issued to State-licensed contractors for the work they are licensed to perform, or to owners who certify an exemption under the State’s Business and Professions Code section 7044.

Code current through May 5, 2026

See 7 more

Permits are applied for online

The City’s FAQ says all permits are obtained through its online permit portal, and that it no longer accepts permit applications or issues permits in person.

FAQ undated; read Oct 7 2026

Replacing most of a roof: the cool-roof rule

The City’s Policy Bulletin PB-039 (revised February 2, 2026) says that where more than 50% of the existing roof surface of a single-family building is replaced, including adding a new surface layer on top, the work must meet the State Energy Code’s cool-roof section 150.2(b)(1)(I), and that cool roof is not required if 50% or less of the roof surface is altered.

Bulletin revised Feb 2, 2026

Grading and lot drainage

The City’s grading chapter says building sites “shall be graded and sloped away from the building foundation with a minimum slope of two percent for a distance of ten feet on all sides of every building”, with a different rule where yard requirements are less than twenty feet. It adds that lot drainage “shall be directed toward approved drainage facilities at a minimum gradient of one and one-half percent”.

Code current through May 5, 2026

Taking out a tree

The City’s tree code says no one may cut down, destroy or remove a tree growing within the city limits without a tree removal permit, except as the chapter provides. The code also counts several stems of 40 inches or more around in all, measured four and one-half feet above the natural grade, and a tree of any size that is part of a grove.

Code current through May 5, 2026

Pruning a tree

The code allows pruning only when it enhances the tree’s structural strength, health, general appearance or safety, and says it must follow the pruning guidelines of the International Society of Arboriculture and the ANSI A-300 standard.

Code current through May 5, 2026

Street trees

The code counts as a street tree any tree within six feet of the back edge of the sidewalk, or eleven feet from the curb line where there is no sidewalk.

Code current through May 5, 2026

When you buy or sell Fire district paperwork at a sale

The State’s Civil Code section 1102.19 says that a seller of a property in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone gives the buyer documentation that the property complies with Public Resources Code section 4291 or local vegetation management ordinances. The fire district’s pages do not agree on whether its own sale documentation reaches every parcel in the district or only the High and Very High zones, and no City sale inspection was found: the City’s code lists its time-of-sale weatherization disclosure chapter as repealed. Ask the fire district’s Fire Prevention office, (925) 941-3300, before you sell.

Read Oct 2026

Need a hand with this? Roofing

Storms, flood and drainage

Sandbags

The City stocks five sandbag stations for residents and local businesses: Lancaster Road near Orchard Lane, the Heather Farm Park Ballfield 5&6 parking lot (adjacent to the Dog Park), the Larkey Park parking lot, the Howe Homestead Park parking lot and the Rudgear Park parking lot. Bags and sand are provided; shovels are not, so bring your own.

City page read Oct 24 2026; its own line still reads “As of October 13, 2025”

Check the flood map for your address

The City maintains the floodplain maps and will determine, at no charge, whether your property is within or outside the Special Flood Hazard Area, the 100-year floodplain. The City says a property in that area has a 26% chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage, and that your mortgage lender requires flood insurance if you live there.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

See 3 more

Where the storm drains go

The City says storm drains within the City carry water directly to local creeks and San Francisco Bay without treatment, so litter and other pollutants washed down a storm drain end up in the creeks. In its 2023 progress report on the hazard mitigation plan, the City says staff prepared for storms by clearing more than 6,000 storm inlets, 176 trash capture devices and 24 trash racks.

Pages undated; the report covers Aug 1, 2022 to July 30, 2023

Landslides on the hillsides

The City’s Safety Element study says development on hillside areas where steep slopes are present can exacerbate landslide hazards, and that a moderate or major earthquake could result in potentially damaging landslides.

Study of February 2026

Building in the floodplain

The City’s page says new development and building additions in Special Flood Hazard Areas must comply with Municipal Code Section 9-12, Flood Damage Prevention.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning

Programs, loans and insurance

City home repair grant, through Habitat for Humanity

The City’s page says that if you have a low income and own your home you may be eligible for a “Home repair grant for up to $20,000”, and that your household income cannot exceed 80% of Area Median Income. The City’s income table lists $95,050 for 1 person and $135,750 for 4 people at that 80% level; the page lists the other household sizes. The program is administered by Habitat for Humanity: to apply, submit a request for service on Habitat’s website or call 510-803-3388. Habitat’s Walnut Creek page says “A limited number of repair grants are available, which cost the homeowner nothing.” The City’s page lists “New roofs and gutters” among the repairs, and Habitat’s page says grants “may be approved for health and safety problems only”; the two pages differ on what the grants cover, so ask the City’s Housing line, 925-256-3544, or Habitat before you count on it for a roof or gutter job.

City and Habitat pages read Oct 7 2026

County-wide Con Fire’s low-income exterior hazard control

Con Fire’s page says its Low-Income Exterior Hazard Control Program “assists eligible low-income property owners with exterior hazard removal, including overgrown or dead vegetation, weeds, combustible debris, and tree litter”. The page calls it part of a countywide wildfire prevention initiative funded by Measure X, names no town, and gives no income limit. It offers up to $1,500 in hazard control or weed abatement work.

Read Nov 5, 2026

See 17 more

County-wide Check back Con Fire home hardening outreach: check back

Con Fire’s Measure X page says its Home Hardening Outreach 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.”

Page read Oct 7 2026

County-wide County weatherization program

The County’s page says its 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”; the work it lists includes ceiling insulation, weather-stripping of exterior doors, water heater repair or replacement and “Other minor home repairs”. The County’s FAQ says: “This program is available to all parts of the Contra Costa County.” The program page prints 925-655-2714 for an application and the FAQ prints 925-655-7214.

Page read Oct 7 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”, and your portion is capped at 20% of the project cost. To qualify you live in a single-family home (four or fewer units) built before 2010, are a PG&E customer, and have a household income under or at 120% of area median income.

Page read Oct 7 2026

County-wide MCE Home Energy Savings

MCE’s Home Energy Savings page offers qualifying single-family homeowners and renters a “Free in-home home energy assessment” and free upgrades “valued at up to $7,000”, such as attic insulation and duct sealing, if the home is in MCE’s service area. The gross annual household income limit is $63,840 for 1 person and $132,000 for 4 people; the page lists the other household sizes. Call (877) 284-1764. The page lists the places its partner is visiting and does not name Walnut Creek.

Page read Oct 7 2026

County-wide PG&E Energy Savings Assistance

PG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance page says income-qualified households can “Upgrade or repair heat pump water heaters, furnaces, lighting-even refrigerators”, at no cost, if they live in a house, mobile home or apartment that is at least five years old. The maximum annual income is $39,900 for 1 person and $82,500 for 4 people, on a table the page marks “Valid through May 31, 2027”. Apply online or call 1-800-933-9555. PG&E’s service-area page lists Walnut Creek under both its electric and its gas territories.

Page read Oct 7 2026; table valid through May 31, 2027

County-wide Free creek-side site visits for landowners

The Streamside Management Program for Landowners, run by the California Urban Streams Partnership and funded by the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, is “a free service provided to landowners in Contra Costa County, designed to assist property owners with managing lands located along creeks with erosion and flooding problems”. Staff provide a site evaluation and advice, and the page says the services are available at no charge to a Contra Costa County resident with a creek on the property.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

County-wide Wildfire site visit with the Resource Conservation District

The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District’s wildfire page invites you to “schedule a site visit to discuss wildfire prevention options available in your community” with its Fire Resilience Coordinator.

Page read Oct 7 2026

County-wide Five Easy Actions: a free home-hardening talk for a Firewise group

The Diablo Firesafe Council offers “a free program called Five Easy Actions, an informative, 90-minute hands-on talk to discuss home hardening for your FIREWISE group”. It is offered to residents in Alameda and Contra Costa County; the talk is for a Firewise group, not for one home.

Page read Oct 7 2026

County-wide Water rebates from the two water utilities

The Contra Costa Water District’s page lists a “Lawn to Garden Rebate: Get up to $2,000 by replacing your water-thirsty lawn with a water-wise landscape.” EBMUD’s page lists a “Lawn Conversion Rebate (Up to $2.00 per sq. ft.)” and says the combined landscape rebate “may not exceed $2,000” in any 24-month period for homes of four units or less.

Pages read Oct 7 2026

County-wide Check back Diablo Firesafe Council cost-share: check back

The Council’s page says it “has temporarily closed the applications for the Partners in Wildfire Prevention fuel reduction grant match” (an update dated May 2025), with no reopening notice on the page. When it is open, it offers “Up to $3,500 of cost-share funds” to Alameda or Contra Costa County property owners for vegetation management projects in the areas the Council names as priorities; the page does not say whether any Walnut Creek property is in one.

Page read Oct 7 2026; update dated May 2025

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 within its nine Bay Area counties, Contra Costa among them, 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.

Page read Oct 7 2026

Check back City ADU rebate: check back

The City’s ADU Acceleration Program page says that as of July 15, 2025, “all rebates have been claimed” and that applications are still being accepted “to create a backup list”.

Page read Oct 7 2026

State-wide Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt (California Residential Mitigation Program): check back

The program’s page says Earthquake Brace + Bolt offers “up to $3,000 for homeowners to seismically retrofit their houses”, for “wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation”. Its 2025 ZIP code list for Northern California includes 94595, 94596, 94597 and 94598, and its registration page says “The EBB Program is currently closed.”

Registration page read Oct 20 2026, in Chrome

State-wide Check back California Safe Homes: check back

California Safe Homes, a State program, is not described as open on any State page we read: the Department of Insurance’s 2026 press-release index, read November 5, 2026, lists no Safe Homes release, and its newest release is dated October 27, 2026.

Read Nov 5, 2026

Insurance The fire district’s insurance rating

Con Fire’s news release of January 21, 2026 says the district “achieved a substantial improvement in its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, advancing from a combined 3/8B and 4/9 to a uniform Class 2/2Y rating across the district”.

Release of January 21, 2026

Insurance Community-wide programs and your policy

The state’s Department of Insurance says its Safer from Wildfires pages recognize two community-wide programs, Firewise USA and Fire Risk Reduction Communities. What that is worth on a given policy depends on the insurer: ask your insurance company or agent. The Board of Forestry’s 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community List names the “Contra Costa Fire Protection District”; the district that protects Walnut Creek is the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

Page read Oct 19 2026

Insurance Flood and your homeowner’s policy

The City says homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage, which can be caused by as little as an inch of water, and that a flood policy takes 30 days after purchase to take effect.

Page undated; read Oct 7 2026

Who serves your home in Walnut Creek

Fire: Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire): the County’s page says it provides fire and emergency medical services in 13 cities, Walnut Creek among them, and the district’s Fire Prevention Bureau page lists Walnut Creek among the cities its services go to.
Water: The City says two water utilities serve Walnut Creek, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). EBMUD’s service-area page says its service area extends “eastward from San Francisco to Walnut Creek”, and CCWD’s service-area page lists “Walnut Creek (portion)”. No page read says which streets belong to which utility.
Sewer: Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San); its page lists Walnut Creek in its service area.
Garbage: The City says the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (RecycleSmart) manages solid waste services throughout Walnut Creek, and Republic Services handles service requests, billing and starting or stopping service.
Electricity: MCE, a community choice electricity provider, lists Walnut Creek as a member community since 2016; its FAQ says PG&E continues to provide electricity delivery, billing and power line maintenance.
Gas: PG&E; its service-area page lists Walnut Creek under both its electric and its gas territories for Contra Costa.
Air: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which regulates stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa among them.
Flood control: Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District; its page says its jurisdiction extends throughout the county, including incorporated areas, and that most of the county’s major storm drainage facilities are the district’s.
Storm drains: The City’s Public Works Department, Maintenance Services Division, maintains and operates the storm drains, drain pipes, catch basins and drainage channels in the city, the City’s Safety Element study says.
Assessor: Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office, 925-313-7400; its page offers a free informal value review.
Schools: The City’s General Plan says five public school districts serve Walnut Creek residents: the Lafayette School District, the Walnut Creek School District, Mount Diablo Unified, San Ramon Valley Unified and the Acalanes Union High School District.
Parks: The City’s parks page lists 19 facilities, among them Alma, Arbolado, Civic, Heather Farm, Howe Homestead, Larkey and Tice Valley parks.

Useful links: Walnut Creek School District · Mount Diablo Unified School District · San Ramon Valley Unified School District · Lafayette School District · Acalanes Union High School District · Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) · Central Contra Costa Sanitary District · RecycleSmart (Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority) · East Bay Municipal Utility District · Contra Costa Water District · City of Walnut Creek: Flood Preparedness and Sandbag Stations · City of Walnut Creek: Tree Removal Permit · City of Walnut Creek: Open Space · Walnut Creek Historical Society · Walnut Creek Downtown · City of Walnut Creek: Emergency Preparedness (WCAlert and the County Community Warning System)

The homes of Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek’s median home was built in 1974. About 66 percent of its homes were built in 1979 or earlier, about 37 percent are one-unit homes that stand apart, about 37 percent are in buildings of five or more units and about 64 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, our own calculations from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey tables.

Early 1870s

Italianate houses

The Dole House downtown is described as an Italianate house of the early 1870s, built by the local architect Eldridge Dole, and the Society calls the Italianate Leech House on North Main Street the oldest residential structure remaining on Main Street.

1901

A ranch family home

The Borges family home on the ranch was built in 1901, and the cow barn and horse barn, built in 1903 and 1905, are still standing.

The 1920s

A Spanish-style mansion

The Historical Society describes John Marchbank’s Spanish-style mansion at Heather Farm, built in the 1920s, now a church rectory.

The early 1930s

California Ranch

The National Register form classes the Stanley Dollar house as a California Ranch: a two-story, wood-frame, L-shaped house of gable and hipped roof volumes, with roofs clad in asphalt shingles and, on one facade, an aluminum gutter that conceals the exposed rafter tails.

The 1950s

Eichler homes in Rancho San Miguel

The City’s General Plan says many homes in the Rancho San Miguel area are modernist-style homes designed in the 1950s by Joseph Eichler.

1960 to 1979

The big building years

About 51.7 percent of the city’s homes were built between 1960 and 1979, our own calculation from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey table.

1964 on

Rossmoor

Rossmoor’s own site lists co-op residences, condominiums and single-family homes among its 6,676 homes.

Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation

The story of Walnut Creek

History and character