FAQs

An excavation permit is required anytime work is being done within a city street or city sidewalk area (within the public right-of-way). This includes but is not limited to the following types of projects: Repairs of sidewalk curbs and gutters; new sidewalk, curb, gutter, driveways; ADA ramps; utility work; proposed lane closures. Please see the City's Excavation Permit Application for more information.

The SMaRT Station is also a Buy-Back and Drop-Off Center. Residents may redeem California Refund Value bottles and cans or drop off household recyclable containers, scrap metal, plastic bags, cardboard and mixed paper at no charge. The Station also accepts used motor oil, vehicle fluids, fluorescent tubes, computer monitors, televisions, and hypodermic needles at no charge. Click on the link below for more information about E-waste and Hazardous Waste disposal.

Mountain View residents living in homes, townhouses, condominiums,  mobilehome parks, and multi-family dwellings (1-8 units) are eligible for On Call Plus Clean Up Days which may also be redeemed for a Voucher to the SMaRT Station. 

See Clean Up Days for more information.

Call Recology Mountain View at (650) 967-3034 to order the recycling split-cart for homes; the recycling group toters for apartments; or cardboard and mixed recycling dumpsters for businesses.

For more information visit www.MVRecycle.org or call Recology at (650) 967-3034.

Residents (1-8 unit properties) should place undecorated green or flocked trees (without metal/plastic stands) at the curbside on your recycling collection day. 

Large trees over 5 feet must be cut into 5 foot lengths so they will fit in the collection truck.  Recology Mountain View will collect trees at no charge until about the middle of January*.  After that time, residents will need to purchase an extra garbage sticker and place it on the tree for regular garbage collection or cut the tree in small pieces to fit loosely in the yard trimmings cart.  *Call Recology at 650-967-3034 for the exact dates of the holiday tree collection period.  All trees are recycled.

Apartment residents (9 or more unit properties) should contact their property manager for how to handle trees.

More information can be found at this link.

Residents living in homes, mobile homes, condos and townhouses may obtain free curbside service for appliances through the On Call Plus Clean Up Appointment Program.  There is NO charge for refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances.  Residents receive up to three appointments per year.  Appointments may also be exchanged for a free Voucher to the SMaRT Station.  Call Recology Mountain View at 650-967-3034 for more information.

See also Clean Up Programs.

Call Recology Mountain View at 650-967-3034 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.  The Call Center is closed on major holidays, but drivers are still collecting on all major holidays except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Free confidential paper shredding events are held throughout the year at the SMaRT Station for Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale residents.  Visit this link for more information.

If you cannot attend one of the three, free shredding events at the SMaRT Station and need immediate assistance, call your local office supply store which offers shredding services for a small fee.  Like the events, office supply stores will shred papers immediately or store them in a secure locked box until the papers can be shredded.

Another option is to check the telephone book Yellow Pages under "business records destruction" or "paper-shredding" for a company providing services.  Often these companies can provide curbside shredding services to residents and businesses at your location.  They typically charge residents $5-$10 per file box if you bring them to their location; or a minimum of $90 to provide curbside service at your home. If you choose the latter service, consider asking neighbors to join you and share the cost.

Recycling Carts.  Papers placed in the recycling cart are not shredded at the SMaRT Station, but are shipped to recycling processors who shred, pulp, dry and press the papers into new feedstock to make recycled papers.  

Home Shredders.  Personal shredders at home are very useful, but please be sure to place shredded papers in a paper bag, staple or roll tightly shut to prevent litter, and place in your recycling cart.  Keeping shredded papers in paper bags prevents litter and allows the entire bag to be recycled.  Please do not use plastic bags as they are not recyclable.

Read the answer below and also visit www.mountainview.gov/bags for information about the City's Reusable Bag Ordinance.

Bringing your own shopping bag is an easy way to make a difference. One reusable bag can replace hundreds of plastic and paper bags over its lifetime. Not convinced? Consider these three facts:

#1 Disposable shopping bags are not "free."
There are many hidden costs to disposable bags including resource consumption and litter clean-up. When retailers give away free bags, their costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

#2 Plastic bags are difficult and expensive to recycle. 
In California, less than 3% of plastic bags are recycled. It costs more to recycle a plastic bag than to produce a new one (due to sorting and deinking problems and the low quality of plastic used in bags). Bags get caught in conveyors and pulleys at recycling facilities, causing frequent shut downs. 

In Mountain View, plastic bags are not accepted for recycling, but you can drop clean bags off at some grocery stores or at the drop off center at the SMaRT Station.

#3 Paper bags are not better for the environment than plastic bags. 
They both have environmental impacts, including depleting natural resources and causing pollution. The production of paper bags generates 70% more air pollution and 50 times more water pollution than plastic bags.  

"Make it a Habit & Grab it" Tips

• Write "bring bags" as the first item on your shopping list or buy them at the store
• Put your coupons in your bag and keep it by the front door or hang on a doorknob
• Put your bags on the backseat, front seat, or in between the front seats
• Put a small note on the dashboard to remind you to bring them into the store if you keep bags in the trunk
• Purchase a few compact reusable bags and keep them in a purse, jacket pocket, backpack or attach to your keychain
• Teach your kids to remind you

www.mountainview.gov/bags

You can get finished compost and mulch (large pieces) at our SMaRT Station in Sunnyvale.

Recology Mountain View (formerly called Foothill Disposal) collects yard trimmings throughout the Mountain View community and brings it to the SMaRT Station in Sunnyvale for processing into mulch for top dressing soil or for composting.  The material is sent to a composting facility in  and returned to the SMaRT Station as finished landscape compost. 

The finished compost is loose (not in a bag) and available to residents of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Los Altos.  Please bring your own shovel and container to load and transport the material.  There is a limit of one truck load per week.  These materials are provided to residents at no charge.  Be sure to bring a tarp to cover your load under a new City of Sunnyvale Ordinance (or they will provide you with one for a fee).  
 
The SMaRT Station is a cooperative partnership between the cities of Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto and is located at 301 Carl Road (cross-streets Borregas & Caribbean) in Sunnyvale. 

For more information visit. www.MVRecycle.org, Composting & Yard Trimmings, or SMaRT Station, or call the SMaRT Station at 408-752-8530.  The station is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Yes, using water for health and sanitary reasons is allowed.  The best practice is to lightly rinse the cart on the private sidewalk leading up to your front door and next to your landscaping.  That will make it easier to sweep up any bits of paper or other residue after the sidewalk dries; and water will run off into your landscaping (instead of the gutter or street which flows into storm drains and the San Francisco Bay). Contact Recology at (650) 967-3034 to ask if cart cleaning services might also be available (fee may apply).

For other water regulations information, please visit this link.

Traffic signal outages should be reported to Public Works at (650) 903-6311. Signals along Central Expressway are the responsibility of Santa Clara County and signals along El Camino Real and freeway off-ramps are the responsibility of Caltrans.

Santa Clara County:  408-494-2700

Caltrans:  415-330-6500 (after hours: 510-286-6918)

The City collects leaves that have fallen onto City streets.  For the City's street sweeper to be able to pick up leaves, the leaves must be in piles no more than 3 feet wide and 3 inches deep; the street sweeper cannot pick up sticks, branches, or palm leaves. 

Leaves that have fallen onto private property must be collected by the property owner and recycled in a yard trimmings cart.  Carts are available in 64- and 96- gallon sizes from Recology.  To arrange for a special collection or order a cart, call Recology at (650) 967-3034. Visit www.mountainview.gov/yardtrimmings for more information.

Sandbags are located at the City's Municipal Operations Center at 231 N. Whisman Road. For additional sandbag locations, visit the  Valley Water website. Sandbags are generally available after November 1.  For more information, call Public Services at (650) 903-6329.

Driveway red curbing is a special type of red zone that is installed at driveways. Short sections of red curbing, typically requested by property owners, can be installed on either side of a driveway to promote better maneuverability into and out of the driveway and to improve visibility from the driveway.

Driveway red curbing can be installed to eliminate non-standard parking spaces (less than 18 feet) between driveways; a condition that sometimes leads to one or both driveways being partially blocked by parked vehicles. A typical driveway red-curb installation would include five feet of red curbing on either side of the driveway. However, the length of red curb installed at each location could be adjusted on a case-by-case basis depending on other factors, such as adjacent parking and operations at adjacent driveways. Parking restrictions for driveway red curbing is enforceable just as any other no-parking zone in the City (i.e., any vehicle, including that of the property owner, can be cited for parking in a driveway red curb zone).

If you have questions or would like to request that the City evaluate your situation to see if adding red curb would be appropriate, please use the Ask Mountain View system.

Apply at least 4-6 days in advance of date needed.  Complete the permit application and email all the required documents listed below to the Public Works Department at public.works@mountainview.gov.

• Permit Application, 
• Copy of your valid State permit, and
• Copy of check payable to “City of Mountain View” in the amount of $16 for each permit application. Check must be mailed to us the same day.

*The City of Mountain View does not issue annual oversized truck permits.

*The City of Mountain View does not issue parking permits for moving trucks (residential type, e.g. U-haul) nor does it it provide "no parking" signs for residential type moving vehicles.  

Traffic signal outages should be reported to Public Works at (650) 903-6311. Signals along Central Expressway are the responsibility of Santa Clara County and signals along El Camino Real and freeway off-ramps are the responsibility of Caltrans who may take longer to respond.

Caltrans:  415-330-6500  (after hours:  510-286-6918)

Santa Clara County:  408-494-2700

The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) offers both bus and light rail services in Mountain View. Information regarding bus routes and schedules and light rail service is available on the VTA website.

The VTA also provides paratransit service in Mountain View through ACCESS Paratransit. These specialized services provide accessibility to qualified individuals with disabilities who cannot easily use the fixed bus route or light rail system.

Please check VTA’s COVID-19 Information Center for service updates during the shelter-in-place order.

In Mountain View, there are also two shuttles:

The Mountain View Community Shuttle provides midday access to key destinations.

Mountain View Community Shuttle continues to operate during the shelter-in-place order. Please check the website for updates.

The MVgo provides commuter access between the Transit Center, North Bayshore and East Whisman.

MVgo operations have been suspended during the shelter-in-place order. Please check the website for updates.

Information regarding Caltrain commuter rail service (e.g., schedules, station locations, etc.) is available at the Caltrain website.

Caltrain is operating with reduced weekday train service during the shelter-in-place order. Please check updates on the Caltrain website.

Information regarding Caltrain’s plan to electrify its commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose is available on the Caltrain website’s Caltrain Modernization Program page.

Information regarding the California High Speed Rail project is available on the California High Speed Rail Authority website.

Information regarding the City of Mountain View’s input into the California High Speed Rail Project is available on the CHSR Activities page.

The 2015 Mountain View Bicycle Transportation Plan provides an overview of bikeways and bicycle support facilities and proposed improvements.

Downtown bike rack locations

The City offers rent-free bicycle storage. Spaces are available in the bicycle shelter located at the Downtown Transit Center, at the corner of Castro Street and Evelyn Avenue, or one of the many bicycle lockers found throughout Mountain View’s downtown.

Renting a locker or shelter space is easy. Bring a valid California Driver License (California only) or passport, a description of the bike to be locked/parked, the bike’s serial or identification number, and $25 for a one-time refundable deposit, to the Public Works Department located on the first floor of City Hall at 500 Castro Street. Once you complete and sign the rental agreement and pay the $25 deposit, you will receive a shelter access code within 72 hours or a bike locker key.

There is currently a waiting list for bicycle lockers. If you would like to have your name added to the list, please contact us at the number or e-mail address below.

Contact the Public Works Department at (650) 903-6311 or public.works@mountainview.gov if you have any questions or need additional information.

If you encounter any sewer related problems or observe sewage running into the street or drainage facilities, call Public Services immediately at (650) 903-6329.

A backup typically occurs in a home's plumbing system or the lateral (the pipe connecting your home's plumbing system with the City's sewer main). Most minor back-ups in drains or toilets may be remedied with drain cleaner or a plunger.  If you are unable to clear the line on your own, call a plumber.  If the plumber determines the problem is not in your line, call Public Services at (650) 903-6329.

A City sewer main back-up is much less common and occurs when water or materials come up through a drain, toilet, or other fixture when a home's plumbing system is not being used.  This event may indicate that the City's sewer main is blocked and wastewater is backing up into your lateral line and home, and you should immediately call Public Services at (650) 903-6329.  If you call the City for assistance with a sewer problem, try to have all vehicles moved from in front of your home to ensure the crew has access to the sewer line.

City crews will clean blockages located in the City's sewer mains.  Property owners are responsible for clearing any blockages in the home's plumbing system and the lateral pipeline that connects to the City's sewer main.  If the lateral has a property line cleanout, the City as a courtesy will clean the lateral from the property line cleanout to the sewer main.  The property owner is responsible for damage resulting from an improperly constructed lateral, including lack of required backflow prevention devices (valves on your home plumbing system that prevent water from flowing into your home from the sewer system) or illegal hookups.

To open an account and have your water turned on, call the City's Finance and Administrative Services Department at (650) 903-6317.

If you already have an active account in good financial standing, and you have no water, call Public Services at (650) 903-6329.

Mountain View’s water is characterized as soft to moderately hard, generally making water softeners unnecessary. Hardness is measured in milligrams of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) per liter. 17.1 mg/L of CaCO3 is equal to one grain per gallon of hardness. View the tables and map below for more information.

Water Hardness Scale

2012 Sampling Results

Pressure Zone & Water Source Map