El Dorado County Land for Sale

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Most land for sale in El Dorado County sits in the unincorporated West Slope, where county zoning sets the minimum parcel size and a buildable lot usually depends on a permitted well and a septic site that passes testing. Before you price a parcel, confirm its zone, whether it can support a well and septic system, and how oak trees and fire safe road standards affect where you can build. In the Tahoe Basin, a vacant lot also needs a regional planning score and a residential allocation before it can be built on.

At a glance

Where to look in El Dorado County

The county splits into the West Slope, west of Echo Summit, and the Tahoe Basin in the northeast corner, according to the County’s About Us page. Land listings tend to fall into a few settings:

• US-50 corridor. El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Rescue, Diamond Springs and Placerville have subdivision lots and semi-rural parcels. Much of this corridor is in the El Dorado Irrigation District service area, so ask whether the parcel can get a district water connection or will need a well.
• Upper US-50. Camino and Pollock Pines include orchard, forest and rural residential parcels, with wells and septic common off the main corridor.
• The Georgetown Divide. Cool real estate, along with Pilot Hill, Georgetown and Garden Valley, includes rural acreage, where the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District serves some areas and private wells serve others. Our Cool parcel jurisdiction and services guide and Cool rural water and wastewater guide show what to check for the Divide.
• South county. Somerset, Fair Play and Mount Aukum hold acreage and agricultural parcels, including vineyard land; see our El Dorado County vineyards page.
• Tahoe Basin. South Lake Tahoe and unincorporated Meyers have small residential lots, where Tahoe Regional Planning Agency rules apply on top of city or county rules.

For the differences between foothill and mountain parcels, see our foothill and Tahoe property comparison and the El Dorado County where-to-live guide. Many unincorporated parcels carry a Placerville or Shingle Springs mailing address, so confirm jurisdiction from the parcel record, not the address.

What to check before you buy

Zoning and minimum parcel size

El Dorado County’s zoning ordinance, Title 130, sets minimum lot sizes for its agricultural, rural and resource zones in Section 130.21.030. A copy of the ordinance hosted by Zoneomics lists these minimums:

"As designated" means the zone map can set a different figure for a given parcel. A 40-acre parcel zoned AG cannot be split into 10-acre lots without a rezone, and a rezone also has to fit the General Plan land-use designation. Pull the zone and General Plan designation for the exact parcel; our property use and permit research guide shows how.

Also confirm that the parcel was legally created. Under Government Code 66499.35, an owner or a buyer under contract can ask the county for a certificate of compliance with the Subdivision Map Act. If the parcel does not comply, the county issues a conditional certificate, and those conditions must be met before a later development permit.

Septic and percolation testing

Off public sewer, a building site needs an approved septic design. The county’s new sewage disposal system approval process runs from the Building Division to Planning to Environmental Health. It requires:

1. A percolation test and soil profile by a registered civil engineer, geologist or environmental health specialist.
2. At least 5 feet of soil, and 5 feet to the highest anticipated groundwater, below the leach trench.
3. Slopes of no more than 30% in the disposal and replacement area.
4. A 100% replacement area shown on the site plan.

On rocky or steep foothill land, these tests decide where, or whether, a house can go. Ask the seller for any prior perc test, or make your offer contingent on one.

Wells

The El Dorado County Water Well Program requires a permit to construct, deepen, repair or destroy a well, and licensed well drillers submit the applications. Drillers follow the California Water Well Standards (Bulletin 74-81 and supplements). Staff inspect before the permit is approved and while the annular seal is placed, and the well completion report is due within 60 days. For an existing well, the county’s septic approval page calls for a current well production report, and a well drilled after May 10, 1990 needs its own permit. Ask for the well completion report and a recent yield and water quality test. Our rural house infrastructure guide lists the records to request.

Oak trees

El Dorado County’s Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance (Chapter 130.39, Ordinance 5061, adopted October 24, 2017) applies to private land in the unincorporated county at or below 4,000 feet. Removing or impacting oak resources needs a permit unless an exemption applies. Key points for land buyers:

• Woodland mitigation rises with the share of woodland removed: 1:1 for up to 50%, 1.5:1 for 50.1–75%, and 2:1 for 75.1–100%. It can be met with an in-lieu fee, conservation easements, replacement planting or a mix.
• Heritage trees, 36 inches in diameter or more, stay subject to mitigation even when no development permit is needed.
• Exemptions include parcels of 1 acre or less that allow a house by right and cannot be further divided, and defensible space maintenance for existing structures. Initial defensible space for new development is not exempt.

If you plan a homesite, a driveway or a vineyard block on wooded land, have a consultant estimate the oak impact before you remove contingencies.

Fire safe roads and driveways

The Board of Forestry’s State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations took effect April 1, 2023. Under 14 CCR 1270.03 they cover new parcels, use permits, road construction and building permits for new construction unrelated to an existing structure in the State Responsibility Area, and in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones for approvals after July 1, 2021. Roads generally need two 10-foot traffic lanes, and driveways need a 10-foot lane with 14 feet of horizontal and 13 feet 6 inches of vertical clearance. 14 CCR 1273.08 caps dead-end roads by parcel zoning: 800 feet under 1 acre, 1,320 feet for 1–4.99 acres, 2,640 feet for 5–19.99 acres and 5,280 feet at 20 acres or more. A remote parcel at the end of a long dead-end road may need road work, or may not qualify, before a house is permitted.

If access is a shared private road, ask for the recorded easement and any maintenance agreement; see private road maintenance agreements. For insurance and access evidence, see home insurance and access in El Dorado County.

Williamson Act and agricultural land

The county’s General Plan (Policy 8.1.1.2) lists lands under Williamson Act contract as one basis for its Agricultural Districts, with procedures overseen by the Agricultural Commission. Under state law, a contract runs for an initial term of at least 10 years and adds a year automatically unless notice of nonrenewal is given (Government Code 51244), and it binds all later owners (Government Code 51243). A contract lowers the property tax assessment but limits use. Ask whether the parcel is under contract and get a copy before you plan a homesite. See our Williamson Act guide.

Buying a Tahoe Basin lot

In the basin, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency oversees development on top of city or county rules. A TRPA staff report explains that a vacant residential parcel needs an Individual Parcel Evaluation System (IPES) score, from 0 to 1,150, based on field evaluations done in 1987–1989. Parcels at or above the jurisdiction’s IPES line can apply for a residential allocation, and a parcel must obtain and use an allocation, plus the needed development rights, before it can be built on. Ask TRPA for the parcel’s score and its current status before you make an offer.

Questions people ask

What is the minimum lot size for rural land in El Dorado County?

It depends on the zone. Section 130.21.030 lists 10 acres for RL, LA and PA, 40 acres for AG, and 160 acres for TPZ, each "or as designated" on the zone map.

Do I need a perc test to build on vacant land?

Yes, if the parcel will use septic. The county requires a percolation test and soil profile by a qualified professional, plus a 100% replacement area.

Do I need a permit to drill a well?

Yes. The county requires a permit to construct, deepen, repair or destroy a well, and a licensed well driller submits the application.

Can I clear oak trees on land I buy?

Usually only with a permit and mitigation, on private unincorporated land at or below 4,000 feet. Some removals are exempt, including limited personal-use removal and defensible space for existing structures.

Does a Williamson Act contract end when land is sold?

No. Under Government Code 51243, the contract binds later owners. Ending it generally takes a notice of nonrenewal or a cancellation process.

Can I build on a vacant lot at Lake Tahoe?

Only if the parcel has a qualifying IPES score and obtains a residential allocation and development rights through TRPA, along with city or county permits.

How do I know if a parcel was legally created?

Ask the county for a certificate of compliance under Government Code 66499.35, or check whether the parcel appears on a recorded final or parcel map.

Sources & notes

1. County of El Dorado: About Us.
2. El Dorado County Zoning Ordinance, Sections 130.21.030 and 130.24.030 (Zoneomics copy of the ordinance).
3. County of El Dorado: New sewage disposal system approval.
4. County of El Dorado Environmental Management: Water Well Program.
5. County of El Dorado: Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance, Chapter 130.39.
6. County of El Dorado: Agricultural Districts policies.
7. California Government Code 51243, 51244 and 66499.35.
8. Board of Forestry: OAL approval, State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations; 14 CCR 1270.03, 1273.01 and 1273.08 (Justia copies).
9. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: How we operate and IPES line staff report.
10. El Dorado County Recorder: How to calculate recording fees.

Notes: Zone minimums come from a third-party copy of Title 130; confirm the current text and the parcel’s zone with El Dorado County Planning. The TRPA report used here concerns Placer County’s IPES line; El Dorado County’s current line was not verified. Williamson Act acreage minimums for El Dorado County, oak in-lieu fee amounts and well permit fees were not verified for this page. Statute sections were read on mirror sites and are linked to leginfo. Rules change; verify before you buy.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Updated November 2026. Primary sources are linked in this guide.

Related: El Dorado County homes · Where to live in El Dorado County · Buying land in California · Natural hazard disclosure report · California transfer tax