Where to Live in Contra Costa County: Towns Compared by Transit, Services and Rules

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

The fastest way to narrow where to live in Contra Costa County is to pick one of its three broad corridors and then check the parcel. West County, along I-80 and the bay, has BART in Richmond and El Cerrito and a ferry to San Francisco. Central County and the Lamorinda and San Ramon Valley towns sit on the SR 24 and I-680 corridors, with BART from Orinda to Walnut Creek and Concord. East County runs out SR 4 toward the Delta, where BART ends at Antioch and many rural parcels rely on wells and septic. Within each corridor, the deciding details are whether the parcel is inside a city, which water and sewer districts serve it, and whether local rent rules apply.

This guide compares places only by housing types and lots, jurisdiction, utility service, transportation, local rules and ownership costs. It does not describe residents, safety or schools, and it gives no prices or market statistics. For listings, start on our Contra Costa County homes page.

Step one: city or unincorporated?

Contra Costa’s cities include Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Pablo, San Ramon and Walnut Creek. A large share of the county’s housing, though, sits in unincorporated communities where county planning and building rules apply, such as Alamo, Kensington, El Sobrante, Rodeo, Crockett, Port Costa, Pacheco, Bay Point, Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen and Byron, along with the Blackhawk and Diablo areas near Danville.

Mailing addresses blur the line. A Walnut Creek or Danville address can belong to an unincorporated parcel, and Alamo and Kensington have no city government of their own. Confirm jurisdiction by assessor’s parcel number before you rely on any rule below, and see our unincorporated Contra Costa County page for listings outside city limits.

Town-by-town comparison

The table summarizes verified service and transit differences. Water and sewer entries describe typical service; confirm the provider for the exact parcel.

Place	Jurisdiction	Typical housing and lots	Water	Sewer	BART and ferry
Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo	Cities	In-town lots, hillside homes, condos, small multifamily	EBMUD service area	EBMUD treatment area begins in Richmond; confirm local collector	Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza; Richmond ferry
Kensington, El Sobrante	Unincorporated	Hillside single-family lots	EBMUD service area	Confirm district	No station; El Cerrito stations nearby
Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, Crockett, Port Costa	Cities (Pinole, Hercules); others unincorporated	Subdivisions, waterfront and hillside homes, small historic lots	EBMUD service area (runs north to Crockett)	Confirm district	No BART station
Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga	Cities	Wooded and hillside single-family lots, some townhomes	EBMUD service area	Central San	Orinda, Lafayette; none in Moraga
Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill	Cities	Single-family lots, condos, townhomes, large planned developments	EBMUD in western parts; confirm by parcel	Central San	Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre
Danville, San Ramon, Alamo	Cities; Alamo unincorporated	Subdivisions, planned communities, larger lots and estate parcels	EBMUD service area (San Ramon Valley); confirm by parcel	Central San	No BART station
Concord, Clayton, Martinez	Cities	Single-family lots, condos, townhomes; rural edges	CCWD region; confirm retailer	Central San treats Concord and Clayton; collects in Martinez	Concord, North Concord/Martinez
Pittsburg, Bay Point, Antioch	Cities; Bay Point unincorporated	Subdivisions, townhomes, older in-town lots	CCWD region; confirm retailer	Confirm district	Pittsburg/Bay Point, Pittsburg Center, Antioch
Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, Bethel Island, Byron	Cities (Brentwood, Oakley); others unincorporated	Subdivisions, waterfront homes, farm and ranch parcels	Districts in town areas; wells common in rural areas	Districts in town areas; septic common in rural areas	No BART station

Sources for each column are in the sections below.

Water, sewer and septic

The western and central county is largely East Bay Municipal Utility District territory. EBMUD says its water service area runs from Crockett in the north to San Lorenzo in the south and east to Walnut Creek, including the San Ramon Valley. Its wastewater treatment area is narrower, running along the bay from Richmond south to Oakland, so most Contra Costa homes send sewage to another district.

For much of central county, that district is Central San. Its services table lists wastewater collection and treatment for Walnut Creek, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, San Ramon, Alamo, Martinez and Clyde, and treatment only for Concord and Clayton, which run their own collection lines. Some Martinez addresses are in a separate sanitary district instead.

Farther east, the Contra Costa Water District describes its mission as delivering drinking water to central and eastern Contra Costa County. Homes in that region may be billed by CCWD or by a city water department that buys from it, so check the most recent water bill.

Outside district boundaries, especially in the Delta and the rural east county, expect a well and septic system. Contra Costa Environmental Health requires a permit at each step of a new septic system, from site and soil evaluation to construction, plus a monitoring program for alternative systems. For wells, the county requires a bacteriological test on existing wells, a four-hour pump test showing at least 3.0 gallons per minute sustained on new wells, and at least 100 feet between a well and the septic tank and leach field. Ask the seller for permit records and test results. Our guide to Contra Costa land and agricultural property covers rural parcels in more depth.

Transportation: BART, ferry and highways

BART’s station list includes 12 stations in Contra Costa County: Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte and El Cerrito Plaza in the west; Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, Concord and North Concord/Martinez in the center; and Pittsburg/Bay Point, Pittsburg Center and Antioch in the east. Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, Alamo, Pinole, Hercules, Brentwood and Oakley have no station of their own. Housing being built next to one station is covered in our post on El Cerrito Plaza BART housing.

By water, San Francisco Bay Ferry runs a daily Richmond route to downtown San Francisco. By car, I-80 serves West County, SR 24 crosses the hills from Oakland through Orinda and Lafayette to Walnut Creek, I-680 runs north-south from Martinez through Walnut Creek, Danville and San Ramon, and SR 4 is the main road into Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood.

Rental rules

Statewide, the Tenant Protection Act limits most rent increases to 10% or 5% plus inflation, whichever is lower, over 12 months, and adds just-cause protections after a tenant has been in place 12 months, according to the California Attorney General. Local ordinances may go further.

Richmond has its own Rent Program under the Richmond Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction and Homeowner Protection Ordinance, which separates fully covered and partially covered units. The program’s page shows a 2026 Annual General Adjustment of 1.5% on a June 17, 2026 board agenda for tenancies that began before September 1, 2025; confirm the adopted figure and its effective date with the program. Other cities in the county have adopted their own tenant protections in recent years, and we track them in East Bay rent stabilization by city. If you are buying with tenants in place, read buying property with tenants first.

Short-term rental rules were not verified against current official pages for this guide. Check the city’s code, or the county’s for unincorporated parcels, and see our overview of California short-term rental rules.

Ownership costs that differ by town

Transfer tax. Every California county may levy a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 under Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911, as the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder explains for its own county. Some Contra Costa cities add a separate city tax. We could not open an official Contra Costa County or city rate page for this guide, so ask the title company for the city rate on your parcel and see California transfer tax for who customarily pays.

Association and district charges. Planned communities and condo projects carry association dues and reserve obligations; our condo and townhome reserve analysis explains what to read. Sanitary, water and special-assessment charges vary by parcel. Request the current tax bill, track each item with our property responsibility ledger, and plan for a supplemental tax bill after closing.

Building a short list

Pick a corridor: West County (I-80, BART, ferry), Central and Lamorinda (SR 24, I-680, BART), or East County (SR 4, BART to Antioch).
Decide whether you need public sewer or are comfortable with a septic system.
If you will rent the home, read the city’s rent rules first.
Confirm jurisdiction, water provider, sewer provider and tax-bill charges for the exact parcel.

Town pages to start from: Richmond real estate, Point Richmond real estate, Hilltop Richmond real estate, El Cerrito real estate, San Pablo real estate, Kensington real estate, El Sobrante real estate, Pinole real estate, Hercules real estate, Rodeo real estate, Crockett real estate, Port Costa real estate, Orinda real estate, Lafayette real estate, Moraga real estate, Rheem Valley Moraga real estate, Canyon real estate, Walnut Creek real estate, Rossmoor real estate, Pleasant Hill real estate, Pacheco real estate, Martinez real estate, Concord real estate, Clayton real estate, Alamo real estate, Danville real estate, Diablo real estate, Blackhawk real estate, San Ramon real estate, Pittsburg real estate, Bay Point real estate, Antioch real estate, Oakley real estate, Brentwood real estate, Discovery Bay real estate, Knightsen real estate, Bethel Island real estate and Byron real estate.

We can pull parcel records and listings for your short list; start on our Contra Costa buyer page or contact us.

Questions people ask

Which Contra Costa towns have a BART station?

Richmond, El Cerrito (two stations), Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, Concord (two, including North Concord/Martinez), Pittsburg (two, including Pittsburg/Bay Point) and Antioch.

Is there a ferry from Contra Costa County to San Francisco?

Yes. San Francisco Bay Ferry runs a daily route from Richmond to downtown San Francisco.

Is Alamo a city?

No. Alamo is unincorporated, so county planning rules apply. Central San provides its wastewater collection and treatment.

Who provides sewer service in Walnut Creek and Lamorinda?

Central San collects and treats wastewater for Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, Alamo and Martinez, and treats wastewater for Concord and Clayton.

Who supplies water in East Contra Costa?

The Contra Costa Water District serves central and eastern Contra Costa, sometimes through city water departments. Rural parcels often rely on private wells.

What does Contra Costa require for a private well?

Existing wells need a bacteriological test from a state-certified lab; new wells need a four-hour pump test of at least 3.0 gallons per minute and must sit 100 feet from the septic tank and leach field.

Does Richmond have rent control?

Yes. Richmond’s Rent Program administers the Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction and Homeowner Protection Ordinance, with full and partial coverage categories and an annual general adjustment.

Sources & notes

Notes: Contra Costa County’s own website could not be opened for this guide, so the county’s Urban Limit Line, short-term rental ordinance, tenant protections for unincorporated areas and the recorder’s transfer tax page were not verified, and no city transfer tax rates are given. The list of cities and unincorporated communities follows the county’s established boundaries; confirm any parcel’s jurisdiction with the assessor. Water and sewer entries marked "confirm" were not verified for that area. Rules change; verify before you buy.

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

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