Home / Communities / Solano County

Solano County, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale

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

Solano County, California is a Bay Area county of 455,376 people (U.S. Census Bureau, July 2025 estimate), with seven incorporated cities and Fairfield as its seat. Its median price for an existing single-family home was $580,000 in September 2026 (California Association of REALTORS®), well below the medians in nearby Napa, Sonoma and Contra Costa counties. Most homes sit in the cities along Interstate 80; outside them, county rules govern farmland, wells and septic.

County seat
Fairfield
Population
455,376 (July 2025 estimate, Census)
Incorporated cities
7
Median price, existing single-family homes
$580,000 (Sept 2026, C.A.R.)
Transfer tax
$1.10 per $1,000; $4.40 in Vallejo
Region
One of the nine Bay Area counties (MTC)

Solano County homes for sale

Current MLS listings from across the county appear below. Our property search filters them by city, ZIP code, price or lot size, and the town guides further down explain what changes from one jurisdiction to the next.

What do homes in Solano County sell for?

Median price, existing single-family

$580,000

September 2026, C.A.R. (down 4.6% in a year)

Median sale price

$563,738

Three months to September 2026, Redfin

Median days on market

48

September 2026, Redfin (50 a year earlier)

The two medians use different methods: C.A.R. reports one month of existing single-family sales, while Redfin calculates its own figure over three months. Both show prices below a year earlier, and C.A.R. counted 9.1% fewer sales. Homes still sold near asking, at a 99.1% sale-to-list ratio (sale price divided by final list price), with a third closing above list (Redfin; C.A.R.).

MeasureFigurePeriod and source
Median, existing single-family homes$580,000 ($608,000 a year earlier)September 2026, C.A.R.
Median sale price; homes sold$563,738 (down 6.8%); 322 in SeptemberThree months to September 2026, Redfin
Sold above list / took a price cut33.4% / 22.6%September 2026, Redfin
Median value, owner-occupied homes$617,7002020–2024, Census ACS
Median owner costs with a mortgage; median rent$2,746; $2,163 a month2020–2024, Census ACS

How Solano compares with nearby counties

AreaC.A.R. median, September 2026Difference from Solano
Napa County$918,000+$338,000
Sonoma County$875,000+$295,000
Contra Costa County$870,000+$290,000
Yolo County$634,500+$54,500
Sacramento County$555,000−$25,000
SF Bay Area region$1,325,000+$745,000

Solano’s median was about 44% of the Bay Area regional figure and closer to Sacramento County’s than to any Bay Area neighbour’s, so commute and tax costs deserve as much attention as price.

Solano County towns and areas compared

Every Solano town guide on our site is in this table, each price with its own period and source. Where a place is too small for its own median, we say so.

Town or areaSettingTypical property typesPrice figureGovernment
VallejoSouth County, on the Carquinez and Mare Island straitsHomes in three historic districts; Mare Island; Hiddenbrooke golf-course area; small new subdivisions$510,000, three months to August 2026 (Redfin)City
BeniciaSouth County, on the Carquinez StraitDowntown and Arsenal historic-district homes; hillside and waterfront homes$822,456, three months to August 2026 (Redfin)City
FairfieldCentral County; county seat beside Travis AFBSingle-family subdivisions; golf-course lots; the planned Train Station area$600,000, three months to August 2026 (Redfin)City
Suisun CityCentral County, on Suisun MarshResale homes; new construction (Meridian, from $592,000 in October 2026); downtown waterfront projects$534,769, ZIP 94585, three months to August 2026 (Redfin)City
Green ValleyCentral County, west of Fairfield on the Napa lineRural homes on wells or the Lakes Water System with septic; vineyard land; Middle Green Valley lotsNo local median; ZIP 94534 (shared with Fairfield) $719,689, three months to August 2026 (Redfin)Unincorporated
VacavilleNorth County, on I-80Subdivisions under eight specific plans, some with special taxes; foothill parcels$609,597, August 2026 (Redfin)City
DixonNorth County, on I-80 toward DavisNew subdivisions in CFDs; older resales; farm parcels outside the city$612,235, ZIP 95620, August 2026 (Redfin)City
ElmiraNorth County, beside VacavilleSmall townsite and rural parcels on wells and septicToo few sales for a median (Redfin, ZIP 95625, August 2026)Unincorporated
Rio VistaEast County, on the Sacramento River in the DeltaTrilogy at Rio Vista (age-restricted 55+, single-family); the rest of town; Delta acreage$424,769, three months to June 2026 (Redfin’s latest)City

Benicia’s median was almost twice Rio Vista’s, while Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon sat between $600,000 and about $612,000. The periods differ, three rows are ZIP figures and Elmira has none, so use the table for orientation and price a specific home from nearby comparable sales.

Where Solano County’s residents live

JurisdictionPopulation, July 2025Land, sq mi (2020)
Vallejo123,28730.42
Fairfield122,48941.59
Vacaville103,85029.87
Suisun City29,4544.01
Benicia26,40112.81
Dixon21,1167.10
Rio Vista10,5236.60
Unincorporated (our arithmetic)About 18,256About 689

Census QuickFacts figures; the last row is the county total (455,376 people, 821.83 square miles) minus the seven cities. About 4% of residents live outside a city, on about 84% of the land, so county well, septic and zoning rules govern most of the county’s acreage.

Regions of Solano County

These four regions are our editorial grouping, not official districts.

South County: Vallejo and Benicia

Vallejo, the largest city, has the county’s ferry to San Francisco and Mare Island, the West Coast’s first naval station (1854–1996), where an October 2024 draft plan estimates room for up to 14,000 homes. Benicia, the state capital in 1853–54, has the highest city median; Valero ended fuel production at its refinery there on April 30, 2026 (Argus Media). Toll bridges on I-80 and I-680 link this shore to Contra Costa County.

Central County: Fairfield, Suisun City and Green Valley

Fairfield is the county seat, with Travis Air Force Base on its eastern edge. The county’s two Capitol Corridor stations are here, one in Fairfield and one in downtown Suisun City, a 4.01-square-mile city on Suisun Marsh that is lead agency for California Forever’s annexation request. Unincorporated Green Valley, to the west, has its own wine appellation and the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan, under which supervisors approved tentative maps in 2022 for 322 residential lots and 27 large lots.

North County: Vacaville, Dixon and Elmira

Vacaville has grown through eight adopted specific plans. Dixon added about 2,100 residents from 2020 to 2025 and, since suspending its 1986 growth cap in 2023, has approved The Campus/Dixon 257 (up to 1,041 homes) and is studying Harvest at Dixon (about 999 acres). Elmira, an unincorporated railroad town from 1868, had 193 residents in 2020.

East County: Rio Vista and the Delta

Rio Vista, on the Sacramento River, is reached by State Route 12 from Fairfield or Lodi. In the Montezuma Hills to the southwest, state filings place SMUD’s Solano 4 wind project in the Solano County Wind Resource Area, and California Forever owns or controls about 69,000 acres in this part of the county (The Vallejo Sun, August 2026), so read rural title reports for wind leases.

Special taxes and assessments new-home buyers meet, by city

Newer subdivisions often sit in community facilities districts (CFDs, or Mello-Roos districts), which add a special tax to the property tax bill for bonds or ongoing services. This is what each jurisdiction publishes, as of October 2026.

JurisdictionWhat the record showsAmounts we could verify
DixonFive CFDs: Valley Glen, Parklane, Valley Glen 2, Homestead and Citywide Services (2024-1)CFD 2024-1: $770 a year per single-family home in 2024/25, rising 4% a year “in perpetuity”; bond districts show totals only
VacavilleCFD 13 (Lower Lagoon Valley) and police-and-fire services districts2023/24 per detached home: CFD No. 9 $1,296.00; CFD No. 12 $1,408.84; both CPI-adjusted yearly
FairfieldChapter 18A makes sellers list taxes and assessments owed to the city, school, irrigation and sewer districtsNo per-home city rates found
Suisun CityNo CFD chapter in the code; the Meridian builder page lists no HOA or special-tax detailsNone published
Fairfield-Suisun UnifiedKeeps its own Mello-Roos page for both citiesList could not be read
Vallejo, Benicia, Rio Vista, county landNo CFD list locatedCheck the tax bill; in Rio Vista, ask about levee assessments

For any home, get the seller’s Mello-Roos notice, which Civil Code §1102.6b requires a seller to make a good-faith effort to obtain; a private-source notice must show the annual tax, the maximum, the allowed yearly increase and the end date (Civil Code §1102.6b). Add Fairfield’s Chapter 18A statement and the latest tax bill. Watch the escalator: Dixon’s $770 levy passes $1,000 in 2031/32 by our arithmetic (City of Dixon), while Vacaville’s are indexed to the San Francisco CPI (City of Vacaville).

Travis Air Force Base: noise, disclosures and land-use limits

Travis Air Force Base, home of the 60th Air Mobility Wing and its C-17 Globemaster III aircraft (Travis AFB), reaches home buyers through three sets of rules.

  • County compatibility plans: the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission keeps plans for Travis (2024 file), Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville (1988) and Rio Vista Municipal Airport (2024), and reviews city and county zoning against them (Solano County ALUC). In August 2024 it voted 6–1 to add a Low Altitude Maneuvering Zone with a 2-nautical-mile radius around two waypoints southeast of the base, restricting new residential development and uses such as schools and hospitals there and setting a 200-foot height limit (Daily Republic).
  • Fairfield’s noise notice: the Chapter 18A disclosure flags aircraft noise north of Air Base Parkway east of Clay Bank Road, and south of it east of Walters Road, and says the city doesn’t permit homes above the 60-decibel contour.
  • The state notice: under Civil Code §1103.4, a natural hazard expert preparing a report for a buyer determines whether the property is in an airport influence area and, if it is, includes a “Notice of Airport in Vicinity” about possible noise, vibration or odors (Civil Code §1103.4).

Eastern Fairfield is in the Travis Unified School District, and the April 2025 Suisun City–Rio Vista annexation agreement pledged to protect the base (KQED).

Near the base or either airport, read the hazard report’s airport section, check the title report for deed notices or avigation easements, and visit at different times of day before removing contingencies.

Flood, levees and the Delta

Flood questions cluster at the county’s water edges, the Sacramento River, Suisun Marsh and the bay shore, but inland drainage matters too.

  • Rio Vista: the city has a flood hazard chapter and a floodway zoning district, and in 2017 it filed notice of a feasibility study of flood risk along the Sacramento River’s west bank from Marina Creek to the Mellin Levee (State Clearinghouse). Ask who maintains the nearest levee.
  • Suisun Marsh: the Suisun Resource Conservation District covers more than 115,000 acres and is responsible for water management on privately owned marsh land; the Suisun Marsh Preservation Act passed in 1977 (Suisun RCD). Suisun City lists BCDC and the Army Corps among its planning partners.
  • Inland: Fairfield and Suisun City have floodplain chapters, Dixon points buyers to FEMA panel 06095C0200F (revised August 2, 2012), and the Solano County Water Agency runs the Ulatis and Green Valley flood control projects (SCWA).

Part of Solano County, including Rio Vista, lies in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, which the Delta Protection Commission describes as 738,000 acres in six counties, Solano among them. In the Delta’s Primary Zone, the commission works to make local land-use decisions conform with its Land Use and Resource Management Plan, and it can appeal those decisions and hear appeals brought by others; it also advocates for levee funding (Delta Protection Commission). Ask whether a Delta parcel is in the Primary Zone before planning to build.

The Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement shows FEMA flood and dam inundation areas (Civil Code §1103.2); check every parcel on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. First Street’s model on Redfin, not an official map, shows how exposure varies:

AreaSevere flood risk, 30 yearsSome wildfire risk, 30 years
Solano County13%80%
Vallejo4%58%
Benicia4%77%
Vacaville22%82%
Dixon (ZIP 95620)56%56%
Rio Vista2%99%

County-wide rules buyers should know

Transfer tax by city

The county tax is $1.10 per $1,000 (County Code ch. 11). Each city’s half-rate share is credited against it, so only Vallejo’s conveyance tax adds to the total (Vallejo Municipal Code ch. 3.10).

WhereTotal per $1,000On $580,000
Vallejo$4.40 (county $1.10 plus city $3.30)$2,552
The other six cities and unincorporated land$1.10$638

Title-company charts list the seller as the customary payer, Vallejo included (WFG National Title), but Vallejo’s code makes both parties jointly liable, so put it in the contract.

Short-term rentals and hotel tax

JurisdictionTransient occupancy taxShort-term rental rules found
Benicia13% (Measure A, March 2024)Hosted rentals in the host’s home in residential districts; unhosted only in the downtown plan area, 120 nights a year; city permit
Fairfield12% (since January 1, 2025)No rental chapter; ask Planning
Vallejo11%Only bed-and-breakfast rules: a minor use permit, an owner or manager on site, guest stays capped at 15 consecutive days
Rio Vista10%No rental chapter found
Dixon9%Zoning question for Community Development
Vacaville8%April 2026 chapter makes platforms show the host’s city license; tax certificate isn’t a permit
Suisun CitySet by resolution (rate not confirmed)No rental chapter
Unincorporated county5%County permit, business license and TOT certificate before listing; the county treats dwellings occupied by a resident family separately from those that aren’t (Planning Services)

Rent rules by city

No Solano city has a general rent-stabilization or just-cause chapter. State AB 1482 caps increases on covered units at 5% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower, exempts housing with a certificate of occupancy from the past 15 years and many individually owned houses and condos (with the required notice to the tenant), and is set to expire January 1, 2030 (Civil Code §1947.12). Local additions: mobile home park rent control in Vallejo, mobile home rent arbitration in Vacaville, and tenant relocation assistance in Fairfield.

Fire hazard zones and AB 38

State Fire Marshal maps rate land Moderate, High or Very High; state-area maps took effect April 1, 2024, and city maps were released between February 10 and March 24, 2025 (OSFM). In High and Very High zones, AB 38 requires defensible-space documentation at sale or a buyer’s written agreement to comply within a year (OSFM bulletin). The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned 363,220 acres across five counties; its Hennessey Fire destroyed dozens of homes in Vacaville’s English Hills and forced evacuations in Rancho Solano and Paradise Valley in Fairfield and in neighbouring Green Valley Highlands (CBS Sacramento).

Water, groundwater and septic

  • Supply: the Solano County Water Agency wholesales Solano Project and North Bay Aqueduct water to cities and districts (SCWA). At the tap, Dixon homes have one of two providers, Suisun City treats Lake Berryessa water through a joint authority, and about 850 Green Valley-area customers are on Vallejo’s Lakes Water System.
  • Sewer: the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District serves Fairfield, Suisun City and Travis (FSSD); beyond the cities, expect septic.
  • Groundwater: the Solano Subbasin is medium priority under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act; its plan was approved January 18, 2024 (Solano Collaborative).
  • Septic and wells: County Code Chapter 6.4 requires a permit for each septic installation or repair, and we found no inspection required at sale, so order one; wells need Environmental Health permits (Solano County Environmental Health).

Buying land: Williamson Act, Measure T and second homes

About 84% of Solano’s land is unincorporated, by our arithmetic above. The county no longer accepts new Williamson Act preserves, and existing contracts run at least 10 years (Planning Services). The 2008 Orderly Growth initiative, Measure T, bars piecemeal redesignation of farmland and open space without a public vote and is reported to sunset in December 2028. ADUs are allowed only on residential lots; agricultural lots follow “secondary dwelling” rules (county ADU page). Near Travis, check the 2024 maneuvering zone first.

Coastal zone

Solano has no Pacific shoreline, so Coastal Commission rules don’t apply. On the bay and marsh edges, the agency is BCDC, and Civil Code §1103.4 includes a BCDC jurisdiction notice in hazard reports.

California Forever and the Suisun City annexation: a dated timeline

Nothing has been approved. On October 23, 2026, the state CEQA database listed only the November 2025 notice of preparation for the Suisun Expansion Project, not a draft environmental impact report (EIR).

DateWhat happenedSource
April 30, 2024Signatures submitted for a countywide initiative for a new city of up to 400,000 people between Fairfield and Rio VistaThe Vallejo Sun
June 25, 2024Supervisors order an impact report instead of adopting the measureThe Vallejo Sun
July 22, 2024Initiative withdrawn, so it never went to voters; the county’s report had projected about $71 million in annual costs against $65 million in revenue at 50,000 residents, and the company said it would return with a full package after an EIR and development agreementThe Vallejo Sun
April 2025Suisun City and Rio Vista agree to cooperate on annexationKQED
November 12, 2025Notice of preparation: a filed project area of 22,873 acres to be annexed; a 20-year plan of 65,217 homes and 150,000 residents; full buildout of 173,913 homes and 400,000 residentsCEQAnet
May 15, 2026Reported schedule: draft EIR fall 2026, hearings spring 2027, LAFCo decision 2027 or 2028The Vallejo Sun
August 28, 2026Supervisors vote 3–2 to postpone backing a state bill for shipbuilding at Collinsville; the developer Saronic had chosen a Texas site in JulyThe Vallejo Sun
September 1, 2026First phase of a downtown Suisun City property sale to the companyCity of Suisun City

News reports and our town guides round the area to “about 22,000 acres”; the filed project area in the state notice is 22,873 acres. For buyers nearby, the draft EIR will be the document that sets out traffic, water and service effects. Our Suisun City guide covers the local side.

Getting around Solano County

  • Highways and tolls: I-80 crosses the Carquinez Bridge and I-680 the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, each $8.50 for a solo driver, charged only northbound or eastbound (FasTrak). Interstate 780 links Benicia and Vallejo, Highway 37 heads west from Vallejo, and Highway 12 runs from I-80 at Fairfield to Rio Vista, whose bridge Caltrans rehabilitated in an $11.2 million project scheduled for 2024–25 (Caltrans).
  • Capitol Corridor: Suisun-Fairfield (177 Main Street) and Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan (opened November 2017) are the only Solano stops on the line between Placer County and San Jose (Capitol Corridor).
  • Ferry: San Francisco Bay Ferry runs from Vallejo and Mare Island to downtown San Francisco in about 60 minutes, with 13 southbound weekday trips and a $10.00 adult fare since July 1, 2026 (SF Bay Ferry).
  • Airports: the City of Rio Vista puts Sacramento International Airport 50 miles from town and San Francisco International 75; the City of Dixon describes Sacramento International as about 30 minutes away.
Where workers liveMean commute, 2020–2024 (Census)
Rio Vista40.3 minutes
Vallejo34.2 minutes
Suisun City31.9 minutes
Solano County31.0 minutes
Fairfield30.7 minutes
Benicia28.7 minutes
Vacaville28.2 minutes
Dixon26.7 minutes

Wine country and farmland in Solano County

Three federal wine appellations take in Solano County land, and all three touch the Napa–Solano county line.

AppellationEstablishedWhere
Suisun ValleyNovember 24, 1982From the rail line at Cordelia past Fairfield to the Napa line (27 CFR §9.45)
Solano County Green ValleyDecember 29, 1982Between the Napa line, Highway 12 and I-80; labels must say “Solano County Green Valley” (27 CFR §9.44)
Wild Horse ValleyNovember 30, 1988Hilltops on both sides of the county line; the federal text places it in Napa and Solano counties (27 CFR §9.124)

A vineyard parcel outside city limits follows county zoning, the Williamson Act policy and county well and septic permits, and Suisun Valley also has a county strategic plan. Confirm a parcel against the federal boundary, not the listing, and see our vineyard real estate guide and vineyard buying checklist.

How Diamond Real Estate Group helps buyers in Solano County

A Solano purchase often turns on paperwork buyers see late: special-tax notices, Fairfield’s Chapter 18A statement, the hazard report’s airport section, or well and septic records on county land. We request them at the start of escrow, confirm which jurisdiction’s rules apply, and price the home against nearby sales.

Solano County real estate FAQs

What is the median home price in Solano County?

C.A.R. reported $580,000 for existing single-family homes in September 2026, down from $608,000 a year earlier. Redfin’s three-month median was $563,738, and its mid-2026 town medians ran from $424,769 in Rio Vista to $822,456 in Benicia.

Which cities are in Solano County?

Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo, with Fairfield as county seat. Unincorporated places such as Green Valley and Elmira follow county rules.

Is Solano County part of the Bay Area?

Yes: the Metropolitan Transportation Commission counts it among the nine Bay Area counties (MTC). On price it sits much closer to Sacramento County.

Which Solano city has the highest transfer tax?

Vallejo, at $4.40 per $1,000 in total, or $2,552 on a $580,000 sale, against $638 elsewhere in the county. By custom the seller pays.

Do new homes in Solano County have Mello-Roos taxes?

Some do. Dixon’s services tax started at $770 a year and rises 4% annually, and two Vacaville districts charged about $1,300 to $1,400 per home in 2023/24. Ask for the Mello-Roos notice and the tax bill.

What should I check before buying land in Solano County?

Williamson Act status, whether zoning allows an ADU or only a secondary dwelling, the well and septic permits, and any airport compatibility zone. Measure T requires a public vote for piecemeal farmland redesignation.

Can I commute to San Francisco without driving?

From Vallejo, the ferry takes about 60 minutes. From Fairfield and Suisun City, Capitol Corridor trains reach Martinez and continue toward San Jose. Elsewhere, plan to drive to a station.

Is California Forever building a new city?

Nothing has been approved. Its 2024 ballot measure was withdrawn, and it now seeks annexation to Suisun City of about 22,000 acres (a filed project area of 22,873 acres in the state notice), with a LAFCo decision reported for 2027 or 2028 after the environmental review.

Does any Solano city have rent control?

Not for ordinary rentals. AB 1482 covers non-exempt units; Vallejo and Vacaville regulate mobile home park rents only.

Where are short-term rentals allowed?

It varies: Benicia allows unhosted rentals only downtown, Vallejo’s code covers only bed-and-breakfasts with an owner or manager on site, and county land needs a permit. Hotel taxes run from 5% to 13%.

Which areas have flood risk?

The Delta around Rio Vista, Suisun Marsh and the bay shore, but First Street also rates 56% of Dixon ZIP properties at severe flood risk. Check FEMA’s map for the parcel.

How does Travis Air Force Base affect buyers?

Through Fairfield’s noise notice, the county’s compatibility plan and the state’s airport notice in hazard reports. Visit nearby homes at different times of day.

I need to sell quickly. What should I compare?

Compare a cash offer with your town’s market: homes spent a median 48 days on the market countywide in September 2026, and 74 in Rio Vista in June (Redfin). Sellers customarily pay transfer tax, and Fairfield sellers owe the Chapter 18A disclosure either way.

Sources & notes

Figures carry their dates where they appear; each town guide lists its sources in full. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; confirm rules for a specific property with the agency named. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

Explore Solano County and plan your next move

Share your preferred location, budget, property requirements and timing. We can help organize a focused search, arrange showings or discuss preparing a property for sale.

Local resource: Solano County local government. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.

Solano County: make ownership obligations visible

A useful Solano County comparison explains the home, its land, and the ongoing responsibilities together. An established city residence, a more recent development, association ownership, and an outlying property should not be reduced to a single payment or floor-area calculation.

Buying: compare the actual obligations

Use Benicia, Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, Dixon, and Rio Vista as distinct searches. Establish the address's ownership form, building condition, shared charges where applicable, and first-year work before deciding which residence fits the budget.

The ownership responsibility checklist separates included amenities from optional arrangements and recurring costs from unresolved work. Do not presume an association, particular eligibility condition, or uniform assessment simply from a city's name.

Selling: document the rights and duties behind the description

Prepare the configuration and improvement history, actual bill line items, applicable governing documents, and evidence for special features. A shared amenity, water-related right, or separate membership should be explained as the interest actually offered, not as an automatic consequence of the property's setting.

The county's official property services resource distinguishes countywide functions from planning and improvement services for unincorporated areas. Confirm jurisdiction before routing a project or record inquiry. For Elmira, identify the actual parcel and services rather than borrowing assumptions from a neighboring city.

Continue with Solano buyer representation or seller representation. Bring the property's current documents and intended use to the discussion so comparisons can focus on ownership rather than surface similarity.

Compare Listings