Cazadero, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Cazadero is an unincorporated community in west Sonoma County, California, inland from the lower Russian River along Austin Creek, where property means rural homes and land under county rules. Sales are rare: Redfin recorded a single sale, at $405,000, in the three months ending September 2026, so there is no meaningful local median. Fire history, water, septic and road access decide more about a Cazadero purchase than the comparable sales do.
- County
- Sonoma County
- Government
- Unincorporated (Permit Sonoma)
- ZIP code
- 95421
- Recent sales
- 1 in the 3 months to Sept 2026 (Redfin)
- Housing units
- About 287, ±82 (Census ACS 2020–2024)
- Elementary schools
- Montgomery Elementary; Fort Ross Elementary
Cazadero homes for sale
Current MLS listings in Cazadero appear below. With so few homes on the market at any time, set up a saved search on our property search that also covers Monte Rio, Duncans Mills and Guerneville.
What do homes in Cazadero sell for?
1
3 months to September 2026, Redfin
$405,000
3 months to September 2026, Redfin
$475,000
3 months to August 2026, Redfin
One sale isn’t a market. Redfin’s Cazadero figures for the three months to September 2026 describe a single transaction: $405,000, $596 a square foot and 47 days on market (Redfin). The nearest towns with enough sales to read are on the river, and their housing differs: Monte Rio’s median was $475,000 and Guerneville’s ZIP code median $557,374 over recent three-month windows, against $875,000 for Sonoma County in September 2026.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold, Cazadero | 1 | 3 months ending September 2026, Redfin |
| Price, $ per square foot and days on market of that sale | $405,000; $596; 47 days | 3 months ending September 2026, Redfin |
| Housing units and households, Cazadero census area | About 287 units (±82) and 209 households (±75) | 2020–2024 American Community Survey, Census Reporter |
| Monte Rio median sale price | $475,000 | 3 months ending August 2026, Redfin |
| Guerneville (ZIP 95446) median sale price | $557,374 | 3 months ending June 2026, Redfin |
| Sonoma County median | $875,000 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
When we price a Cazadero property, the useful comparables are usually a year or more of sales across the ZIP code and nearby hills, adjusted for acreage, water source, road and fire exposure. A list price built on one recent sale deserves a second look.
Where Cazadero is and who sets the rules
Cazadero is a census-designated place with its own ZIP code, 95421, and no city government. Permit Sonoma handles zoning, building, well and septic permits and vacation rentals. Its online Parcel Search shows each parcel’s zoning, its groundwater-availability class, its supervisorial district and any Williamson Act contract, which is the first stop before you make an offer on land (Permit Sonoma). At closing, only the county’s transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies.
The county’s Coastal Zone map labels both Cazadero and Fort Ross, but most Sonoma County parcels sit outside the zone. Coastal parcels carry “CC” in their zoning and need coastal permits for most work, so check the zoning line rather than the mailing address.
The Walbridge Fire and fire risk today
The 2020 Walbridge Fire is the recent fire to know about here. It was one of the lightning fires CAL FIRE grouped into the LNU Lightning Complex, which started on August 17, 2020, burned 363,220 acres across five counties and was contained on October 2 (CAL FIRE). Sweetwater Springs Water District’s 2021 hazard plan puts the Walbridge Fire alone at 55,209 acres and notes that CAL FIRE has identified the Guerneville/Cazadero area as a “historic wildland fire corridor” (Sweetwater Springs Water District).
The county’s evacuation log shows its reach. From August 18, 2020, orders and warnings covered the Austin Creek recreation area, the Cedars, Mill Creek Road, Meyers Grade Road, Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road and East Austin Creek. Parts of the zone “near the community of Cazadero” were downgraded on September 1 and 2, and every Walbridge warning was lifted on September 9 (Sonoma County Emergency Management).
- Zone and disclosure: look up the parcel on CAL FIRE’s map. The state-area zones took effect April 1, 2024 (Permit Sonoma). A High or Very High rating brings AB 38 into the sale: either a defensible-space inspection done in the six months before closing, or a signed agreement that the buyer completes the work within a year.
- Burned slopes: after the 2020 fires the county warned that burn areas face “a significantly higher risk of flooding and debris or mud flows” in heavy rain. Walk the slope above a house as carefully as the house.
- Insurance: ask for quotes before your inspection contingency runs out. The state’s May 2026 update said the FAIR Plan added about 16,000 residential policies in the first quarter of 2026, a slower pace than through 2025 (California Department of Insurance).
If the 2020 fire reached the property, ask the seller for everything that documents it: debris-removal records, tree work, rebuilt structures and their permits, and any insurance claims. A clean answer makes the insurance conversation easier.
Water, wells and septic in Cazadero
Cazadero is outside the Sweetwater Springs Water District that serves Monte Rio and Guerneville, and Permit Sonoma’s water and sewer referral list names no provider for it (Permit Sonoma), so plan on a private well or a small shared system. The county’s February 2019 storm report shows how exposed small systems can be: a Cazadero water system with 33 connections serving about 70 people was put under a boil-water notice, and fire departments handed out drinking water in the Cazadero and Monte Rio area (Sonoma County Emergency Management).
Wells
- New wells need a county permit under County Code chapter 25B, amended in 2023. Low-use residential wells on a single parcel don’t need meters (Permit Sonoma).
- Building a new home in a marginal or scarce groundwater area requires a dry-weather well test, and an ADU can trigger one between July 15 and October 1.
- The county reports that a court order requiring it to suspend non-emergency well permits has been temporarily stayed since March 27, 2025, and it will post any change. If your plan depends on drilling a new well, check that status first.
- On a shared system, get the written water-sharing agreement and any testing history.
Septic
Sonoma County has about 37,000 septic systems in its unincorporated area, and its 2026 septic manual was approved by the Regional Water Board in June 2026 (Permit Sonoma). Nothing in the county rules requires a septic inspection at sale, so order one: tank pumping, a leach-field check and the permit record with its bedroom count. Systems with supplemental treatment carry an operational permit with twice-yearly monitoring. For raw land, budget for a septic site evaluation, with soil profiles and wet-weather testing, before you count on a building site. Our guide to wells and septic in Sonoma County lists the inspections in order.
Roads, storms and power
Winter access is part of the due diligence here. In the February 2019 storm, county emergency managers logged “100s of landslides impacting roadways” countywide after 48-hour rain totals of “upwards of 12 inches in the higher elevations of the County.” On the Weather Service’s flood list for the Guerneville river gauge, Austin Creek Road in Cazadero floods at 40 feet, and Highway 116 closes west of Duncans Mills at 39 feet (NOAA National Water Prediction Service). The river crested at 45.38 feet that February.
Storms cut power in west county too. In January 2023 the county opened community support centers with charging stations for residents without power, including one at the Fort Ross Visitor Center (Sonoma County Emergency Management).
- Ask who maintains the road to the house. If it’s private, get the road maintenance agreement and its cost history.
- Look at culverts, retaining walls and cut banks on the drive in, and ask about past slide repairs.
- Price a generator and fuel storage, and ask how a well pump runs during an outage.
- Sonoma County Transit’s river route, Route 20, begins at Monte Rio’s Creekside Park and runs to Santa Rosa; its stop list doesn’t include Cazadero.
Austin Creek State Recreation Area and Armstrong Redwoods
Austin Creek State Recreation Area, about seven miles north of Guerneville, covers about 5,683 acres by State Parks’ count and has 20 miles of trails. It shares its entrance with Armstrong Redwoods at 17000 Armstrong Woods Road in Guerneville. As of State Parks’ latest notices, all camping, including the 23-site Bullfrog Pond campground and the backcountry camps, is closed, the Gilliam Creek Trail is closed and trails are closed to pack animals; the Armstrong page ties the camping closure to the Walbridge Fire. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, 805 acres, protects old-growth redwoods including the Parson Jones Tree, more than 310 feet tall. Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods operates Austin Creek under an agreement with State Parks.
For other places to walk, see our guide to Sonoma County hiking trails.
Renting out a Cazadero property
Whether a Cazadero property can be a vacation rental depends on its zoning, and then on the county’s full set of approvals: a zoning permit, an annual license, a certified property manager and a transient occupancy tax account (12%, plus a 2% tourism assessment for operators above $350,000 a year). Permit Sonoma allows rentals in certain resource and rural development (RRD), agricultural and rural residential districts. It doesn’t allow them on Williamson Act contract land, in an ADU, or in a yurt, tiny home on wheels or other temporary structure (Permit Sonoma). Guest numbers are capped at 12 and can be lower where the septic permit is smaller.
The county’s “Austin Creek” vacation-rental cap zone is the one its April 2023 announcement places “near Guernewood,” so check the county’s map rather than reading the name as a Cazadero limit (Permit Sonoma). Long-term rentals fall under the county’s tenant protection ordinance, with just-cause rules from the first day. See our guide to Sonoma County vacation rental rules before you buy for income.
Schools and services
- Elementary: two K–8 districts have schools in Cazadero, Montgomery Elementary at 18620 Fort Ross Road and Fort Ross Elementary at 30600 Seaview Road (California Department of Education). Which one serves a parcel depends on the address.
- High school: confirm the assignment for the address with the West Sonoma County Union High School District.
- Power: Sonoma Clean Power supplies electricity by default, delivered over PG&E’s lines.
Cazadero compared with nearby areas
| Area | What’s different from Cazadero |
|---|---|
| Monte Rio | On the river, with Sweetwater Springs public water and a $475,000 median (3 months to August 2026, Redfin); flooding is the main hazard |
| Guerneville | Public sewer from the Russian River County Sanitation District; about 4,100 residents (ACS 2020–2024) and a $557,374 ZIP median (3 months to June 2026, Redfin) |
| Duncans Mills | A County Historic District on Highway 116 inside the Coastal Zone |
| Jenner | On the coast; the Local Coastal Plan describes it as a second-home development platted in 1914 |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Cazadero buyers
Rural west county property rewards slow, specific homework. We pull the parcel’s zoning and groundwater class from Permit Sonoma, look up the fire zone, ask for the well log, yield test and septic permit, and find out who maintains the road. If the property was inside the 2020 evacuation zones, we ask for the fire-recovery paper trail, and we get insurance quotes started early.
For land and building questions, see our guide to land, building lots and ADUs in Sonoma County, and for acreage, ranch and acreage property in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County real estate guide and our buyer services cover the rest.
Selling a home in Cazadero
Cazadero has no town government; Permit Sonoma keeps the building, well and septic files for every parcel. On a rural west county parcel, a complete file belongs in the listing alongside the photos. Our Sonoma County selling guide covers the statewide disclosures.
Records worth gathering early
- Fire recovery. For a house repaired or rebuilt after the 2020 Walbridge Fire, the permits and final inspections, plus debris-removal and tree-work records.
- Water. The county’s water and sewer referral list names no provider for Cazadero. Provide the well completion report, any yield and quality tests, or the agreement and test history for a shared system.
- Septic. The permit, the bedroom count it was designed for and pumping receipts. A system with supplemental treatment needs an operating permit renewed every June 30, with monitoring reports each March and October, and you signed a promise to tell the next owner.
- Access. Any private road maintenance agreement, what you have paid toward it, and permits for slide, culvert or retaining-wall repairs.
- Coastal parcels. If the zoning includes the coastal “CC” designation, nearly all past work needed a coastal permit unless exempt; include those approvals.
Defensible space
If the parcel lies in a High or Very High fire hazard severity zone, Civil Code 1102.19 calls for compliance documentation obtained within six months before the sale contract. The alternative is a written agreement that the buyer will obtain it within a year after closing. For parcels in the State Responsibility Area, request the inspection from Permit Sonoma’s Fire Prevention Division by email; there is a fee. Our AB 38 inspection guide explains both routes.
Rentals and tax
If you have rented to guests, show the zoning permit, license and hotel-tax history as they are. The county issues the license to an owner, so a buyer applies again. At closing only the county documentary transfer tax applies, $1.10 per $1,000, which is $550 on a $500,000 sale. In Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller customarily pays it, though the parties can agree otherwise; our guide to California transfer tax has worked examples.
State rules add three written items: the smoke alarm statement, the water heater bracing certification and the notice on noncompliant plumbing fixtures. When the records are together, request a Cazadero home valuation built on a longer run of rural sales.
Sources for this section: Permit Sonoma: SAN-006 water and sewer referral list; Permit Sonoma: Operational Permit and Monitoring Program; Permit Sonoma: Form WLS-043, acknowledgement of operational permit requirement; Permit Sonoma: Property sales inspections (AB 38); Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19; Permit Sonoma: Vacation rental permit and license application; Permit Sonoma: Local Coastal Plan frequently asked questions; County of Sonoma Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 13113.8; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 19211; California Public Law: Civil Code section 1101.4.
Cazadero real estate FAQs
Where is Cazadero, California, and what county is it in?
Cazadero is in west Sonoma County, inland from Monte Rio and Duncans Mills on the lower Russian River. It’s unincorporated, so Sonoma County sets its rules, and its ZIP code is 95421.
How much do homes in Cazadero cost?
There’s no reliable median: Redfin recorded one sale, at $405,000, in the three months to September 2026. Nearby Monte Rio’s median was $475,000, but river-town homes differ from Cazadero’s rural parcels, so price each property on its own comparables.
Was Cazadero evacuated in the 2020 Walbridge Fire?
Areas around it were. County orders from August 18, 2020 covered the Austin Creek recreation area, Mill Creek Road and East Austin Creek, and the zone near Cazadero was downgraded on September 1–2. All Walbridge warnings ended on September 9.
Can I get fire insurance on a Cazadero home?
Price and availability vary by parcel, so get quotes early, and expect insurers to ask about defensible space, roofing and vents. The FAIR Plan is the fallback when private carriers decline.
Do Cazadero homes have public water?
Not from a large district: Cazadero is outside Sweetwater Springs, so expect a private well or a small shared system. Ask for the well log and a recent yield and water-quality test, or the shared system’s agreement and testing history.
Can I buy land in Cazadero and build a home?
Yes, if the parcel can support a well, a septic system and fire-safe access. Start with Permit Sonoma’s Parcel Search for zoning and groundwater class, then a septic site evaluation and, in drier groundwater areas, a dry-weather well test.
Can I rent my Cazadero property to vacationers?
Possibly, in eligible rural zones, with a county permit, license, certified property manager and TOT account. Not on Williamson Act land, in an ADU or in a yurt or tiny home on wheels.
Who manages vacation rentals in Cazadero?
Every permitted vacation rental in the unincorporated county must name a certified vacation rental property manager, who handles complaints. Permit Sonoma keeps the list of certified managers.
Does Cazadero flood?
Its low roads can. The Weather Service lists Austin Creek Road in Cazadero as flooding at 40 feet on the Guerneville gauge, a level the river passed in 2019.
Is Austin Creek State Recreation Area open?
State Parks’ notices list all camping, including Bullfrog Pond, as closed, along with the Gilliam Creek Trail, and trails are closed to pack animals. Check the notices before you go.
What schools serve Cazadero?
Montgomery Elementary and Fort Ross Elementary are K–8 public schools in Cazadero, each its own district. Confirm the elementary and high school assignment for the address.
Is there public transit to Cazadero?
Sonoma County Transit’s Route 20 doesn’t list a Cazadero stop. It begins in Monte Rio and runs through Guerneville and Sebastopol to Santa Rosa.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: Cazadero housing market (September 2026), Monte Rio and ZIP 95446; Census Reporter: Cazadero CDP, ACS 2020–2024; C.A.R.: September 2026 report
- CAL FIRE: LNU Lightning Complex; Sonoma County Emergency Management: Walbridge evacuation orders, rain-ready guidance, February 2019 storm report and January 2023 storm report; Sweetwater Springs Water District hazard plan (2021)
- Permit Sonoma: fire hazard severity zones, well ordinance, septic manual, zoning and Parcel Search, vacation rentals and April 2023 rental changes
- NOAA National Water Prediction Service: Russian River at Guerneville; California State Parks: Austin Creek SRA and Armstrong Redwoods; CDE: Montgomery Elementary and Fort Ross Elementary; California Department of Insurance (May 2026)
Figures carry their dates where they appear, and we refresh market numbers every quarter. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; confirm the rules for a specific property with the agency named. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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: Sonoma County community directory. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
