Twin Peaks, San Francisco: Hillside Homes, Condos & Real Estate Guide
The Twin Peaks neighborhood is the band of steep residential streets on the eastern slopes below the two summits, centered on Corbett Avenue, Burnett Avenue and upper Market Street. Its Assessor and MLS code is 5D, and the 2025 roll lists about 690 parcels there, most of them condominium units and apartment buildings rather than houses.
Other streets with many parcels include Portola Drive, Gardenside Drive, Romain Street, Perego Terrace, Crestline Drive, Graystone Terrace and Parkridge Drive. Clarendon Heights borders it to the northwest and Corona Heights to the north, Eureka Valley lies downhill to the east, and Diamond Heights and Midtown Terrace in District 4 are nearby to the south and west.
Twin Peaks homes for sale
Twin Peaks market report
The peaks above the streets
The two summits reach about 925 feet. They are known as Eureka (north) and Noe (south) and stand about 660 feet apart; only nearby Mount Davidson is higher within the city.
- Recreation and Park manages the Twin Peaks Natural Area, about 31 acres, which is habitat for the endangered Mission blue butterfly.
- Christmas Tree Point, about 70 feet below the north peak, is the main viewpoint.
- A reservoir on the north side feeds the city’s high-pressure firefighting water system, built after 1906.
- In 2016 a pilot made the west side of the figure-eight road two-way and kept the east side for people walking and cycling; check the city’s current plans for that roadway.
Sutro Tower, completed in 1973, rises from the hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, just beyond the neighborhood’s northwest edge.
A building stock from the 1940s to the 1980s
Most of District 5 was built before 1920. Twin Peaks is the exception, and its parcel mix shows it.
- Single-family houses: about 130, with a median recorded build year of 1947, a median of about 1,460 square feet and lots of about 2,290 square feet. Only about 35% predate 1940.
- Condominium units: about 350, with a median build year of 1979.
- Apartment buildings: about 140, of which about 120 have five or more units, holding about 1,380 units with a median build year of 1964.
The largest buildings on the roll show the pattern:
| Address | Units | Recorded build year |
|---|---|---|
| 125–135 Gardenside Drive | 58 | 1982 |
| 646 Corbett Avenue | 41 | 1967 |
| 120 Portola Drive | 32 | 1962 |
| 725–737 Burnett Avenue | 24 | 1968 |
| 2 Parkridge Drive | 24 | 1967 |
| 801 Corbett Avenue | 21 | 1962 |
Those mid-century and later buildings are a different product from the Victorian flats in the valleys below. Our San Francisco condo guide covers the HOA documents they involve.
RM-1 zoning on a hillside
On the Assessor’s roll, RM-1, a low-density apartment district, is the most common code at about 370 parcels, followed by RH-2 (about 115), RH-1 (about 70) and RH-3 (about 45), plus a few RH-1(D) and public parcels. Condominium parcels carry no code there.
The Central Neighborhoods Large Residence SUD (Planning Code Section 249.92) draws its southwestern edge along Portola Drive and the eastern fork of Twin Peaks Boulevard, so the residential blocks on the inside of that line fall under its 3,000-square-foot cap on new or enlarged units. An expansion of less than 15% is exempt, and permitted additions from the previous ten years and any unpermitted space count toward the total.
Planning’s map service also flags slopes of 20% and 25% or more, which matter for any addition or new building. This is general information, not legal advice; ask an architect or land use attorney about a specific parcel.
Landslide zones and steep lots
An envelope drawn around the 5D parcels returns 17 mapped landslide polygons on Planning’s seismic hazard layer, more than around any other District 5 subdistrict checked for these pages. The same envelope returns no liquefaction zone.
The Natural Hazard Disclosure in a sale reports mapped seismic hazard zones. For an existing home, the useful questions are about retaining walls, drainage, any past slope repairs and the foundation; our hazard maps guide shows how to check a parcel.
About half of the larger apartment buildings date from before 1964. If one of them is wood-frame, has at least five units, stands three stories tall (or two over a basement) and had its building permit applied for before 1978, DBI’s soft-story program applies, so confirm its retrofit status.
The 37 Corbett and the tunnel below
The 37 Corbett is the neighborhood’s bus. SFMTA’s route page shows it running from Parkridge Drive and Burnett Avenue along Crestline Drive, Burnett, Portola Drive and the length of Corbett Avenue down to Market and Castro streets, then on to the Haight. It runs about every 20 to 30 minutes from 6 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends until 10 p.m.
No Muni line reaches the summit; the closest stop is on Crestline Drive, near a path up the hill. Below the peaks, the Twin Peaks Tunnel, completed in 1918, carries the K, L and M lines between Castro station and the southwest of the city.
Selling a home in Twin Peaks
View, light, parking and building quality do most of the work in a Twin Peaks sale. Buyers comparing two condos on Corbett Avenue will look past the view to the HOA’s finances and the building’s age.
- Condominiums: the HOA budget, reserve study, minutes and any special assessment history, since reserves for roofs, siding and garages matter in buildings of that age.
- Houses: the 3R report, permits for any lower-level rooms, and geotechnical or retaining-wall records.
- Apartment buildings: a rent roll, leases and soft-story status; see our San Francisco multifamily guide.
For the city’s own sale requirements, see our guide to San Francisco selling requirements; HOA and building questions usually come up first here. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as HOA document services or geotechnical engineers; you’re free to choose any provider.
Questions people ask
How high are Twin Peaks?
The two summits are about 925 feet high and about 660 feet apart. Mount Davidson, nearby, is the only higher natural point in the city.
What kind of housing is most common in the Twin Peaks neighborhood?
Condominium units and apartment buildings, mostly from the 1960s to the 1980s. The roll lists only about 130 single-family houses.
Is Twin Peaks in a landslide zone?
Parts of it are. Planning maps 17 small landslide polygons around the neighborhood and no liquefaction zone, so check each parcel.
Can you take Muni to Twin Peaks?
The 37 Corbett serves the residential streets and stops on Crestline Drive near a path to the summit. No line goes to the top.
What zoning applies in Twin Peaks?
Mostly RM-1 low-density apartment zoning on the Assessor roll, with RH-1, RH-2 and RH-3 house districts on other blocks.
If you are pricing a Twin Peaks condo or house, or comparing buildings before you buy, we can pull the HOA, permit and sales records together for you. Request a home valuation, browse the rest of the district on our District 5 page, or go back to the San Francisco guide.
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts, property classes, build years, zoning codes and street addresses by neighborhood code, queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (special use districts, Article 10 historic districts, landmarks, open space, area plans, cultural districts, seismic hazard zones; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning Code (via GoCodebook): Sec. 249.92, Central Neighborhoods Large Residence Special Use District
- Wikipedia: Twin Peaks (San Francisco) (elevations, park and road history; background only)
- Wikipedia: Sutro Tower (height, completion, location)
- SFMTA: 37 Corbett route (streets, stops and service hours)
- Wikipedia: Castro station (location, opening date, lines)
- Wikipedia: Eureka Valley, San Francisco (development history; background only)
- SF Department of Building Inspection: Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
