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Terra Linda, San Rafael: Eichlers, Homes and Neighborhood Guide

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

Terra Linda is a neighborhood district of the City of San Rafael, in the Las Gallinas Valley of north San Rafael, Marin County, with ZIP code 94903. It was built mostly after World War II on the Freitas family’s former dairy ranch and is known for about 900 mid-century modern homes Joseph Eichler built there between 1955 and 1965. Because it is part of the city, San Rafael’s planning rules and its city transfer tax apply, including a zoning overlay that limits the height of many Eichler and Alliance homes.

Terra Linda shares its ZIP code with Marinwood, Lucas Valley and Santa Venetia, which are outside city limits, so jurisdiction is the first thing to confirm for any parcel. This guide covers the housing, the remodeling rules, the open-space ridge around the valley, sewer and fire requirements, the Northgate redevelopment, getting around, and what sellers should prepare. For the city as a whole, see our San Rafael guide.

Terra Linda homes for sale

Terra Linda market report

Terra Linda at a glance

Item	Terra Linda
Jurisdiction	City of San Rafael (confirm by parcel; neighboring Marinwood and Lucas Valley are unincorporated)
ZIP code	94903
Main streets	Las Gallinas Avenue, Manuel T. Freitas Parkway, Del Ganado Road, Redwood Highway
Sewer	Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
Water	Marin Municipal Water District service area (confirm for the parcel)
Transfer tax	Marin County $1.10 per $1,000 plus San Rafael $2.00 per $1,000 (Measure W pending)
Public school districts	Miller Creek School District (K-8) and San Rafael City High School District
Open space	Terra Linda / Sleepy Hollow Preserve, 1,172 acres
Rail	SMART Marin Civic Center station, 3801 Civic Center Drive

History, layout and landmarks

The land was part of the Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas Mexican land grant and later the Manuel T. Freitas family’s dairy ranch; St. Isabella’s Catholic Church and School now stand on the ranch house site. Alliance Construction began the development, with its first model homes on Hyacinth Way. The community was largely complete by 1970, and residents voted in the early 1970s to annex its community services and recreation districts to San Rafael.

Freitas Parkway and Del Ganado Road follow Santa Margarita Creek, which was lined with concrete in the early 1960s as a storm channel. Freitas Parkway was planned to continue over the ridge to Sleepy Hollow, but the extension was never built once those ridge lands became public open space.

Landmarks include The Mall at Northgate, Kaiser Permanente’s hospital and clinic on the hill at the south side of the valley, Terra Linda High School at 320 Nova Albion Way and, across Highway 101, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin County Civic Center. Guide Dogs for the Blind sits at the community’s edge.

Homes in Terra Linda: Eichlers, Alliance homes and more

The best-known houses are the Eichlers: single-story mid-century modern homes with concrete-slab foundations, in-floor hydronic (radiant) heat and open-beam ceilings. Alliance Construction, which started the development, built homes of the same era, and San Rafael’s zoning groups Eichler and Alliance homes together.

Streets that climb toward the ridges, such as those reached from Las Pavadas Avenue and Las Colindas Road, run up to the edge of public open space; on these lots, check slope, access and the fire zone closely. The Mont Marin neighborhood formed an assessment district in 1973 and bought the 184-acre Mont Marin Open Space for $314,000, one sign of how much of the setting is protected land.

Buyers comparing mid-century tracts often look at Terra Linda alongside the two Eichler tracts in unincorporated Lucas Valley-Marinwood, where county rather than city rules apply. Our guides to Eichler homes in Marin County and Eichlers across Marin and the Bay Area cover the architecture and the market.

Remodeling rules: San Rafael’s Eichler and Alliance Homes Overlay

San Rafael’s zoning code has an Eichler and Alliance Homes Overlay District, designated -E/A, in Chapter 14.14 of the Municipal Code. It is mapped onto lots in areas made up predominantly of Eichler and Alliance homes. As published, it sets:

A 17-foot maximum height, measured from grade to the peak.
One habitable floor. Lofts and mezzanines count as habitable space, so a second story or a loft addition generally isn’t allowed.
Design review for roof changes that raise the height by more than 6 inches or change the pitch, with an exception for solar collectors.

Check whether a specific lot carries the -E/A designation on the city’s zoning map, and confirm the current text with San Rafael’s Community Development Department before you price in an addition. Where more space is needed, owners usually look at expanding outward on the lot, within the zoning district’s setback and coverage rules. Our page on renovation and design review in Marin explains how design review works in practice.

What to inspect in a Terra Linda Eichler

Mid-century tract homes have predictable weak points. Plan your inspection period around them.

Radiant heat. The pipes are buried in the slab. The Eichler Network reports that steel systems are largely unrepairable and that copper leaks are usually fixable, and recommends a pressure test, which can run from 20 minutes to 24 hours. Ask the seller for test results and repair history, and find out whether the system is steel, copper or replaced.
Permit history. Atrium enclosures, garage conversions and additions should match city permits. San Rafael’s resale report, described below, compares permit records with the house.
Sewer lateral. The private pipe to the street is the owner’s responsibility, and the sanitary district requires an inspection report at sale (see below).
Roof, glazing and electrical on an original or lightly updated house, plus the fire-hardening items listed in the hazard section.

Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.

The ridge and the Terra Linda / Sleepy Hollow Preserve

Marin County Parks’ Terra Linda / Sleepy Hollow Preserve covers 1,172 acres in a horseshoe on the ridges above the Santa Margarita Valley. Much of that ring was assembled in the 1970s: in 1975 Terra Linda voters approved a $1.15 million bond that, with city and Open Space District money, bought the Nunes, Freitas, de Long and Turski lands.

Trailheads: the end of Freitas Parkway; Lucas Valley Road across from Mt. Lassen Drive and across from Mt. Muir Court; and the end of Wintergreen Terrace, reached from Las Pavadas Avenue and Las Colindas Road.
Routes: the Terra Linda Ridge Fire Road, with views of Mount Tamalpais and Big Rock Ridge on clear days; the Eagle Rock Trail; and the Cemetery Fire Road to Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery, established in 1880. The preserve connects with the Mission Pass bike path.
Rules: dogs may be off leash under voice control on fire roads only and must be leashed on signed trails; bikes are allowed on signed fire roads and designated trails, with a 15 mph limit; e-bikes aren’t permitted.

Fire, flood and other hazard checks

Fire. Homes that back onto the ridge open space sit at the wildland edge. The Office of the State Fire Marshal released new Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for local responsibility areas in four phases between February 10 and March 24, 2025, so look the address up on the state’s viewer and the city’s adopted map rather than relying on an older report. The City of San Rafael says many properties in the city fall within the Local High zone. When a home in a High or Very High zone is sold, the AB 38 defensible-space inspection is scheduled through the San Rafael Fire Department, and the city advises booking it early. Our guides to North Bay fire hazard severity zones and the AB 38 inspection explain both.

Flood. Terra Linda sits inland from the bay, but Santa Margarita Creek runs through the valley in its concrete channel. Check any parcel near the creek on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and read the flood entry on the natural hazard disclosure report. See our North Bay flood zone guide.

Sewer, water and city rules at sale

Sewer lateral inspection. The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, which annexed Terra Linda in 1956, serves more than 30,000 people north of central San Rafael. Its ordinance requires the seller to obtain and submit a lateral inspection report before close of escrow. No inspection is needed if the lateral was installed or fully replaced to district standards under a district permit within the previous 20 years, and some transfers, such as to an heir by a fiduciary, between co-owners, or to a spouse, domestic partner or lineal relative, are not treated as title transfers. Illegal connections found in the inspection must be removed within 90 days of discovery. The district’s December 2023 application lists a $250 standard review (10 business days) or $500 expedited (5 business days).

Water. Marin LAFCo describes the Marin Municipal Water District’s service area as running from the Golden Gate Bridge north to southern Novato, which takes in north San Rafael. Confirm service on the title report or a recent bill.

City resale report. San Rafael’s resale report is a building permit records check and physical inspection of residential units sold in the city. The seller typically requests it, and a copy must be given to the buyer, who signs to confirm receipt. Ask the city for current fees and timing.

Our Marin selling requirements guide compares these rules with other towns.

Transfer tax and Measure W

A sale inside San Rafael pays two transfer taxes. The Marin County Assessor-Recorder lists the county tax at $0.55 per $500 of value, based on full value less any liens the buyer assumes, and the city tax at $2.00 per $1,000 of full value. On a hypothetical $1,500,000 sale with no assumed loans, that is $1,650 to the county and $3,000 to the city.

Measure W, on San Rafael’s November 3, 2026 ballot, asks voters to raise the city rate from 0.2% to 1%. It needs a simple majority and would take effect ten days after the City Council certifies the result. On the same $1,500,000 sale, the city tax would become $15,000. In Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller customarily pays transfer tax, but it is negotiable and local custom varies, so settle it, and what happens if the rate changes before closing, in the purchase contract. Our guide to California transfer tax explains how it is figured.

Northgate redevelopment, shopping and getting around

The Mall at Northgate, at 5800 Northgate Drive, is being redeveloped as Northgate Town Square. The City Council approved it after a public hearing on December 2, 2024, with a second reading on December 16, 2024; the city’s hearing notice described 1,422 homes and about 217,520 square feet of commercial space on 44.76 acres. The developer’s law firm described the approval as unanimous and said construction was to begin in 2025 in two phases. Check the current construction schedule with the city if you’re buying nearby.

Highway 101 runs along the valley’s east side, with Freitas Parkway as the main local connection. SMART’s nearest station is Marin Civic Center at 3801 Civic Center Drive. It has no park-and-ride lot; SMART points riders to free parking along McInnis Parkway and on Merrydale Road, the frontage road on the west side of Highway 101, with a walkway to the platform.

Selling a home in Terra Linda

Buyers here compare houses within the same tract and type. An original Eichler, a remodeled Eichler, an Alliance home and a newer hillside house attract different buyers, so price from sales of the same kind of house nearby rather than a San Rafael-wide figure.

Before listing, gather:

The sewer lateral inspection, submitted to the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, or proof of an exemption.
San Rafael’s resale report, plus permits and any design review approvals for additions, atrium enclosures or roof changes.
Radiant heat history: pressure test results, repairs and whether the system has been replaced.
The natural hazard disclosure report and, in a High or Very High fire zone, the AB 38 inspection from San Rafael Fire.
A transfer tax estimate at the county and city rates, updated once the Measure W result is certified.

Our Marin County seller services page covers the listing process, and a home valuation will give you a range based on comparable Terra Linda sales.

Questions people ask

Is Terra Linda part of San Rafael?

Yes. Terra Linda is a district of the City of San Rafael, so city planning, building permits and the city transfer tax apply. Nearby Marinwood, Lucas Valley and Santa Venetia share the 94903 ZIP code but are unincorporated, so confirm the jurisdiction for any parcel.

How many Eichlers are in Terra Linda?

About 900. Joseph Eichler built them between 1955 and 1965, after Alliance Construction started the development with model homes on Hyacinth Way.

Can I add a second story to an Eichler in Terra Linda?

Generally not on a lot in San Rafael’s Eichler and Alliance Homes Overlay, which as published sets a 17-foot height limit and one habitable floor, counting lofts. Check the lot’s zoning and confirm with the city’s Community Development Department.

What is the Terra Linda / Sleepy Hollow Preserve?

A 1,172-acre Marin County Parks preserve on the horseshoe of ridges above the Santa Margarita Valley, with trailheads at the end of Freitas Parkway, on Lucas Valley Road and at the end of Wintergreen Terrace. The Terra Linda Ridge Fire Road runs along the top.

Do I need a sewer inspection to sell in Terra Linda?

Yes, unless an exemption applies. The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District requires the seller to submit a lateral inspection report before close of escrow; recently replaced laterals and certain transfers, such as between co-owners or to a spouse or lineal relative, are exempt.

What transfer tax applies to a Terra Linda sale?

Marin County’s $0.55 per $500 plus San Rafael’s $2.00 per $1,000. Measure W on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the city rate to 1%. Who pays is negotiable, though the seller customarily pays in Diamond’s North Bay markets.

Which school districts serve Terra Linda?

The state directory lists Terra Linda High School in the San Rafael City High School District. Elementary and middle schools in the area are in the Miller Creek School District. Confirm the assigned schools for an address with the districts.

What is happening at Northgate mall?

The city approved Northgate Town Square in December 2024: about 1,422 homes and roughly 217,520 square feet of commercial space on the 44.76-acre mall site at 5800 Northgate Drive, built in phases.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm the rules for a specific property with the city, the district or a California real estate attorney.

If you’re buying in north San Rafael and want to compare Terra Linda tracts, hillside streets and nearby county neighborhoods parcel by parcel, start with our Marin County buyer services.

Sources & notes

Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.