Buying Homes and Farmland in the Sacramento Delta
Sacramento County’s share of the Delta runs along the Sacramento River south of the city, through the river towns of Freeport, Hood, Courtland, Locke, Walnut Grove, Ryde and Isleton and the farmed islands around them. Buying a home or farm here means checking four things the rest of the county rarely raises: the state’s Delta Primary Zone rules, the levee and the reclamation district that maintains it, the FEMA flood zone and insurance, and agricultural zoning with minimums of 20 to 160 acres. Water rights, Williamson Act contracts and Locke’s unusual land history add to the list.
State law recognizes these places by name. Public Resources Code section 32301, the Legislature’s findings for the Delta, describes Locke as “the only town in the United States built primarily by early Chinese immigrants” and lists Courtland, Freeport, Hood, Isleton, Ryde and Walnut Grove among the Delta’s other legacy communities. This guide covers the rules as of October 2026 for buyers of river homes, farm parcels and vineyard land. For the rest of the county, see our Sacramento County guide.
The river towns and who governs them
Most of the Sacramento County Delta is unincorporated, so the county handles planning, building permits and code enforcement. Isleton is the exception: it is an incorporated city with its own planning and building process. Confirm which applies from the parcel record, not the mailing address.
| Community | Government | Notes for buyers | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport | Unincorporated county | Listed as a Delta legacy community; confirm whether the parcel is inside or outside the Primary Zone | Freeport |
| Hood | Unincorporated county | Listed as a Delta legacy community; check the levee district and flood zone parcel by parcel | Hood |
| Courtland | Unincorporated county | Town and surrounding farm parcels; agricultural zoning governs most land outside the town | Courtland |
| Locke | Unincorporated county | National Historic Landmark about a mile north of Walnut Grove; unusual title history | See the Locke section below |
| Walnut Grove | Unincorporated county | River town next to Locke; older buildings along the levee | Walnut Grove |
| Ryde | Unincorporated county | Small community listed among the legacy communities | Ryde |
| Isleton | Incorporated city | City planning and building rules inside city limits | Isleton |
Across the river, Rio Vista and much of the western Delta are in Solano County, with their own rules; see our Rio Vista and Solano County guides.
The Delta Protection Act and the Primary Zone
The Delta covers 738,000 acres across six counties, including substantial parts of Sacramento County, according to the Delta Protection Commission. Public Resources Code section 29728 defines the Primary Zone as the Delta land and water area “of primary state concern and statewide significance,” excluding land that was inside a local urban limit line or sphere of influence on January 1, 1992. The exact boundary is drawn on the state’s Delta Protection Zones map.
Inside the Primary Zone, local land use decisions are expected to conform to the Commission’s Land Use and Resource Management Plan. The Commission’s role is review, not approval of each project, but it has teeth:
- Appeals. Under section 29770, any person aggrieved by a local action on land entirely in the Primary Zone can appeal it to the Commission as inconsistent with the plan. The Commission must hear the appeal within 60 days of filing, unless it finds no appealable issue.
- Its own review. The Commission can also review a local action on its own by majority vote if it believes the action may be inconsistent.
- Secondary Zone. Outside the Primary Zone, the Commission may comment on projects that affect it.
For a buyer, the practical point is that new subdivisions, large commercial uses and changes away from agriculture face a harder path in the Primary Zone. If your plan depends on a use permit, lot split or rezoning, talk to county planning staff before you remove contingencies. The Commission also coordinates the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area, which it describes as California’s first and only national heritage area and as non-regulatory.
Levees and reclamation districts
Almost every Delta property depends on a levee. A Delta Stewardship Council information sheet from October 2024 says about 1,100 miles of Delta levees protect roughly 740,000 acres. It describes two kinds:
- Project levees, which are federally owned, with the state committed to operating and maintaining them.
- Non-project levees, local flood control levees that most often are maintained by local reclamation districts.
Landowners fund the reclamation districts that maintain most non-project levees, the sheet says. State help comes through the Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions Program, which reimburses up to 75% of eligible costs after the local agency covers the first $1,000 to $2,500 per levee mile, and through the Special Flood Control Projects grant program.
What that means when you buy:
- Identify the district. Ask which reclamation district, if any, maintains the levee protecting the parcel and whether that levee is a project or non-project levee.
- Read the tax bill. District charges often appear as assessments on the property tax bill. Ask the seller for recent bills and the district for any planned increases.
- Ask about condition and work plans. Board minutes and engineering reports show whether major repairs or new assessments are coming.
- Check easements. Ask whether recorded easements or levee access rights cross the parcel, since they can limit fences, docks, trees and structures. The preliminary title report shows what’s recorded.
Our Sacramento County parcel services and ownership budget page helps you list these charges alongside property tax, insurance and utilities.
Flood zones and flood insurance
Look up each parcel on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center; zones can change from one side of a road to the other. Our guide to FEMA flood zones explains the zone letters, base flood elevations and elevation certificates.
The financing rule is federal. Under 42 U.S.C. 4012a, a federally regulated lender may not make, increase, extend or renew a loan secured by a building in a special flood hazard area unless it carries flood insurance for the term of the loan, at least equal to the loan balance or the maximum coverage available, whichever is less. Lenders must accept private flood policies that meet the statute’s standards.
- Get flood insurance quotes early in escrow, from both the National Flood Insurance Program and private carriers.
- Ask the seller for any elevation certificate, past flood claims and the current premium.
- Remember that a levee lowers risk but doesn’t remove it, and homeowners policies don’t cover flood damage.
Sellers disclose flood zone status on the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement, but a buyer should still check the map and the insurance cost independently.
Farmland: zoning, Williamson Act and water
County agricultural zoning
Sacramento County’s zoning code distinguishes its agricultural districts by minimum lot size, with stated purposes that include preserving farmland, discouraging premature conversion to urban use and keeping parcels large enough for viable farm units:
| District | Minimum lot size | Basic uses |
|---|---|---|
| AG-160 | 160 acres | Agriculture, one single-family home per parcel, accessory housing for farm employees |
| AG-80 | 80 acres | Same as AG-160 |
| AG-40 | 40 acres | Same as AG-160 |
| AG-20 | 20 acres | Same as AG-160; the code notes the right size depends heavily on soils and intended farming |
A smaller parcel in one of these districts may still be a legal lot if it was created before current rules. Confirm legal lot status and whether a home can be built before you pay for one. Most institutional uses need a use permit.
Williamson Act contracts
Many Delta farm parcels carry Williamson Act contracts, which lower property tax in exchange for keeping land in agriculture. Ask for the recorded contract and any nonrenewal notice; our Williamson Act guide explains how contracts transfer to a buyer and how they end.
Water
River frontage doesn’t by itself prove a right to divert water. Ask the seller for documentation of any claimed water right, diversion records and pump permits, and have them reviewed. Our guide to water rights for farm and vineyard land lists what to request.
Locke: a historic town with unusual title history
According to the National Park Service, Locke was built in 1915 by Chinese immigrants from Heungshan County in Guangdong Province after a fire destroyed the Chinese community in Walnut Grove. It sits on a Sacramento River levee about a mile north of Walnut Grove and became a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
The land history matters to buyers. California’s Alien Land Law of 1913 barred noncitizens from owning land, so Locke’s residents leased the land from the Locke family and owned only their buildings. The family sold the town to a Hong Kong development company in 1977, and in 2002 it was sold to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. NPS says Sacramento County, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Locke Foundation and residents work to preserve the roughly 14 acres of mostly one- and two-story wooden buildings.
If you’re looking at a building in Locke, have a title officer explain exactly what is being conveyed, land and building or building only, and ask the county about any historic preservation review that applies to exterior work.
Buying or selling a Delta property
- Confirm the jurisdiction: City of Isleton, or unincorporated county.
- Check Primary Zone status on the Delta Protection Commission’s map if you plan any new use.
- Identify the levee and reclamation district, and collect assessment bills.
- Price flood insurance before your loan contingency ends.
- Verify zoning, legal lot status and any Williamson Act contract.
- Collect water, well and septic records if the parcel relies on private systems, and ask the seller which providers serve the property.
- Review title for levee easements and, in Locke, what is being conveyed.
Sellers can speed a Delta sale by assembling the flood zone report, elevation certificate, insurance history, district bills and water records before listing. Having them ready answers a buyer’s questions before an offer rather than during escrow.
Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as flood insurance agents, well and septic inspectors and surveyors; you’re free to choose any provider.
This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Delta land use, levee and water questions are parcel-specific, so confirm them with Sacramento County planning staff, the reclamation district and a California real estate or water rights attorney.
Questions people ask
What is the Delta Primary Zone?
It is the part of the Delta that state law treats as of primary state concern, defined in Public Resources Code section 29728. It excludes land that was inside local urban limit lines or spheres of influence on January 1, 1992, and local decisions there must conform to the Delta Protection Commission’s plan.
Can I build a new house on Delta farmland in Sacramento County?
Usually one home per legal parcel is allowed in the AG districts, but the parcel must meet the district’s minimum or be a lawfully created older lot. Primary Zone status, flood rules and septic and well approvals also apply.
What is a reclamation district assessment?
It is the charge landowners pay to the local reclamation district that maintains the levee protecting their land. It often appears on the property tax bill; ask for recent bills and planned increases.
Do I need flood insurance to buy in Walnut Grove or Isleton?
If the building is in a FEMA special flood hazard area and your loan is from a federally regulated lender, yes, for the life of the loan. Cash buyers aren’t required to carry it, but homeowners policies exclude flood.
Can you buy land in Locke?
Locke’s history is different from other towns: residents historically owned buildings but leased the land, and the town was sold to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency in 2002. Have a title officer confirm exactly what a particular sale conveys.
Is Isleton part of Sacramento County government?
Isleton is in Sacramento County but is its own incorporated city, so city planning and building rules apply inside its limits. The surrounding river communities are unincorporated county.
What are the minimum parcel sizes in Sacramento County agricultural zones?
20 acres in AG-20, 40 in AG-40, 80 in AG-80 and 160 in AG-160.
If you’re weighing a river home, an orchard or a farm parcel in the Delta, we can pull the parcel records and work through the levee, flood and zoning questions with you. Start with buying in Sacramento County or contact Diamond.
Sources & notes
- California Public Law: Public Resources Code section 32301 (Delta findings; legacy communities)
- California Public Law: Public Resources Code section 29728 (Primary Zone)
- California Public Law: Public Resources Code section 29770 (appeals to the Commission)
- Delta Protection Commission: Home page
- Delta Stewardship Council: Delta Levees 101 information sheet (October 2024)
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: 42 U.S.C. 4012a (flood insurance purchase requirement)
- FEMA: Flood Map Service Center
- GoCodebook (unofficial copy): Sacramento County Zoning Code section 2.4, agricultural zoning districts
- National Park Service: Locke Historic District
- City of Isleton: Official website (city council, planning and building divisions)
Statutes were read on the California Public Law mirror and the county zoning code on GoCodebook in October 2026; confirm against the official texts. We don’t quote assessment amounts, which differ by district and year.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
