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Peacock Gap, San Rafael: Golf-Course Homes by the Bay

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

Peacock Gap is a residential neighborhood at the east end of the City of San Rafael, on the San Pedro Peninsula where the hills meet San Pablo Bay, next to the Peacock Gap golf course, with China Camp State Park at its back door. Because it is inside city limits, a sale here is handled under San Rafael’s resale report, zoning code and transfer tax, not the county’s.

The neighborhood’s appeal and its due diligence come from the same geography. The bay edge and the golf course give it open views and low, flat streets; the ridge behind it and the state park bring hillside lots and wildland fire exposure. This guide sets out what is verified about Peacock Gap as of October 2026: the setting, the housing, the city rules that apply, the flood and fire checks, utilities, and what a seller should prepare. For the city as a whole, see our San Rafael real estate guide.

Peacock Gap homes for sale

Peacock Gap market report

Where Peacock Gap is

San Rafael’s neighborhood directory lists Peacock Gap as its own neighborhood, alongside nearby Glenwood, Loch Lomond, Bayside Acres and Country Club. The city does not publish boundaries in that directory, so treat any map line you see in a listing as informal.

The neighborhood’s best-known landmarks are the golf club and the park. In an undated article on the club’s purchase by Syufy, the North Bay Business Journal describes Peacock Gap Golf and Country Club as an 18-hole course. The city’s Peacock Gap Park, on Peacock Drive, has a playground, two tennis courts, a turf field, a par course and hiking trails, according to the city’s parks listing. China Camp State Park lists its ranger office at 101 Peacock Gap Trail. California State Parks describes China Camp as a 1,514-acre park on the San Pablo Bay shoreline, about four miles east of San Rafael, with roughly 15 miles of trails and more than 100 acres of tidal salt marsh.

Peacock Gap at a glance

Item	What applies
Jurisdiction	City of San Rafael, Marin County (confirm the parcel; some nearby addresses are unincorporated)
ZIP code	94901
Landmarks	Peacock Gap golf course; Peacock Gap Park on Peacock Drive; China Camp State Park next door
Required at sale	San Rafael’s resale inspection and records report, completed before closing
Transfer tax	County $1.10 and city $2.00, each per $1,000 of value; Measure W would lift the city’s share to $10
Flood	Low-lying areas named as flood-prone in a 2014 city white paper; check FEMA maps for the parcel
Fire	Check the State Fire Marshal map; AB 38 inspection applies in High or Very High zones
Sewer	San Rafael Sanitation District serves central San Rafael south of Puerto Suello Hill; confirm for the parcel

Homes and streets

The land runs from flat ground near the course and the bay edge up toward the ridge, so lot shape changes a great deal from one street to the next. A flat lot near the course and a sloping lot above it can sit close together and still need very different inspections. Confirm the property type for each listing, whether a detached house, a planned-development home or a condominium, because that decides whether an association and its rules apply.

Two property questions come up in nearly every Peacock Gap purchase:

Is there an association? Condominiums and planned developments carry homeowners association dues, rules and reserve studies. Ask for the association’s documents early, because rules on exterior changes, rentals and insurance can affect your plans.
What is the golf course relationship? A home on a fairway can come with errant-ball exposure, easements or view questions. Read the title report for easements and covenants, and walk the lot at a busy time of day.

Housing ages vary across the neighborhood, so check the assessor’s year built and the permit history for each house instead of assuming a construction era. Homes from before 1978 also bring the federal lead-based paint disclosure, explained in our lead-based paint disclosure guide.

Zoning and hillside lots

Ask San Rafael’s Community Development Department for the base zoning district of any parcel you are considering; this guide doesn’t assign zones to streets because the city’s map, not a summary, controls. The rule that most often changes a remodel budget here is the city’s Hillside Development Overlay in Municipal Code Chapter 14.12.

Under Section 14.12.020, the overlay’s rules apply to every lot with an average slope of 25% or more and to lots with a hillside residential General Plan designation. A steep lot that the zoning map doesn’t mark with the overlay is still covered; it simply doesn’t need to be rezoned. For the upper streets of Peacock Gap, that means a second story, an addition or a new driveway may face hillside standards and design review on top of the base zone. Our guide to Marin view ordinances explains a related issue buyers of view lots raise.

Flood and shoreline exposure

Peacock Gap’s lower streets are close to bay level. The City of San Rafael’s January 2014 climate adaptation white paper listed low-lying areas of Peacock Gap, on the San Pedro Peninsula, among the city’s FEMA flood-prone areas, along with Loch Lomond Marina. It added that Bay Conservation and Development Commission maps showed low-lying parts of Peacock Gap and Glenwood as vulnerable to sea level rise.

The same paper said none of Marin’s existing bayfront levees met predicted federal standards for height or type, except the Army Corps work at the former Hamilton Airfield in Novato. That was a 2014 assessment, and the county’s 2017 BayWAVE vulnerability study later catalogued shoreline impacts across six sea level scenarios for eastern Marin, including municipal profiles.

What to do with that for a specific house:

Look the parcel up on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and read the flood entry on the natural hazard disclosure report.
If the house is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, ask for any elevation certificate and get a flood insurance quote before your contingency ends.
Ask the seller about drainage, pumps and any water that has reached the lot or garage in king tides or storms.
Ask the city or the association who owns and maintains any levee, lagoon edge or drainage structure near the lot.

Our North Bay flood zone guide explains the FEMA zones and how lenders use them.

Wildfire and insurance

The other side of the neighborhood faces open land. By the city’s own account, a large share of San Rafael properties are mapped in the Local High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and homes along the ridge and the park boundary deserve a careful look at the current State Fire Marshal map, since state and local zones are mapped separately. Use the map’s address search; don’t rely on an older disclosure report.

If the home is in a High or Very High zone, the seller owes defensible space documentation under the AB 38 rules, and in San Rafael the inspection is scheduled through the San Rafael Fire Department. The department asks sellers to book early. Our guides to North Bay fire hazard severity zones and the AB 38 defensible space inspection cover both steps.

Fire mapping also affects insurance. Start quotes during the inspection period, and if regular carriers decline, read our FAIR Plan guide for homebuyers. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.

Sewer, water and getting around

Sewer. According to the city, the San Rafael Sanitation District covers central San Rafael from the crest of Puerto Suello Hill southward, plus unincorporated pockets inside that area, and sends wastewater to the Central Marin Sanitation Agency for treatment. Its published description doesn’t list neighborhoods, so confirm with the district that it serves the parcel and ask whether it has any sewer lateral requirement for your sale.

Water. Confirm the water provider and account on the seller’s bill, along with any backflow or meter items.

Roads. Peacock Gap is at the far end of the peninsula’s road network, so daily trips run toward downtown San Rafael and Highway 101. China Camp is reached from 101 by North San Pedro Road. There is no rail or ferry stop in the neighborhood; the nearest SMART service is in downtown San Rafael. Check how a house’s street connects to the main roads out, which matters for both commuting and evacuation.

Selling a home in Peacock Gap

Buyers compare Peacock Gap homes by lot, view, slope and flood position as much as by size. A remodeled house on a flat lot near the course and an original house above it are different products, so price from nearby sales of similar homes rather than a citywide median. Prepare these before listing:

The city resale report. San Rafael’s Report of Residential Building Record must be completed before close of escrow. Fees effective July 1, 2025 are $383 for a single-family home or condominium. The city aims to call within seven business days of an application, inspect about ten business days after scheduling and deliver the report within three business days after that. It is valid for six months, with one three-month extension on written request.
Permits. Unpermitted work from before your ownership that no prior report flagged can be legalized with retroactive permits, and the city waives normal fees and penalties. Work flagged earlier is treated as a current violation. Open items become the buyer’s responsibility after transfer, so buyers price them in.
Flood and fire papers. The natural hazard disclosure report, any elevation certificate and flood insurance history, and the AB 38 documentation if the home is in a High or Very High zone.
Association documents, if the home is in an HOA.
A transfer tax estimate. Today the county charges $1.10 per $1,000 and the city $2.00 per $1,000. Measure W, on the November 3, 2026 ballot, would raise the city rate from 0.2% to 1%; a simple majority passes it, and the higher rate would start ten days after the council certifies the vote. The outcome isn’t known as of October 24, 2026. In Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller customarily pays transfer tax, but it is negotiable and local custom varies; the county’s Measure W summary notes the seller, the buyer or both may pay, by agreement.

Our Marin County selling requirements page compares town rules, and the California transfer tax guide shows how the tax is calculated.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For a specific Peacock Gap property, confirm zoning, flood status and permits with the City of San Rafael, and have a California real estate attorney review any easement, association or levee question in the title report.

Questions people ask

Is Peacock Gap in the City of San Rafael?

Yes. It is listed in the city’s neighborhood directory, and parcels there follow city rules for permits, the resale report and the city transfer tax. Confirm the parcel’s jurisdiction on the title report, since some nearby San Rafael addresses are unincorporated.

Is Peacock Gap in a flood zone?

Parts of it may be. A 2014 city white paper named low-lying areas of Peacock Gap as FEMA flood-prone and vulnerable to sea level rise. Check the exact parcel on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and read the natural hazard disclosure.

Is Peacock Gap in a high fire hazard zone?

The city says many San Rafael properties are in the Local High zone. Check the specific address on the State Fire Marshal’s map, especially near China Camp State Park and the ridge.

Do I need a city inspection to sell in Peacock Gap?

Yes. San Rafael requires a Report of Residential Building Record before close of escrow; the fee for a single-family home is $383 as of July 1, 2025.

What is Measure W, and does it affect Peacock Gap?

It is a San Rafael ballot measure on November 3, 2026 that would raise the city transfer tax from $2 to $10 per $1,000. It applies to sales inside city limits, including Peacock Gap, if voters approve it.

What should I check on a golf course lot?

Read the title report for easements and covenants tied to the course, look at errant-ball exposure and netting, and ask whether any view protection exists in writing. Club access and membership terms are set by the club, not by owning a nearby home.

Can I add a second story to a hillside home in Peacock Gap?

Possibly. Lots with an average slope of 25% or more fall under San Rafael’s hillside overlay rules, which add standards and design review. Ask the Planning Division before you price in an addition.

If you’re weighing a Peacock Gap home, we can pull the resale report, permit file and flood and fire maps with you before you write an offer, and compare it with other San Rafael neighborhoods such as Gerstle Park and Terra Linda, or nearby Santa Venetia. Thinking of selling? Start with a home valuation or see how we approach a Marin County home sale.

Sources & notes

Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.