Pope Valley, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Pope Valley is an unincorporated rural valley in Napa County, California, in the eastern hills beyond Howell Mountain, where property runs from ranch land and vineyards to rural homes. Sales are too rare for a dependable median; the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey put the median owner-occupied value in the Pope Valley school district area at $572,000, with a wide margin. Napa County, not a city, issues the local permits here.
- County
- Napa County
- Government
- Unincorporated (Napa County rules)
- ZIP code
- 94567
- Residents
- 734 in 95.3 sq mi (school district area, ACS 2020–2024)
- Median home value
- $572,000 (±$145,430, ACS 2020–2024)
- Groundwater
- Pope Valley Basin, “very low priority” under SGMA
- School district
- Pope Valley Union Elementary
Pope Valley homes for sale
The MLS listings below cover Pope Valley and ZIP 94567: ranch and vineyard parcels, rural homes and raw land. Inventory is small, so it’s worth widening the search to Angwin and the upper Napa Valley in our property search.
What do homes in Pope Valley sell for?
$572,000
2020–2024, Census ACS (school district area)
14
All of 2023, ATTOM
$918,000
September 2026, C.A.R.
There’s no honest monthly median for Pope Valley. For the three months ending June 2026, Redfin’s ZIP 94567 page counted a single sale and showed two different “median” prices, so we quote neither. ATTOM’s records show how far a handful of sales can move the number: its ZIP median was $1,108,500 in January 2024 and $378,000 a month later. The Census estimate of $572,000 comes from owners’ own valuations over five years, with a margin of ±$145,430; read it as a rough midpoint, not a price.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $572,000 (±$145,430) | 2020–2024, Census ACS, Pope Valley Union Elementary School District area, via Census Reporter |
| Residential properties, ZIP 94567 | 279 | ATTOM (updated April 2024) |
| Residential sales, ZIP 94567 | 14 in 2023; 17 in the 12 months to April 2024 | ATTOM |
| Average single-family home | 1,635 sq ft, 37 years old | ATTOM (updated April 2024) |
| Homes sold, ZIP 94567 | 1 counted | Three months to June 2026, Redfin |
| Napa County median, for comparison | $918,000 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
The closest comparable may be a year old and miles away, so we value Pope Valley property from the land up: acreage and designation, water, any Williamson Act contract, the buildings and access.
What can you do with agricultural land in Pope Valley?
Napa County decides how Pope Valley land can be used, split and built on, and most of the answer follows from a parcel’s General Plan designation.
- Minimum parcel sizes: land designated Agriculture, Watershed and Open Space (AWOS) has a 160-acre minimum, and Agricultural Resource (AR) land a 40-acre minimum, each with listed exceptions (Napa County General Plan). A large ranch usually can’t be divided into small home sites.
- A vote to change it: under Measure J (1990) and Measure P (2008), redesignating agricultural land takes countywide voter approval, and those policies can’t be amended without a vote until after December 31, 2058.
- Williamson Act contracts: as of January 1, 2026, 84,955 acres on 955 parcels in Napa County were under contract, for lower assessed values; contracts run at least ten years and renew yearly unless non-renewed (Napa County). Ask whether a ranch is enrolled, because the contract limits its use.
- Second units: ADUs up to 1,200 square feet and junior units up to 500, with 30-day review on pre-approved plans (Napa County PBES).
- No short-term rentals: County Code 18.104.410 generally bars stays under 30 days, so a guest cottage can’t earn nightly income.
The only transfer tax is the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. Our Napa County real estate overview sets these rules beside the cities’.
Wells, septic and the Pope Valley groundwater basin
Ask first how a Pope Valley property gets its water and handles wastewater, because private systems are the owner’s to maintain. Napa County Environmental Health permits wells and conventional, engineered and alternative septic systems, including hold-and-haul (Napa County Environmental Health).
The state rates the Pope Valley Basin “very low priority” under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and the county’s groundwater agency says low and very low priority basins “are not required to take any action at this time” (Napa County). That isn’t a promise of strong wells: the county notes that conditions outside the Napa Valley Subbasin “are more variable”.
- Get the well completion report, a multi-hour yield test in the dry season if you can, and water-quality results.
- For vineyard or livestock use, ask how much water the property has actually used and where it comes from: wells, ponds or a creek.
- For septic, ask for the permit, the design capacity and the last pumping record, and budget for an inspection.
The 2020 fires and Pope Valley
The LNU Lightning Complex began on August 17, 2020, and burned 363,220 acres across Napa, Solano, Lake, Sonoma and Yolo counties before containment on October 2 (CAL FIRE). The Hennessey Fire, which started the same day, reached Pope Valley. A former Pope Valley fire chief described home losses in the area, and at Hubcap Ranch the upper ranch burned while the lower part, the state landmark, survived (Napa Valley Register, September 12, 2020).
Quote insurance before you remove contingencies. Even with the FAIR Plan’s growth slowing to about 16,000 new residential policies in early 2026 (California Department of Insurance), a remote parcel with outbuildings can still be hard to insure at a workable price.
Check the parcel’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone on CAL FIRE’s map. In a High or Very High zone, AB 38 means the seller hands over a defensible-space inspection from the six months before the sale, or the buyer agrees in writing to complete the work within a year of closing (State Fire Marshal). On acreage, also look at clearance around barns, the access road and water for firefighting.
Lake Berryessa, the big reservoir nearby
Lake Berryessa is the federal reservoir formed when the Bureau of Reclamation built Monticello Dam on Putah Creek in 1957. It stores up to 1.6 million acre-feet and is 26 miles long and 3 miles wide, with 165 miles of shoreline, as part of Reclamation’s Solano Project (Bureau of Reclamation fact sheet, May 2017).
Reclamation runs free public areas at Oak Shores and Smittle Creek, a free boat launch at Capell Cove and hand-launching for canoes and kayaks at Eticuera. The sheet also lists Markley Cove, Pleasure Cove Marina, Steele Canyon, Spanish Flat and Putah Canyon; concession operators change, so check before you plan around one.
Vineyards and the Napa Valley appellation
There’s no “Pope Valley” appellation. The Napa Valley AVA’s boundary runs along the Napa–Lake county line and then “Putah Creek and the western and southern shores of Lake Berryessa” before following the Solano and Sonoma county lines (27 CFR 9.23). Read that way, the valley west of the lake is inside the AVA, but confirm a parcel on the USGS maps. The neighbouring Howell Mountain AVA uses the Aetna Springs map, and Chiles Valley has its own appellation.
For a winery plan, the 1990 Winery Definition Ordinance requires at least 10 acres for a new winery and at least 75% Napa County fruit for new or expanded ones. For grape sales, Napa fruit commands the state’s top prices: grapes from crush District 4 (Napa County) averaged $6,635.85 a ton in 2025, against a statewide average of $977.76 (CDFA Grape Crush Report). See our guides to Napa County vineyards and wineries for sale and vineyard due diligence.
Landmarks and daily life in Pope Valley
- Pope Valley Store: near the junction of Pope Valley Road and Howell Mountain Road; E Clampus Vitus (Sam Brannan Chapter No. 1004) dedicated a historical marker on its porch on April 22, 2006 (Historical Marker Database).
- Hubcap Ranch: a California historical landmark whose state plaque, the Napa Valley Register reported, calls it an “exceptional 20th century folk art environment”; Emanuele “Litto” Damonte and neighbours collected more than 2,000 hubcaps over 30 years, and more than 5,000 were there by 2020.
- Schools: the area is in the Pope Valley Union Elementary School District; the high school a given address feeds into is a question for the district.
- Commute: the Census survey’s mean travel time to work here is 31.3 minutes, with a margin of ±15.5, and no VINE Transit route is named for Pope Valley.
Pope Valley compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Pope Valley | Unincorporated, Napa County | 734 residents in 95.3 sq mi; Pope Valley Basin rated very low priority |
| Angwin | Unincorporated, Napa County | 939 housing units in 4.8 sq mi around Pacific Union College, on Howell Mountain |
| St. Helena | Incorporated city | 13% hotel tax, 1% of it for housing; short-term rentals capped at 25 permits |
| Calistoga | Incorporated city | Its own Calistoga AVA; short-term rentals banned with fines of $1,000 per violation |
| Napa | Incorporated city | Hosted vacation-rental permits by lottery; existing non-hosted permits can transfer to a buyer |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Pope Valley buyers
Buying in Pope Valley is closer to buying a small farm than a house. During your contingency period, we help you confirm the parcel’s designation and any Williamson Act contract, get the well and septic records and inspections, check the fire zone and insurance, and review road access and easements.
- Selling land or a ranch here: start with a private valuation.
- Investors: with no short-term rentals allowed, returns come from long-term leases or agriculture; see our investor services.
- Estate and vineyard buyers: see our luxury and estate service.
For our process, see how we help buyers.
Selling a home in Pope Valley
Pope Valley is rural, unincorporated Napa County. The county issues permits, holds the well and septic files and sets the land-use rules through each parcel’s General Plan designation. Most sales here are ranches, vineyards or homes on acreage, so buyers study the land and its systems as closely as the house.
Transfer tax
Napa County’s documentary transfer tax is the one that applies: $0.55 per $500 of value, with no city share. A $1.2 million ranch pays $1,320. The county says the seller customarily pays in Northern California; buyers and sellers sometimes agree to split it. Read our transfer tax explainer.
Wells, septic and groundwater
The state rates the Pope Valley Basin very low priority, and the county’s groundwater agency says such basins currently have no mandatory steps under the groundwater act. That is not evidence that a given well is strong, so buyers will ask for the well completion report, a dry-season yield test and water-quality results. A domestic well using under 2 acre-feet a year is treated as de minimis and is generally exempt from metering and fees. Napa County Environmental Health permits septic systems, so order the file and the last pumping record. Our wells, septic and groundwater guide goes further.
Land documents
- A recorded Williamson Act contract binds the next owner, so disclose it and its renewal status up front.
- Permits for barns, shops, second units and any rebuild after the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex fires.
- Recorded easements and any road maintenance agreement for shared access.
- For vineyard ground, the grape contracts and planting history.
Fire clearance and state items
For a parcel in a High or Very High fire hazard zone, AB 38 requires a passed defensible-space inspection within the six months before you go into contract. The Napa County Fire Marshal’s Office inspects at no charge, and on acreage it pays to clear around outbuildings and along the driveway first. The house also needs a signed water-heater bracing certification and the usual smoke-alarm statement.
Pope Valley value is built from the land up, and comparables can be far apart. See Napa County land for context, or start with a valuation.
Sources for this section: Napa County: Document Transfer Tax; Napa County Environmental Health: Well and Onsite Wastewater Treatment; Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency: FAQs; Napa County: Williamson Act and Agricultural Preserve Contracts; California Public Law: Government Code section 51243; Napa County Fire Marshal: Real Estate Inspections (AB 38); California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 19211.
Pope Valley real estate FAQs
Where is Pope Valley, California?
Pope Valley is in Napa County’s eastern hills, past Howell Mountain from the upper Napa Valley and near Lake Berryessa, with the ZIP code 94567. The Pope Valley Store sits near the junction of Pope Valley Road and Howell Mountain Road.
Is Pope Valley a town?
No. It’s an unincorporated rural area with no city government and no Census-designated place of its own. The closest Census geography, the Pope Valley Union Elementary School District, had 734 residents and 322 housing units across 95.3 square miles in the 2020–2024 survey.
How much do homes in Pope Valley cost?
Sales are too few for a reliable median. The Census estimate of owners’ values is $572,000 (2020–2024, ±$145,430), and ATTOM counted only 14 residential sales in the ZIP in 2023. Each property is priced on its acreage, water and improvements.
Can I buy a ranch in Pope Valley?
Yes, but check its General Plan designation first, and ask whether it’s under a Williamson Act contract, which limits use in exchange for a lower assessed value.
Can I split a Pope Valley parcel into home sites?
Rarely. Minimum parcel sizes of 160 acres (AWOS) and 40 acres (AR) apply, and Measures J and P require a countywide vote to redesignate agricultural land until after 2058. Talk to Napa County PBES before you pay for land on the assumption that it can be divided.
Is Pope Valley part of the Napa Valley AVA?
By the boundary in 27 CFR 9.23, which follows the Lake County line and Lake Berryessa’s western and southern shores, the valley west of the lake is inside the Napa Valley AVA. There’s no Pope Valley appellation; confirm a parcel on the USGS maps.
Can I start a winery in Pope Valley?
Only within the Winery Definition Ordinance: a new winery needs at least 10 acres, and new or expanded wineries must use at least 75% Napa County grapes. Talk to Napa County PBES about the permit path before you buy land for a winery.
Do Pope Valley homes have wells and septic?
Check both on every property. Napa County Environmental Health permits private wells and septic systems, and because the state rates the Pope Valley Basin very low priority, the county says it isn’t required to take any groundwater action at this time. Ask for yield and water-quality tests and the septic permit.
Did the 2020 fires burn Pope Valley?
Yes. The Hennessey Fire started on August 17, 2020, the same day as the LNU Lightning Complex, and reached Pope Valley; the upper part of Hubcap Ranch burned. Ask any seller for the property’s fire history, rebuild permits and insurance record.
Can I rent my Pope Valley property to visitors?
Not for stays under 30 days. County Code 18.104.410 generally bars short-term rentals in unincorporated Napa County, and the county no longer issues bed-and-breakfast permits. Longer leases aren’t covered by that ban.
Which school district serves Pope Valley?
The Pope Valley Union Elementary School District. Ask the district which schools, including high school, serve a given address.
Sources & notes
- Census Reporter: Pope Valley Union Elementary School District (ACS 2020–2024), ATTOM: Pope Valley 94567 property data (updated April 2024) and Redfin: ZIP 94567 (checked October 23, 2026)
- C.A.R.: September 2026 home sales and price report
- Napa County: General Plan agricultural element, Williamson Act, accessory dwelling units, well and onsite wastewater, groundwater FAQs, short-term rental enforcement (2019) and documentary transfer tax
- CAL FIRE: LNU Lightning Complex, Napa Valley Register (September 12, 2020), State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance and California Department of Insurance (May 1, 2026)
- Bureau of Reclamation: Lake Berryessa fact sheet (May 2017)
- 27 CFR 9.23, Napa Valley and 27 CFR 9.94, Howell Mountain; CDFA: 2025 Grape Crush Report
- Historical Marker Database: Pope Valley Store
Figures carry their dates where they appear. 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: Napa County planning and building services. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
