Vacaville, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Vacaville is an incorporated Solano County city on the Interstate 80 corridor between Fairfield and Dixon, with 103,850 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, about five times Dixon’s population. Redfin put its August 2026 median sale price at $609,597, and homes went under contract in a median 36 days.
Eight city specific plans govern its master-planned areas, and two police-and-fire community facilities districts charged detached homes $1,296 and $1,408.84 a year in 2023/24, so the special-tax line on the bill is part of the price.
- County
- Solano County
- Government
- Incorporated city (1892)
- Population
- 103,850 (July 2025 estimate, Census)
- Land area
- 29.87 sq mi (2020 Census)
- Median sale price
- $609,597 (Aug 2026, Redfin)
- Median days on market
- 36 (Aug 2026, Redfin)
- Transfer tax
- $1.10 per $1,000 in total
- Hotel and short-stay tax
- 8% of rent
Vacaville homes for sale
Current MLS listings in Vacaville appear below. Our property search lets you narrow them by neighbourhood, year built or lot size, or widen the search to Dixon, Fairfield and the county land around Elmira.
What do homes in Vacaville sell for?
$609,597
August 2026, Redfin
36
August 2026, Redfin (42 a year earlier)
100.0%
August 2026, Redfin
Vacaville is large enough for its median to mean something. Redfin counted 249 sales in August 2026, and the $609,597 median was 3.2% below a year earlier. Homes sold for their asking price on average (a sale-to-list ratio, the sale price divided by the final asking price, of 100.0%), and 45.3% sold above list, about 10 points more than a year before. At the same time, 35.6% of listings cut their price first, so the asking price still decides how a sale goes (Redfin).
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, Vacaville | $609,597 (down 3.2% year over year) | August 2026, Redfin |
| Homes sold | 249 (down 8.0%) | August 2026, Redfin |
| Median sale price per square foot | $332 (up 0.8%) | Three months to August 2026, Redfin |
| Share sold above asking; share with a price cut | 45.3%; 35.6% | Redfin, accessed October 2026 |
| Redfin Compete Score | 70 of 100 (“Very Competitive”) | Last three months, Redfin |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $620,900 | 2020–2024, Census American Community Survey |
| Solano County median, for comparison | $580,000 (down 4.6%) | September 2026, C.A.R. |
Vacaville’s median sits about $30,000 above the county’s, and the two figures come from different publishers, months and methods. The Census value is what owners estimated in 2020–2024 surveys, not what buyers paid this year. About two-thirds of occupied Vacaville homes (67.5%) are lived in by their owners, and the median gross rent in the same survey was $2,299 a month.
Vacaville neighbourhoods and master-planned areas
Redfin tracks Vacaville by neighbourhood, including Oakcreek, Lagoon Valley, North Village, Southtown, Fairmont, Browns Valley, North Side, Leisure Town, Downtown Vacaville and Ashbourne. Those names are useful search filters, but the boundary that matters for rules and taxes is the city’s planning map.
A specific plan is the city’s detailed rulebook for one large area: land uses, densities, streets, parks and how the infrastructure is paid for. Vacaville has eight in force (City of Vacaville Community Development):
- Lower Lagoon Valley, which also has its own community facilities district, CFD 13
- Brighton Landing
- North Village
- Roberts Ranch
- Vanden Meadows
- The Farm at Alamo Creek
- Downtown Specific Plan
- Greentree Specific Plan
For a home inside one of these areas, read the plan’s land-use map for the parcels around it, ask which phases are still to be built, and check the tax bill for any district that came with the plan. The plan documents are on the city’s specific plans page, and Community Development answers address questions at (707) 449-5140.
Mello-Roos and CFD taxes on newer Vacaville homes
Vacaville pays for police, fire and other services in some newer areas through community facilities districts (CFDs, often called Mello-Roos districts), which add a special tax to the property tax bill. The city’s own rate notices give a sense of the size (City of Vacaville Finance):
| District | 2023/24 special tax | How it changes |
|---|---|---|
| CFD No. 9 (Portofino Police and Fire Services) | $1,296.00 per detached home; $720.18 per attached home (maximums $1,321.86 and $734.55) | Adjusted each year by the San Francisco Consumer Price Index, April to April |
| CFD No. 12 (Police and Fire Services) | $1,408.84 per detached home (maximum $1,436.93) | Same CPI adjustment |
| CFD 13 (Lower Lagoon Valley) | Rates in the district’s annual report | See the FY 2024-25 report by NBS |
Those are 2023/24 figures from the city’s notices for CFD No. 9 and CFD No. 12. The city publishes a Mello-Roos tax data sheet and an annual special-tax report to the council, and in 2025 it updated its CFD and fiscal impact policy for new development.
Before you remove contingencies on any newer Vacaville home, read the current property tax bill line by line and get the seller’s Mello-Roos disclosure notice (California Civil Code §1102.6b requires a good-faith effort to provide it). A services tax of $1,296 to $1,408.84 a year works out to about $108 to $117 a month on top of the mortgage.
Dixon, the next city up I-80, takes a different approach: its citywide services district started at $770 a year in 2024/25 and rises a fixed 4% a year. Our Dixon homes for sale guide sets out that schedule.
Wildfire: the 2020 Hennessey Fire and the foothills
Vacaville’s northwestern edge meets rural canyon country, and in August 2020 fire came through it. The lightning-caused Hennessey Fire, part of the LNU Lightning Complex, “devastated the English Hills community in Vacaville, burning dozens of homes,” ABC7 reported on August 20, 2020. Evacuation orders covered the area west of Blue Ridge Road to Interstate 505, north of Cherry Glen Road and Highway 128, and Pleasants Valley Road, with advisories for the Quail, Miller, Mix and Gates canyons; the Ulatis and McBride community centers opened as shelters. The CHP closed I-80 in both directions between Air Base Parkway and Cherry Glen Road for several hours on August 19 (ABC7 News).
Across five counties, the LNU complex burned 363,220 acres between August 17 and October 2, 2020, and destroyed 1,491 structures (LNU Lightning Complex summary, citing CAL FIRE).
- Look up the zone: find the parcel on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer. In a High or Very High zone, California’s AB 38 rule requires the seller to provide a recent defensible-space inspection report, or the buyer and seller agree in writing that the buyer will bring the property into compliance within a year of closing.
- Read the model as a prompt, not a map: First Street, whose estimates appear on Redfin, says about 82% of Vacaville properties have some wildfire risk over 30 years. “Some risk” includes low risk, so treat the number as a reason to check the official map, not as a rating of any one lot.
- Rebuilt and hillside homes: for a house rebuilt after 2020, ask for the building permits and final inspections. On foothill parcels, get insurance quotes as soon as your offer is accepted.
Short-term rentals, rent rules and transfer tax
Vacaville’s transient occupancy tax is 8% of rent on stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days, under Municipal Code chapter 3.16, which the council re-adopted on April 14, 2026 (Ordinance 2017). The new chapter invokes the state’s Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025, so platforms such as Airbnb must show the host’s city business license number in each listing (Vacaville Municipal Code ch. 3.16). HdL Companies has collected the tax for the city since October 1, 2023.
The tax code doesn’t settle whether zoning allows a short-term rental at a particular address. The code itself says the tax registration certificate “does not constitute a permit,” so check the zoning with Community Development before you count on rental income.
- Long-term rentals: Vacaville has no general rent-control or just-cause ordinance; its code’s rent chapter (2.36, Mobile Home Rent Arbitration) covers mobile home parks only. California’s AB 1482 cap applies to covered units, with an exemption for homes whose certificate of occupancy is less than 15 years old.
- Transfer tax: the city’s $0.55 per $1,000 is credited against Solano County’s $1.10, so the total is $1.10 per $1,000: $671.00 on a $609,597 sale. In Solano County the seller customarily pays it.
Our Solano County real estate guide compares these rules across the county, and our investor services page covers rental property.
Water, sewer and services
Inside city limits, the City of Vacaville supplies drinking water, as it has since 1959, and its Utilities Department runs the city’s water treatment plant. The utilities administration office is at 6040 Vaca Station Road, which has an Elmira, CA 95625 mailing address; billing questions go to (707) 449-5128 (City of Vacaville Utilities).
The city’s water service stops at the city limit. On a county parcel nearby, find out whether the home has a private well and a septic system: Solano County Environmental Health requires a construction permit for each septic installation or repair, and permits well construction and destruction under County Code chapter 13.10. The Solano Irrigation District, based on Vaca Valley Parkway, is a separate agency supplying water to farms and other customers, so ask whether a rural parcel has an irrigation connection.
Getting around: I-80 and the train
Interstate 80 runs through the middle of Vacaville, and the average commute for working residents was 28.2 minutes in the 2020–2024 Census survey. When the Hennessey Fire closed I-80 between Air Base Parkway and Cherry Glen Road in 2020, the freeway between Vacaville and Fairfield stayed shut from the afternoon until just before 9 p.m.
- Rail: there’s no train station inside Vacaville. The nearest Capitol Corridor stop is Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station; Suisun-Fairfield and Davis are the next stations on the line (Capitol Corridor).
- Air: the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission keeps a compatibility plan for Nut Tree Airport (dated 1988) and one for Travis Air Force Base (2024), and it reviews city plans and zoning near both.
Downtown, the Nut Tree and daily life
Vacaville began as a one-square-mile township on land William McDaniel bought from Juan Manuel Vaca, recorded on December 13, 1851, and it incorporated in 1892. The city says it was once “the fresh fruit capital of California,” and the Nut Tree, which grew from a roadside fruit stand into a restaurant complex, served travellers between the bay and the Sacramento Valley for almost 75 years (City of Vacaville). Downtown now has its own specific plan.
For open space, the city lists two main areas on its trails page. The Glen Eagle Open Space and Caligiuri Park and Preserve are reached from a trailhead on Vaca Valley Parkway across from Wrentham Drive, with overflow parking at the end of the parkway. Lagoon Valley Park opens half an hour after sunrise and closes no later than half an hour after sunset, with only city vehicles allowed on the park grounds (City of Vacaville Parks and Recreation).
The city’s namesake school district, the Vacaville Unified School District, has 19 schools, including Vacaville High School and Will C. Wood High School, two charter high schools and an adult school; the district office is at 401 Nut Tree Road. Confirm the assigned schools for any address with the district.
Vacaville compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Vacaville | Incorporated city | Median $609,597 (August 2026, Redfin); TOT 8%; police-and-fire CFDs of about $1,300 to $1,400 a year (2023/24) |
| Dixon | Incorporated city | ZIP 95620 median $612,235 (August 2026, Redfin); citywide services CFD at $770 rising 4% a year; TOT 9% |
| Fairfield | Incorporated city | TOT 12% since January 2025; next to Travis Air Force Base, home of the 60th Air Mobility Wing |
| Elmira | Unincorporated, Solano County | County zoning, wells and septic; county TOT 5% |
| Suisun City | Incorporated city | Suisun-Fairfield Capitol Corridor station; a proposed annexation of about 22,000 acres for California Forever’s project |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Vacaville buyers
In Vacaville the house is usually the easy part. The work is in what comes with it: which specific plan and CFDs the parcel sits in and what they will cost next year, the fire-zone status and insurance quotes for foothill homes, whether a rental plan fits the zoning, and how the comparable sales really compare once you separate new-construction closings from resales. We pull those documents with you before you commit.
- Our guide to Vacaville agents and brokerages, which discloses that we are one of them and links each DRE license.
- Mortgage and financing help: ask your lender to include the CFD taxes when it sizes your payment and pre-approval.
- Already own in Vacaville? Start with a home valuation.
For how we work with buyers across the region, see buying with Diamond Real Estate Group.
Selling a home in Vacaville
Inside the city limit, Vacaville’s Community Development department holds the permit and specific-plan records for a house. Foothill and valley parcels outside the line are Solano County jurisdiction, with county permits and, often, a private well and septic system to document.
Transfer tax at closing
Expect only the county documentary transfer tax, $0.55 per $500 of price. That is $671 on a $610,000 sale. Old Republic Title’s Solano chart shows no Vacaville city tax and lists the seller as the customary payer, while noting that local custom can be negotiated. Our guide to transfer taxes covers exemptions and math.
Mello-Roos notices on newer homes
Some newer Vacaville neighborhoods sit inside community facilities districts. When a house has a Mello-Roos or 1915 Act lien, Civil Code 1102.6b requires the seller to try in good faith to get each agency’s disclosure notice. A notice from a private source must give the annual tax, the maximum tax, its yearly escalator and the last year it can be levied. A copy of the latest property tax bill may serve as a substantially equivalent notice.
Airports and fire zones
The Solano County Airport Land Use Commission keeps compatibility plans for Nut Tree Airport and Travis Air Force Base. If your property lies in an airport influence area, the expert hazard report prints a “Notice of Airport in Vicinity,” so read it before buyers do.
For foothill homes, check the fire hazard severity zone. In a High or Very High zone, provide AB 38 documentation from an inspection within six months, or sign an agreement that the buyer will obtain it within a year of closing.
Other state requirements
- A written smoke alarm compliance statement.
- Certification that the water heater is strapped.
- Disclosure of whether noncompliant plumbing fixtures remain.
What Vacaville buyers ask for
Buyers of homes rebuilt after 2020 ask for building permits and final inspections. In the specific-plan areas they want the tax bill’s special-tax lines and the name of the plan, and on county parcels the well log and septic permit file.
To compare your home with recent sales in the same plan area, request a home valuation.
Sources for this section: Old Republic Title: A Guide to Bay Area Counties, Closing Costs (January 2024); California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.6b; Solano County: Airport Land Use Commission; California Public Law: Civil Code section 1103.4; Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 13113.8; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 19211; California Public Law: Civil Code section 1101.4.
Vacaville real estate FAQs
What is the median home price in Vacaville?
Redfin’s median sale price for Vacaville was $609,597 in August 2026, 3.2% lower than a year before, with 249 sales that month. Over the three months to August, homes sold for a median $332 per square foot. The Solano County median was $580,000 in September 2026 (C.A.R.).
How many people live in Vacaville?
The Census Bureau estimated 103,850 residents on July 1, 2025, up from 102,386 at the April 2020 Census. The city covers 29.87 square miles of land.
Do newer Vacaville homes have Mello-Roos taxes?
Some do. In 2023/24 the city’s police-and-fire districts charged $1,296 (CFD No. 9, Portofino) and $1,408.84 (CFD No. 12) per detached home, adjusted each year by inflation, and Lower Lagoon Valley has its own CFD 13. The tax bill and the seller’s Mello-Roos notice show what a specific home pays.
Which Vacaville neighbourhoods are master-planned?
The city has eight specific plans in force: Lower Lagoon Valley, Brighton Landing, North Village, Roberts Ranch, Vanden Meadows, The Farm at Alamo Creek, Downtown and Greentree. Redfin’s neighbourhood names, such as Southtown, Browns Valley or Leisure Town, are market labels rather than planning areas, so ask Community Development which plan, if any, covers an address.
Can I run an Airbnb in Vacaville?
The city taxes stays of fewer than 30 days at 8% and, since April 2026, requires platforms to display the host’s city business license number. Its code also says the tax certificate isn’t a permit, so whether a short-term rental is allowed at an address is a zoning question to settle with Community Development before you buy.
Does Vacaville have a city transfer tax?
Only the standard city share, $0.55 per $1,000, which is credited against the county’s tax. The total on a Vacaville sale is Solano County’s $1.10 per $1,000, the same as in Dixon or Fairfield. Only Vallejo adds a separate city conveyance tax in this county.
Does Vacaville have rent control?
No general rent control. The city’s rent-related chapter covers mobile home parks only, and the state’s AB 1482 cap applies to qualifying units, with newer homes (certificate of occupancy within 15 years) exempt.
Did the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex reach Vacaville?
Yes, along its northwestern edge. The Hennessey Fire burned dozens of homes in the English Hills area, forced evacuations from Pleasants Valley Road to I-505 and closed I-80 for part of August 19, 2020. On any foothill property, check the fire hazard zone and the rebuild permits, and price insurance early.
Where does Vacaville’s water come from?
Homes inside city limits get water from the City of Vacaville, which has run its own system since 1959 and operates a city water treatment plant. Properties just outside the city may depend on private wells permitted by Solano County Environmental Health, so check the source for each address.
Is there a train station in Vacaville?
Not inside the city. The Capitol Corridor’s Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station is the closest stop on the line, which runs between Placer County and San Jose by way of Sacramento.
Which school district serves Vacaville?
The city’s namesake district is the Vacaville Unified School District, which lists 19 schools. School district lines don’t always follow city limits, so confirm the assigned schools for a specific address with the district.
What is the Nut Tree?
It began as a roadside fruit stand and grew into a restaurant complex that served travellers on the Bay Area–Sacramento route for almost 75 years, by the city’s account. It is also the name of Nut Tree Airport and of Nut Tree Road, where Vacaville Unified has its district office.
How does Nut Tree Airport affect nearby homes?
The Solano County Airport Land Use Commission keeps a compatibility plan for the airport and reviews city plans and zoning near it for noise and safety. For a home near the airport, read the plan’s maps and the seller’s disclosure reports, and ask the city whether the parcel is inside the plan’s review area.
Sources & notes
- Census QuickFacts for Vacaville (population estimates for July 2025; housing and income from the 2020–2024 ACS)
- Redfin: Vacaville housing market (August 2026, with First Street risk estimates) and C.A.R.: September 2026 sales and price report
- City of Vacaville: specific plans, community facilities districts, CFD special-tax notices for CFD No. 9 and CFD No. 12, water, transient occupancy tax and history (read October 2026)
- Vacaville Municipal Code ch. 3.16 and ch. 3.08; Solano County Code ch. 11; Old Republic Title: Bay Area closing-cost customs (January 2024)
- ABC7 News: Hennessey Fire in Vacaville (August 20, 2020); Office of the State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance
- California Civil Code §1102.6b and §1947.12 (AB 1482)
- Solano County: septic program, Airport Land Use Commission; Capitol Corridor stations; Vacaville Unified School District
Figures carry their dates where they appear, and we refresh market numbers every quarter. 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: Solano County local government. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
