Belvedere CA Real Estate & Homes For Sale
Belvedere is a small incorporated city at the southern tip of the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County, covering Belvedere Island and the Belvedere Lagoon homes. Two aging levee roads are its only access, so flood, earthquake and sea-level-rise work matters to owners, and short-term rentals are prohibited.
Browse Belvedere, CA real estate and homes for sale below, then use this guide to check what matters before you buy or sell.
| County | Marin County |
|---|---|
| Local government | Incorporated city — City of Belvedere planning and permits |
| Water and sewer | Sanitary district sewer; city requires a lateral video with the sale report |
| Housing | Hillside and bayfront homes on the island; shoreline homes on the lagoon |
| Hazards to check | Levee earthquake risk; FEMA flood zones; sea-level rise; check fire hazard zone |
| Getting around | Levee roads to mainland; Golden Gate Ferry from downtown Tiburon |
| Local rules | No short-term rentals; residential building records report at sale |
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Belvedere is an incorporated city of about 2,300 people on half a square mile of land at the southern tip of the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County, California, made up mostly of Belvedere Island and the homes around Belvedere Lagoon. Redfin’s latest monthly median sale price, for June 2026, was $5,994,238, from only 14 sales. Homes range from hillside and bayfront houses on the island to shoreline homes on the lagoon. The island’s road links run on two levees that the city is now reinforcing against earthquakes.
- County
- Marin County
- Government
- Incorporated city (City of Belvedere)
- Population
- About 2,345 (ACS 2020–2024)
- Land area
- 0.5 square miles
- Median sale price
- $5,994,238 (Jun 2026, Redfin; 14 sales)
- Transfer tax
- County only, $1.10 per $1,000
- Short-term rentals
- Prohibited (2023 Marin survey)
- Elementary district
- Reed Union School District
- Fire and sewer
- Tiburon Fire; Sanitary District No. 5
Belvedere homes for sale
Current MLS listings in Belvedere appear below. Because only a handful of Belvedere homes are on the market at any time, it usually makes sense to watch Tiburon as well; our property search lets you follow both.
What do homes in Belvedere sell for?
$5,994,238
June 2026, Redfin
14
June 2026, Redfin
26
June 2026, Redfin
Belvedere prices sit far above the rest of Marin, on very few sales. Redfin’s latest monthly figures, for June 2026, put the median sale price at $5,994,238 from just 14 sales, 45.3% above June 2025. For scale, C.A.R. reported a September 2026 median of $1,678,750 for Marin County single-family homes and $1,325,000 for the Bay Area region. With so few sales, one bayfront estate or one small hillside house can swing the median by millions, so a single month says little about what any particular home is worth.
The page itself shows how thin the data is. In the same view, Redfin reports a median price per square foot down 23.2% while the median price rose 45.3%, and its summary line quotes a $5.28 million average that fell 16.6%. Those can all be true at once when the mix of homes that sold changes. For a Belvedere valuation, we work from individual closed sales over a longer period, matched on view, water frontage, lot and condition.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $5,994,238 (up 45.3% year over year) | June 2026, Redfin (its calculation from MLS and public records) |
| Homes sold | 14 (9 a year earlier) | June 2026, Redfin |
| Median days on market | 26 (48 a year earlier) | June 2026, Redfin |
| Median price per square foot | About $1,840 (down 23.2%) | Redfin, period not stated on the page |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 101.5%; 57.3% sold above list | June 2026, Redfin |
| Housing units in the city | About 1,081 (±78) | 2020–2024, Census Reporter (ACS) |
| Marin County median, for comparison | $1,678,750 (single-family) | September 2026, C.A.R. |
Belvedere’s market figures rest on a very small number of sales, and Redfin’s latest month was June 2026 when we checked in October. Treat them as a broad indication, not a valuation.
Belvedere Island and Belvedere Lagoon
Most Belvedere homes sit in one of two settings, and they come with different questions.
Belvedere Island
The island is the hill at the tip of the peninsula, with homes stepping down its slopes toward the bay. Its road connections to the mainland run on two earthen levees, San Rafael Avenue and Beach Road, and the City of Belvedere notes that those levee roads are the only access to Belvedere Island, are more than 80 years old and carry the electricity, gas, water, sewer and fire-suppression trunk lines. For an island home, the practical checks are slope stability, drainage, access for construction and the condition of retaining walls.
Belvedere Lagoon
The lagoon neighborhood lies on low ground behind those levees, with homes along the water’s edge. The lagoon is managed by the Belvedere Lagoon Property Owners Association, a private nonprofit with about 235 members that describes itself as not a homeowners association. Membership is required of every shoreline owner who wants to use the lagoon, there’s no public access, and permitted uses are limited to swimming, manually powered craft and mono-hull sailboats up to 15 feet. The association lowers the water level for flood control from about November 1 to March 31 and keeps it higher for recreation the rest of the year. Ask for the association’s current dues, rules and any dock standards before you write an offer on a lagoon home.
Flood, earthquake and sea-level rise: the levee and seawall work
For buyers, the city project that matters most is the work on those two levees. The city’s concern is earthquakes first: it says the levees are “susceptible to significant displacement from an earthquake”, and a failure of the Beach Road seawall, The Ark reported in July 2026, could flood hundreds of homes in the lagoon area. Sea-level rise is the second phase.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early 2021 | City Council approved the final design concept for the levee project | City of Belvedere |
| June 6, 2022 | Council directed staff to split the project: earthquake work first, with 40- to 50-foot steel sheet piles along most of Beach Road and parts of San Rafael Avenue; raising the levees for sea-level rise later, possibly up to five years later | The Ark, June 2022 |
| October 2022 | Draft environmental impact report published | City of Belvedere |
| November 2022 | Measure D, a proposed 0.8% city real property transfer tax to help pay for the work, failed | City of Belvedere |
| April 2026 | Council awarded a $3.51 million contract for Beach Road seawall stabilization, part of a project of about $4.97 million | The Ark, July 2026 |
| July 27 to October 30, 2026 | Scheduled construction: steel sheet piles to reinforce about 550 feet of seawall on Beach Road between Main Street and Peninsula Road, with single-lane traffic | The Ark, July 2026 |
The city’s own page puts the cost of the full project at $20 million, says it’s pursuing grants, and says raising the levees is no longer in the first phase but the design can be adapted for “higher sea levels anticipated in 2050 and beyond.” It has no last-updated date, so ask the city for the current schedule and funding plan.
What this means for a buyer:
- Flood zone and insurance: check the FEMA flood zone for the parcel and ask your lender early whether flood insurance will be required. Lagoon and low-lying homes are the ones to look at most closely.
- Future costs: the city hasn’t settled how it will pay for the sea-level-rise phase. Ask the city whether any assessment, parcel tax or ballot measure is planned before you budget.
- Construction: the 2026 Beach Road work runs with single-lane traffic, and the sheet-pile work planned for parts of San Rafael Avenue could affect access to the island too, which matters if you’re timing a move or a renovation.
City rules: short-term rentals, transfer tax and taxes
Belvedere is its own incorporated city, separate from the Town of Tiburon even though the two share a peninsula, a fire district and a school district. Rules to know before you buy:
- No short-term rentals: a May 2023 survey of Marin cities by the Town of Ross lists Belvedere as prohibiting short-term rentals. If you plan to rent the home while you’re away, plan on leases of 30 days or more, and confirm the current rule with the city.
- No city transfer tax: a Belvedere sale pays only the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. The city proposed its own 0.8% transfer tax for the levee project in 2022, and voters turned it down.
- No Measure C wildfire tax: Belvedere and Tiburon were left out of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority’s parcel tax approved in March 2020.
- Rentals: Belvedere has no local just-cause or rent ordinance on Legal Aid of Marin’s list, so state law (AB 1482) governs where it applies.
For property tax, closing costs and the rest of the county’s process, see our Marin County real estate guide.
Services, schools and getting around
Belvedere runs its own planning and permits, but most day-to-day services are shared across the peninsula:
- Fire: the Tiburon Fire Protection District serves the Tiburon Peninsula and Belvedere, and publishes its wildland-urban interface and Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. If a home is in a High or Very High zone, California’s AB 38 rule means the seller provides a recent defensible-space inspection report, or the buyer agrees in writing to get one within a year of closing.
- Sewer: Sanitary District No. 5 of Marin County serves Belvedere and Tiburon; its Cove Road Pump Station handles the whole Belvedere service area. On an older home, a camera inspection of the private sewer lateral belongs in your inspection period.
- Schools: the Reed Union School District for kindergarten through eighth grade and the Tamalpais Union High School District for high school.
- Ferry: the Golden Gate Ferry’s Tiburon–San Francisco route leaves from downtown Tiburon, and the Angel Island Tiburon Ferry crosses to Angel Island State Park in about 15 minutes from 21 Main Street.
Belvedere compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Belvedere | Incorporated city | Median $5,994,238 from 14 sales (June 2026, Redfin); island reached only by levee roads |
| Tiburon | Incorporated town | About half Belvedere’s median at $3,047,983, on a deeper market of 40 sales (August 2026, Redfin); the ferry terminal is downtown |
| Mill Valley | Incorporated city | Median $1,898,743 (August 2026, Redfin); short-term rentals allowed with a city registration |
| Sausalito | Incorporated city | Median $1,574,250 (September 2026, Redfin); its own Golden Gate Ferry route to San Francisco |
| Corte Madera | Incorporated town | Median $2,023,661 (three months to August 2026, Redfin); bayfront flats with town-run storm pump stations |
Luxury homes and estates in Belvedere
Belvedere’s high-end homes sit in two settings: hillside and bayfront houses on Belvedere Island, and shoreline homes around Belvedere Lagoon, where the Belvedere Lagoon Property Owners Association manages the lagoon itself. For either setting, compare adopted design requirements, approved improvements and the usable site before assigning value to a future project. Belvedere’s code puts nearly all exterior work under design review, whether or not a building permit is needed, from new buildings and additions to fences, decks, pools, driveways, exterior lighting and significant landscaping (Belvedere Municipal Code §20.04.015). The review criteria ask designs to avoid "monumental or excessively-large dwellings" and large single-plane expanses of glass (§20.04.130).
For a high-value purchase here, settle these before you remove contingencies:
- What you can change. Ask the city for the property’s design review history and any conditions on past approvals, and read our shoreline and hillside ownership guide.
- Permit records. Match every addition, deck and seawall to a permit; our existing-home permit research guide explains the search.
- Flood and levee exposure. The city’s critical infrastructure project covers the levee roads and seawall; check the FEMA zone on the Flood Map Service Center.
- Insurance. The FAIR Plan’s residential limit is $3 million per location (Department of Insurance), so a larger rebuild needs a high-value carrier or layered coverage; see insuring a high-value home and our FAIR Plan guide. Compare policy limits and covered perils with a current rebuild estimate through a licensed insurance professional. FAIR Plan dwelling coverage is limited named-peril coverage; additional Difference in Conditions, flood or earthquake coverage may be needed.
Many Belvedere owners prefer discretion. Ask Diamond Real Estate Group which permitted private-marketing options fit your property, goals and the applicable MLS rules. Availability of any particular listing is not guaranteed. See Marin County luxury homes and Marin waterfront homes.
Permits, ADUs and remodels in Belvedere
Belvedere runs its own planning and building permits, and the Planning Commission is the design review body. Small projects can move faster: staff may process a qualifying single-family addition of less than 250 square feet of new floor area, or an upper-level addition of up to 100 square feet, as a design review exception (Belvedere Municipal Code §20.04.015). Confirm the actual review route and current exemptions with Planning, including protections for qualifying ministerial ADUs under state law.
Accessory dwelling units follow state law, which limits how far a city can restrict them; the state housing department’s ADU page and handbook explain the rules. Belvedere prohibits short-term rentals, so plan an ADU for family or long-term use. When you sell, the city’s resale requirements apply, and the report will show what the city’s records say was permitted, so unpermitted work is best resolved before listing.
Costs to plan for when buying in Belvedere
Property tax. Marin bills the 1% Proposition 13 base plus voter-approved debt for the parcel’s tax rate area, with parcel-based direct charges added on top; the county publishes its tax rate books. The first installment is due November 1 and late after 5 p.m. December 10; the second is due February 1 and late after 5 p.m. April 10 (Marin County Tax Collector FAQ). Pay only through the county’s official tax bill site.
Supplemental bills. A taxable ownership change can trigger reassessment and supplemental billing, subject to applicable exclusions and the actual value change; see our supplemental tax bill explainer and Marin County property tax guide.
Ownership costs specific to the setting. Lagoon homes have association obligations through the lagoon property owners’ association, and bayfront and hillside homes can carry seawall, drainage and foundation maintenance. Our Belvedere annual homeownership budget and drainage and foundation inspection records guides show what to add up before you buy.
Belvedere real estate: questions people ask
How do I find Belvedere homes for sale?
Start with the listings on this page. Compare current inventory with Tiburon, and ask about homes being prepared for sale that haven’t reached the public sites.
Who is a realtor for Belvedere?
Diamond Real Estate Group’s broker, Matthew Martinez (DRE #01869679), works with buyers and sellers in Belvedere and on the Tiburon Peninsula. For a proposed purchase, ask for the design review file, permit record and parcel-specific flood and levee information.
Sources for this section
- Belvedere Lagoon Property Owners Association: https://www.belvederelagoon.org/about
- Belvedere Municipal Code §20.04.015: https://belvedere.municipal.codes/Code/20.04.015
- Belvedere Municipal Code §20.04.130: https://belvedere.municipal.codes/Code/20.04.130
- City of Belvedere, critical infrastructure project: https://cityofbelvedere.org/critical-infrastructure-project
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home
- California Department of Insurance, FAIR Plan: https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/California-FAIR-Plan.cfm
- California HCD, accessory dwelling units: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/building-standards/adu
- City of Belvedere, what the city requires when you sell: https://cityofbelvedere.org/question/what-does-the-city-require-when-i-sell-my-home
- Marin County, property tax rate books: https://www.marincounty.gov/departments/finance/property-tax/property-tax-auditor-controller/property-tax-rate-books
- Marin County Tax Collector, property tax FAQs: https://www.marincounty.gov/departments/finance/property-tax/tax-collector/property-tax-faqs
- Marin County, tax bill online: https://marincounty.gov/taxbillonline
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Belvedere buyers
With so few sales, Belvedere pricing is about individual homes, not averages. We build the comparison set from closed sales over a longer window and adjust for water frontage, view, slope and condition. Then we work through the questions that are specific here: the parcel’s flood zone and insurance, where the home sits relative to the Beach Road and San Rafael Avenue levee work, the lagoon association’s documents for shoreline homes, and slope, drainage and retaining-wall condition on the island.
- Luxury and waterfront homes: how we approach the top of the market.
- Marin County real estate agents: a disclosed list with each DRE license linked.
- Selling a Belvedere home and requesting a private valuation.
See also how we work with buyers.
Selling a home in Belvedere
Belvedere’s point-of-sale review includes a visit from a city inspector. The city’s seller checklist has two steps: schedule the residential building records report and have the sewer lateral inspected. Start both before listing photos.
The city’s Residential Building Record report
- Required before any sale or exchange of a residential building or lot (Municipal Code 16.24.030).
- Two parts: a records section covering zoning, authorized use, variances and permits of record, special restrictions, open permits and the parcel’s FEMA flood map location, plus an inspection for hazardous conditions and zoning or building code violations.
- Timing: the city allows itself 30 days after a complete application, and the report stays valid for up to 12 months. Violations it identifies must be remediated within 60 days of the inspection date (16.24.040), which can fall inside your escrow.
- Delivery: the owner gives the report to the buyer before close of escrow; the buyer signs a city receipt, which goes to the City Clerk (16.24.050).
Sewer lateral
The city code asks for a current video of the entire lateral as part of the report application, and the city may order repairs based on it (16.24.045). Sanitary District No. 5, which serves Belvedere, separately requires a camera inspection when a property is bought or sold. A lateral replaced within 20 years, or inspected within three years with repairs completed, is exempt; the residential permit is $235.
Fire and transfer tax
If the parcel is in a High or Very High fire hazard zone, AB 38 defensible-space documentation is expected by close of escrow, or the parties can agree in writing that the buyer obtains it within a year. Belvedere has no city transfer tax: a sale pays Marin County’s $1.10 per $1,000. The seller customarily pays in Diamond’s North Bay markets, but it is negotiable, as our California transfer tax guide explains.
What buyers ask to see
For lagoon homes, buyers want the lagoon association’s dues and rules, the flood zone and the city’s levee schedule. Island buyers ask about slope, drainage and retaining-wall permits. Our Marin County selling requirements page puts Belvedere’s rules beside Tiburon’s, and our seller services page describes how we prepare a listing.
Sources for this section: City of Belvedere: What does the City require when I sell my home?; Belvedere Municipal Code 16.24.030: Report required prior to sale; Belvedere Municipal Code 16.24.040: Report contents; Belvedere Municipal Code 16.24.045: Sewer lateral inspection; Belvedere Municipal Code 16.24.050: Delivery to buyer; Sanitary District No. 5 of Marin County: Lateral sewer inspections; Marin County Fire: What is an AB-38 inspection?; Marin County Assessor-Recorder: Fees (documentary transfer tax).
Belvedere real estate FAQs
What is the median home price in Belvedere, CA?
Redfin’s latest monthly figure, for June 2026, was $5,994,238, based on 14 sales. That’s more than three times C.A.R.’s September 2026 median for Marin County single-family homes ($1,678,750). Because so few homes sell, the median can move by millions from one month to the next.
Why do Belvedere market statistics look contradictory?
Because the sample is tiny. In Redfin’s June 2026 view the median price was up 45.3% while the median price per square foot was down 23.2%, which only happens when the mix of homes that sold changes. For a real valuation, look at individual closed sales over a year or more, matched on frontage, view and condition.
Is Belvedere part of Tiburon?
No. Belvedere is a separate incorporated city with its own council, planning and permits. It does share services with Tiburon: the Tiburon Fire Protection District covers both, Sanitary District No. 5 of Marin County provides sewer service to both, and both are in the Reed Union School District.
Who manages Belvedere Lagoon?
The Belvedere Lagoon Property Owners Association, a private nonprofit of about 235 members that says it is not an HOA. Shoreline owners must be members to use the lagoon, and there’s no public access. Ask for its dues and rules during your contingency period.
Can I keep a boat on the lagoon?
Only small craft. The association allows swimming, manually powered craft and mono-hull sailboats up to 15 feet. Motorboats aren’t on the approved list, so a larger boat means a marina slip elsewhere.
What is the Beach Road seawall project?
It’s the first construction phase of the city’s levee work. Crews are reinforcing about 550 feet of the Beach Road seawall, between Main Street and Peninsula Road, with steel sheet piles under a $3.51 million contract, with construction scheduled for July 27 to October 30, 2026 (The Ark). The goal is to keep the wall standing in a major earthquake.
Is Belvedere planning for sea-level rise?
Yes, but as a later phase. The city’s project page says raising the levees was taken out of the first phase and that the design can be adapted for higher sea levels expected in 2050 and beyond. How that phase will be paid for hasn’t been settled since the 2022 transfer tax measure failed.
Do Belvedere homes need flood insurance?
It depends on the parcel’s FEMA flood zone and your lender. Low-lying homes around the lagoon are the first to check; hillside homes on the island usually raise slope and drainage questions instead. Get an insurance quote as soon as your offer is accepted.
Can I rent my Belvedere home on Airbnb?
Not as far as the latest public record we found shows: a May 2023 survey of Marin cities by the Town of Ross listed Belvedere as prohibiting short-term rentals. Plan on leases of 30 days or more, and confirm the current rule with the city before you count on any rental income.
Does Belvedere charge a city transfer tax?
No. Only Marin County’s documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 applies. Voters rejected a proposed 0.8% city transfer tax, Measure D, in November 2022.
Which school districts serve Belvedere?
Belvedere is in the Reed Union School District for kindergarten through eighth grade (Reed Elementary, Bel Aire Elementary and Del Mar Middle) and the Tamalpais Union High School District for high school. Confirm the assigned school for a specific address with each district.
How do Belvedere residents commute to San Francisco?
The nearest commuter ferry is Golden Gate Ferry’s Tiburon–San Francisco route from downtown Tiburon; its current schedule took effect April 13, 2026. By car, Tiburon Boulevard (Highway 131) leads off the peninsula to Highway 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: Belvedere housing market (latest month June 2026) and C.A.R.: September 2026 home sales and price report
- Census Reporter: Belvedere, CA (American Community Survey 2020–2024)
- City of Belvedere: Critical Infrastructure Project
- The Ark: Belvedere to split infrastructure project (June 2022) and Beach Road seawall work is now underway (July 2026)
- Belvedere Lagoon Property Owners Association: about
- Town of Ross: short-term rentals staff report (May 2023)
- Marin County Assessor-Recorder: fees and transfer tax and Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority: Measure C
- Tiburon Fire Protection District, Sanitary District No. 5 of Marin County, Reed Union School District and Tamalpais Union High School District
- Golden Gate Ferry: Tiburon schedule (effective April 13, 2026) and Office of the State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance
Figures carry their dates where they appear. Belvedere’s sales sample is small, so treat any single month with caution. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; confirm the rules for a specific property with the agency named.
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Local resource: Marin County planning and township resources. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
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Local property guides
- Belvedere Shoreline and Hillside Homes: Ownership Duties and Site Evidence
- Belvedere House Inspections: Drainage, Foundations, Retaining Work and Access
- Belvedere Home Improvements: Researching the Existing Residence and Site Work
- Belvedere Homeownership Budget: Insurance, Exterior Maintenance and Capital Work
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