Clarendon Heights, SF Real Estate & Homes for Sale
Clarendon Heights is a small San Francisco hillside area between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, on Clarendon Avenue and the streets climbing from Cole Valley. Most homes are single-family houses, many in the RH-1(D) detached district, and the hill carries mapped landslide zones rather than liquefaction, so slope matters for any project.
Explore Clarendon Heights, SF real estate and homes for sale with this local guide. Contact Diamond to discuss your criteria and current property-search options.
| County | San Francisco (City and County) |
|---|---|
| Local government | San Francisco Planning |
| Housing | Mostly single-family houses; some flats, condos and apartments |
| Hazards to check | Mapped earthquake-induced landslide zones; no liquefaction |
| Getting around | Muni 37 Corbett is the only line; rail downhill |
| Local rules | RH-1(D) detached single-family zoning and unit-size limit |
Clarendon Heights is a small hillside area between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, on Clarendon Avenue and the streets that climb from Cole Valley toward Twin Peaks Boulevard.
The streets with the most parcels are Graystone Terrace, Clarendon Avenue, Corbett Avenue, Saint Germain Avenue, Villa Terrace and Mountain Spring Avenue, followed by Belgrave Avenue, Carmel Street, Palo Alto Avenue and Crown Terrace. The neighbors are Cole Valley and Parnassus Heights below, Ashbury Heights to the northeast and Twin Peaks to the southeast, with Midtown Terrace in District 4 nearby.
Clarendon Heights homes for sale
Clarendon Heights market report
A name from an 1894 water tank
In 1894 the Spring Valley Water Company built a 500,000-gallon tank on a knob above Belgrave Avenue and called it the Clarendon Heights Water Tank. The tank came down in 1957, the city rezoned the hilltop for houses in 1961, and after a 1975 charter amendment the city bought the land back; it became Tank Hill park in 1977.
Tank Hill is about 2.9 acres at roughly 650 feet, with wooden steps up from Twin Peaks Boulevard and from Belgrave Avenue. Wikipedia places the park in Ashbury Heights, while the Assessor puts the Belgrave Avenue parcels in 5H, so the park sits right where the two names meet.
Two larger landmarks frame the area. Sutro Tower, at 1 La Avanzada Street and listed in Clarendon Heights, rises 977 feet to the tip of its antenna and began transmitting on July 4, 1973. To the west, Planning maps about 79 acres of Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve.
Houses from every decade
Unlike most of District 5, this is not a pre-1906 neighborhood.
- The median house was built in 1954 and has about 2,640 square feet of recorded building area.
- The median house lot is about 3,600 square feet, the largest of any District 5 subdistrict.
- Across all parcels with a recorded year, about 135 were built before 1940, 100 from 1940 to 1959, 64 from 1960 to 1979 and 87 in 1980 or later.
- The oldest recorded years, 1900 to 1906, appear on Carmel Street, Clayton Street, Mountain Spring Avenue and Corbett Avenue; the newest houses on the roll, from 2020 and 2025, are on Mountain Spring Avenue.
Because a single block can mix a 1905 house with a 1950s one and a recent rebuild, comparable sales need careful matching on age and condition, not just size. Our San Francisco luxury homes guide covers the larger view houses.
Zoning: detached houses and the unit-size limit
That pattern is unusual for District 5, where most hill blocks are RH-2 or RH-3.
The Central Neighborhoods Large Residence SUD (Planning Code Section 249.92) limits a new or enlarged dwelling unit to 3,000 square feet of gross floor area, exempting expansions of less than 15%. Its perimeter follows Portola Drive, then the eastern fork of Twin Peaks Boulevard north to Clarendon Avenue, then Clarendon west to University of California land, so lots on the Cole Valley side of that line are covered; lots on or beyond it should be checked on Planning’s map.
Planning’s map service also flags ground at 20% and 25% slope, worth checking early in any design. This is general information, not legal advice; check with a land use attorney or architect before planning work.
Landslide mapping, not liquefaction
An envelope drawn around the 5H parcels returns nine mapped landslide polygons on Planning’s seismic hazard layer and no liquefaction zone. The landslide areas follow the steepest slopes, so check each parcel; the Natural Hazard Disclosure will state the result for a sale.
On these lots the practical questions are retaining walls, drainage, foundation type and how a contractor will reach the site. For the 11 larger apartment buildings, ask whether DBI lists the building under its soft-story program, which covers older wood-frame buildings with five or more units and at least three stories, or two over a basement, permitted before 1978. Our hazard maps guide explains the lookups.
One bus line, with rail downhill
The 37 Corbett is the only Muni line through the area. SFMTA’s route page lists outbound stops on Carmel Street at Belvedere and at Twin Peaks Boulevard, and stops on Corbett Avenue at Clayton Street and at Graystone Terrace in both directions.
The bus runs about every 20 to 30 minutes, weekdays from 6 a.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. Rail is downhill: the N Judah leaves the Sunset Tunnel’s west portal near Carl and Cole streets in Cole Valley.
Selling a home in Clarendon Heights
With so few parcels, a Clarendon Heights sale is usually priced against a short list of local sales plus homes in Twin Peaks, Ashbury Heights, Cole Valley and Midtown Terrace. View, lot size, garage access and the age of the house drive most of the differences.
- Documents buyers expect: the 3R report, permits for additions and lower-level rooms, and any geotechnical or retaining-wall reports.
- For mid-century houses: records of electrical, plumbing, window and roof updates, since houses of that age may still have original systems.
- For expansion buyers: current floor area and recent permits, because the 3,000-square-foot cap and its ten-year look-back affect what can be added.
Our San Francisco selling requirements page sets out what the city requires before a sale closes. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as home inspectors or contractors; you’re free to choose any provider.
Costs to plan for when buying in Clarendon Heights
Transfer tax. San Francisco’s transfer tax is due when the deed records. The rate is per $500 of the entire price: $3.75 from $1 million to under $5 million, and $11.25 from $5 million to under $10 million (SF.gov: Transfer tax). Because the higher rate applies to the whole price once a threshold is crossed, a sale just over $5 million pays three times the rate of one just under it. On a $2 million house the tax is $15,000. The contract decides who pays; see our San Francisco transfer tax guide.
Property tax. San Francisco has one secured rate citywide: 1.18162182% of net taxable value for fiscal year 2026–27, plus per-parcel direct charges and special assessments (SF Treasurer & Tax Collector). The purchase resets the assessed value, and a reassessable ownership change may result in one or two supplemental bills or refunds (SF Assessor-Recorder). Our San Francisco property tax guide covers due dates and exemptions.
Permits, ADUs and remodels in Clarendon Heights
SF Planning handles zoning and DBI issues building permits. On a hillside lot, start with the parcel’s record on Planning’s Property Information Map: it shows the zoning (many lots here are RH-1(D)), the height district, the existing unit count and past permits. The unit-size limit described above, with its ten-year look-back, is the rule most likely to shape an expansion.
A second unit is often the more practical addition. SF Planning runs a State Program and a Local Program for single-family buildings, and they can’t be combined (SF Planning: ADUs):
- State Program: converted, attached or detached ADUs and a junior ADU of up to 500 square feet. Qualifying State applications have a 60-day review period from a complete application, with statutory exceptions, with no Section 311 neighborhood notification and no discretionary review, and certain local Planning Code requirements do not apply to qualifying State ADUs; applicable state standards still control.
- Local Program: waivers from some Planning Code requirements for existing buildings; a lot with four or fewer legal units can add one ADU plus one detached ADU. Local Program ADUs are subject to rent control. Review periods apply to qualifying complete applications and the applicable state pathway, with statutory exceptions; they do not guarantee that a proposed unit is feasible or that a building permit will be issued. Confirm the current requirements with the permit agency and HCD.
DBI holds pre-application meetings, which help on steep sites where foundations and retaining walls drive the cost. ADUs can’t be used for short-term rentals. Our ADU investment guide covers the numbers.
Luxury homes and estates in Clarendon Heights
Clarendon Heights is known for hillside houses; evaluate the actual lot size, access and permitted floor area for the property. Much of the area is zoned RH-1(D), the detached single-family district, so the higher-end homes here are detached houses on the hillside streets between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, built in nearly every decade of the last century.
On these lots the due diligence is mostly about the hill. Planning maps earthquake-induced landslide zones on some of the steepest ground, so ask for geotechnical and retaining-wall reports and check that every lower-level room and addition carries a permit. Compare the current floor area with the unit-size limit before you pay for expansion potential. Get homeowners and earthquake insurance quotes during your contingency period; our note on insuring a high-value home in California explains what carriers ask for.
With so few parcels, many owners value 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. Related reading: private and off-market sales. For the wider city, see our San Francisco luxury homes guide, and compare with Twin Peaks and Cole Valley and Parnassus Heights. We can’t promise that any particular property will be available.
Sources for this section
Questions people ask
Is Clarendon Heights a real neighborhood name?
Yes. The Assessor and the MLS use it for subdistrict 5H, and the name goes back at least to the 1894 Clarendon Heights Water Tank on what is now Tank Hill.
Is Sutro Tower in Clarendon Heights?
Sutro Tower stands at 1 La Avanzada Street on the hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, and Wikipedia lists its location as Clarendon Heights.
How big are the lots?
Verify the particular property’s current records and dimensions; a neighborhood statistic is not a substitute for a parcel-specific answer.
Is Clarendon Heights in a landslide zone?
Some of the steepest ground is mapped as landslide hazard; no liquefaction zone is mapped. Check the specific parcel.
Is there public transit?
The 37 Corbett serves Carmel Street, Corbett Avenue and nearby stops; the N Judah is downhill in Cole Valley.
If you own in Clarendon Heights and want a realistic read on value from the right comparable sales, we can help. Request a home valuation, compare it with Corona Heights on our SF District 5 page, or browse the San Francisco neighborhood guide.
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts, property classes, build years, zoning codes and street addresses by neighborhood code, queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (special use districts, Article 10 historic districts, landmarks, open space, area plans, cultural districts, seismic hazard zones; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning Code (via GoCodebook): Sec. 249.92, Central Neighborhoods Large Residence Special Use District
- Wikipedia: Tank Hill (water tank and park history)
- Wikipedia: Sutro Tower (height, completion, location)
- SFMTA: 37 Corbett route (streets, stops and service hours)
- Wikipedia: Sunset Tunnel (portals and opening date)
- SF Department of Building Inspection: Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Send a property inquiry
Matthew Martinez
Your inquiry is processed through our iHomefinder service. Review the form’s contact choices before submitting. Privacy Policy · Terms of Use.
What is your property in Clarendon Heights, San Francisco worth?
Planning a sale or weighing your next move? Request a broker market analysis based on the property, relevant comparable sales and the local setting.
Request your Clarendon Heights, San Francisco home and property valuation
