Commercial Real Estate in Alameda County: City and County Zoning, Measure D and Transfer Taxes

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

Most commercial property in Alameda County sits inside its 14 cities. Each city sets its own zoning, and many add their own transfer tax. The county itself regulates the unincorporated communities, which are Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview and Hayward Acres in the west, and the rural lands around Sunol and Livermore in the east, where Measure D sharply limits new building. Start every deal by confirming who regulates the parcel, then check its zoning with that agency.

Who controls the parcel

A mailing address can mislead. A "Hayward" address may be in unincorporated Fairview or Cherryland, and a "Livermore" address may be outside the urban growth boundary. The county’s planning page links its Zoning Viewer map for checking a parcel.

Unincorporated Alameda County zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

The county zoning ordinance is Title 17 of the County Ordinance Code. Its main business districts:

In C-N, C-2 and other commercial districts, any building or addition of 1,000 square feet or more needs county site development review. C-N and C-2 uses must also meet the M-P performance standards for noise, odor and emissions.

Castro Valley, the Eden Area and East County

Castro Valley. Castro Valley has its own zoning chapter, 17.51, and a Central Business District Specific Plan, adopted in January 1993. The plan covers about 288 acres along Castro Valley Boulevard from I-580 to Center Street and sorts uses into four land use groups: intensive retail, auto-oriented and light industrial, offices, and high-density residential. The county’s C-1 summary notes that downtown uses fall under the plan’s land use groups, not the base C-1 list. C-N and C-2 also allow artisan and maker spaces in Castro Valley.

Eden Area. The Eden Area Plan covers Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, San Lorenzo and Fairview. These communities have specific plans for the Ashland and Cherryland business districts along East 14th Street and Mission Boulevard, and for San Lorenzo, Fairview and Madison Avenue. The 2015 draft EIR for the Ashland Cherryland plan update, filed on CEQAnet, covers about 246 acres around East 14th Street/Mission and Lewelling. It studied up to 570,000 square feet of non-residential space along with new housing.

East County and Measure D. Voters approved Measure D in November 2000. The LAFCo review describes it as effectively ending new urban development in unincorporated East County. It drew an urban growth boundary that steers growth into Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. In Large Parcel Agriculture areas, non-residential buildings are capped at 0.01 FAR, with a 20,000 square foot floor (greenhouses 0.025), and most buildings must sit in a two-acre envelope. Tasting rooms, fruit stands and bed-and-breakfasts are allowed within those limits. The county also has a South Livermore Valley specific plan for its wine country.

Cannabis, alcohol and other county permits

The county regulates cannabis retail under Chapters 6.108 and 6.109 of the Ordinance Code, and the C-2 district lists cannabis retail as a conditional use. In unincorporated C-N, C-1 and C-2, alcohol outlets need a conditional use permit from the Board of Zoning Adjustments. In C-2, adult entertainment needs Planning Commission approval and a 1,000-foot buffer from residential zones and other adult uses. Inside a city, that city’s own rules apply instead.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder charges a county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value, excluding liens that remain. It also collects city conveyance taxes on full value for Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Hayward, Oakland, Piedmont and San Leandro, at the rates in the table above. Oakland’s top tier is $25 per $1,000 above $5 million, and Berkeley’s is $25 above $1.7 million, so a city tax can easily cost more than the county tax. The Clerk-Recorder’s page lists no conveyance tax for Dublin, Fremont, Livermore, Newark, Pleasanton or Union City. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally resets the assessed value. Business license taxes are set city by city, and we did not verify a county business license tax for unincorporated areas.

Due diligence that matters in Alameda County

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Confirm city or county jurisdiction with the Zoning Viewer, not the mailing address.
• In unincorporated areas, check for a specific plan (Castro Valley CBD, Ashland Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Fairview, Madison Avenue).
• Check whether the site carries an HE overlay, which may favor housing or mixed use.
• Outside the East County growth boundary, test any building against the Measure D FAR and envelope limits.
• Price the city conveyance tax on full value where one applies.
• For alcohol, cannabis, drive-in or auto uses, get the existing CUP and its conditions.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Alameda County Ordinance Code, Title 17 Zoning (GoCodebook), including Chapters 17.31, 17.36, 17.40 and 17.51
2. Alameda County Planning, district summaries for C-O, C-1 and M-1
3. Alameda County Planning, General Plan, Specific Plans & Ordinances
4. Castro Valley Central Business District Specific Plan
5. CEQAnet, Ashland Cherryland Business District Specific Plan Update
6. Alameda LAFCo Measure D review (Board of Supervisors CDA committee, March 2022)
7. Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, Real Property Transfer Tax

Note: City transfer tax rates change by ballot measure. Confirm the current rate on your escrow estimate.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

Related: Alameda County real estate guide · Multifamily property in Alameda County · Commercial real estate services