Commercial Real Estate in Tomales: Village Core Zoning, a Small Sewer District and Ranch Land

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

Tomales is a small unincorporated town in northwest Marin on State Route 1. Its commercial property is a handful of older buildings in the village: food and retail storefronts, lodging and a few mixed buildings. Grazing and dairy ranches surround it. A commercial building’s value here depends on its zoning, its sewer connection and its coastal permit file, so confirm all three for each parcel.

Who controls the parcel

Tomales has no city. Three public bodies shape any commercial deal:

Marin County zones and permits development under its Coastal Zoning Code and Local Coastal Program. The county’s community plans page lists a Tomales Community Plan from 1997.
The Tomales Village Community Services District runs the town’s sewer system and the community park. Its own history says it was formed in 1999 by the Board of Supervisors and LAFCo, after residents voted to detach from the North Marin Water District.
The California Coastal Commission hears appeals of many county coastal permits.

The Marin LAFCo West Marin service review also covers the district. It notes that park services rely almost entirely on Measure A funding and recommends contingency plans. See our Marin County commercial guide for countywide rules.

Tomales zoning for commercial and agricultural use

Tomales is in the Coastal Zone, so the coastal districts in Chapter 20.62 apply. The village commercial blocks are C-VCR. The county’s 2016 village core FAQ lists Tomales among six villages with a proposed commercial core, and that core policy applies only to C-VCR land. The ranches around town are mostly agricultural districts.

District	Intended uses	Notes (Tables 5-1 to 5-3)
C-VCR Village Commercial/Residential	Keeps the village’s historic character and self-sufficiency	Retail, offices and restaurants up to 40 patrons permitted. Bars, larger restaurants and hotels by use permit. B&Bs of 3 rooms or fewer permitted
C-H1 Limited Roadside Business	Rural businesses serving motorists	Most uses by use permit. No bars
C-R1 / C-RA Residential	Village homes, with home occupations	B&Bs of 3 rooms or fewer permitted
C-APZ Agricultural Production	Farmland preservation	Small ag processing principally permitted. Farm homestays by use permit. Home occupations permitted
C-ARP Agricultural, Residential Planned	Clustered homes that save farmland	Homestays and B&Bs permitted only where agriculture is the lot’s primary use

Uses not listed in the tables are not allowed. In the mapped C-VCR core, commercial use is principal and housing is limited to upper floors or the back of the lot.

Ranch land and agricultural business

Most land around Tomales is ranch land, and two current county files show what gets built. At 28200 State Route 1 (P6126), zoned C-APZ-60 with a 60-acre minimum lot size, an applicant seeks a Coastal Development Permit. The project is a farmhouse, an equipment barn, a stable, a corral, two agricultural worker housing units and a new septic system. At 100 John Street (P5888), an owner seeks a coastal permit for an 800 square foot detached ADU on a five-acre lot.

For an agricultural buyer, the code allows on-farm processing under 5,000 square feet as a principal permitted use in C-APZ. Larger processing and agricultural homestays need a use permit. Non-farm commercial uses are not listed for the agricultural districts. A creamery, a farm stand or a homestay can work, but a general-purpose commercial building on ranch land generally cannot.

Sewer capacity and short-term rentals

The Tomales sewer. The district’s wastewater page describes three lined ponds in series. Treated effluent is stored in larger ponds about a mile away, then chlorinated and spray-irrigated on grazed pasture in summer. A Regional Water Board staff report from 2015 adds detail. The system serves about 100 homes, fewer than ten businesses and restaurants, and the Shoreline Unified School District campus of about 500 students. It uses about 2.6 miles of sewer main and has a design capacity of 43,000 gallons per day in dry weather. The North Marin Water District transferred ownership to the new district on April 20, 1999.

A new restaurant or more seats has to fit within that capacity and the district’s connection rules. The district posts a New Sewer Connection Process and an application on its sewer FAQ page. Outside the district, properties use septic, under county Environmental Health.

Short-term rentals. Under Chapter 5.41 (Ordinance 3816, May 2024), Tomales is capped at 12 licenses initially, falling to 11. Each owner may hold one license. Hotels, B&Bs and agricultural homestays are exempt from the STR license but need zoning approval, so a legally permitted inn is scarce.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Marin County Recorder’s sheet shows the county documentary transfer tax at $0.55 per $500, excluding assumed liens. With no city government, Tomales has no city transfer tax. Businesses in unincorporated Marin need a county business license, renewed by July 31, and lodging collects county transient occupancy tax. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment. Agricultural land may be under a Williamson Act contract, which affects taxes and allowed uses, so ask the county Assessor.

Due diligence that matters in Tomales

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm with the Tomales Village CSD that the parcel is connected, and the use and flow its connection covers.
Confirm the water source, such as a private well or small water system, and its permits.
Confirm C-VCR or other zoning and whether the parcel is in the village commercial core.
Pull the county Coastal Development Permit and use permit history, especially for food service and lodging.
For ranch land, check the zoning minimum lot size, any Williamson Act contract and agricultural easements.
For lodging income, confirm the use permit or STR license, given the 12-license cap.

Questions people ask

Is Tomales on sewer?

The village is. The Tomales Village CSD runs a pond-and-spray-irrigation system serving about 100 homes, a few businesses and the school campus. Outlying parcels use septic.

What can open in a Tomales storefront?

In C-VCR, retail, offices and restaurants up to 40 patrons are permitted. Bars, larger restaurants and hotels need a use permit, and most work needs a Coastal Development Permit.

Can I run a farm business on Tomales ranch land?

Agricultural processing under 5,000 square feet is principally permitted in C-APZ. Homestays and larger processing need a use permit.

How many short-term rental licenses does Tomales have?

12 initially, falling to 11, under the county’s 2024 ordinance.

Who approves projects in Tomales?

Marin County’s Community Development Agency, under the coastal zoning code. Many decisions can be appealed to the Coastal Commission.

Is there a Tomales transfer tax?

No. Only the county’s $0.55 per $500 applies.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Tomales?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Tomales.

Sources & notes

Note: We did not read the 1997 Tomales Community Plan text, the district’s connection fee schedule or the county zoning map. Sewer figures date from 2015, and we did not identify the village’s water provider.

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

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