Commercial Real Estate in Woodacre: Village Zoning, Septic Limits and the Woodacre Flats Wastewater Study

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

Woodacre is the easternmost of the four San Geronimo Valley villages, just west of White’s Hill on the way to West Marin. Its commercial property is a very short list: a small cluster of village buildings near the valley road, a county fire station, and community and recreation uses. Many home-based businesses operate in the residential flats and canyons. Almost every parcel is on septic, so check zoning and the wastewater record for each property before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Woodacre is unincorporated and inland, outside the Coastal Zone. Marin County regulates land use under Title 22, its inland development code, guided by the San Geronimo Valley Community Plan. The county’s community plans page lists that 1997 plan as the guide for Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas.

The plan’s history section adds context. The Lagunitas Development Company laid out the Woodacre tract in 1913, and Woodacre’s post office, opened in 1925, was the last of the valley’s four. In 1941 the county took over the Tamalpais Forest Fire District and kept its headquarters in Woodacre. The county fire station still sits beside Castle Rock. Water came to the valley through the Marin Municipal Water District, which absorbed the local water company in 1951.

No sewer district serves the valley. Environmental Health, part of the county Community Development Agency, handles septic permits. See our Marin County commercial guide for countywide context.

Woodacre zoning for commercial and mixed use

The community plan (p. IV-2) maps its commercial categories to county zoning. Commercial General becomes C-P or H-1, Commercial Residential becomes VCR, and Commercial Recreational becomes RCR. The plan’s valley-wide buildout table counted 66 existing units in VCR and 9 in H-1. Chapter 22.12 sets what each district allows:

District	Intended uses	Notes (Tables 2-6 to 2-8)
VCR Village Commercial/Residential	Village centers serving residents and visitors	Retail, offices and restaurants up to 40 patrons permitted. Bars and larger restaurants by use permit. 35 ft. Housing at 1 unit per 2,000 sq ft
CP Planned Commercial	Lower-intensity retail, office and housing	Restaurants permitted. 30 ft. Setbacks set through design review
H1 Limited Roadside Business	Rural roadside commercial	Most uses by use permit. 35 ft
RCR Resort and Commercial Recreation	Recreation and resort uses	Hotels and B&Bs permitted. No housing density
Residential (single-family)	Homes, with home occupations	Most Woodacre lots. Septic usually decides what fits

In CP, H1 and RCR, housing other than affordable units must be accessory to the commercial use. Confirm each parcel on the county zoning map. Woodacre’s commercial frontage is small, and many buildings may be legal nonconforming.

What really limits business use: septic in Woodacre Flats

Wastewater is the defining issue for Woodacre property. The county’s wastewater Q&A explains why the Flats were studied. Homes are dense, many sit close to creeks, and septic systems fail because of poor soils, high groundwater, small lots and age, with many systems 50 or more years old. Fewer than half of developed properties have septic permit records on file. In voluntary inspections in 2004–2005, about two-thirds of Woodacre systems inspected were in marginal to unacceptable condition. Creek monitoring has found high coliform and E. coli levels.

The community plan (p. IV-3) names downtown Woodacre as a place where alternative mound systems may be needed because of the high water table. For a business buyer, that means:

A restaurant, café or any use with heavy water use may be impossible without a new or alternative system.
Expanding floor area can trigger septic upgrades.
A building with no septic permit on file needs investigation before closing.

The Woodacre Flats wastewater project

The county has studied a community system for more than a decade. A 2011 feasibility study looked at about 150 parcels. A Notice of Preparation for an EIR, filed March 23, 2017, described collecting Woodacre wastewater and pumping it through a force main of more than 5,300 feet to a new tertiary plant. The treated water would have irrigated the San Geronimo Golf Course. The county project page says the work paused when the golf course closed in 2017, and the Trust for Public Land bought the 157-acre parcel in 2018.

The Q&A says a 2019 study covered 360 developed parcels, about two-thirds in Woodacre. Further study is looking again at a community leachfield on Fire Road, which could serve at most about 200 homes. Connection would be voluntary, the project would serve existing homes only, and an EIR is still a required next step. The county has not published a construction date. Treat any seller claim that sewer is "coming" as unconfirmed.

Lodging, short-term rentals and cannabis

Short-term rentals. Under the county’s Chapter 5.41 (Ordinance 3816, May 2024), Woodacre is capped at 12 licenses initially, falling to 8. Only one license is issued per owner, and multifamily units and newer ADUs are generally ineligible. Hotels and B&Bs need zoning approval instead.
Cannabis. The county permits only delivery-only medicinal retailers in commercial, office or industrial zones, set back from schools and youth uses. Storefronts are not allowed.
Home occupations. These are permitted in VCR, CP and H1, and they make up much of Woodacre’s business activity.

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. Woodacre has no city, so no city tax applies. Businesses need a county business license, renewed by July 31. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Woodacre

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Request the county Environmental Health septic file, since fewer than half of valley properties have one, and order an inspection.
Confirm the zoning (VCR, CP, H1, RCR or residential) and any nonconforming status.
Check creek setbacks and flood mapping for parcels in the Flats.
Confirm MMWD water service and meter size for any use change.
Review wildfire exposure and defensible-space needs for canyon parcels.
Do not price in sewer service until the county adopts a project.

Questions people ask

Is Woodacre on sewer?

No. No sewer district serves the San Geronimo Valley, so properties rely on septic. The county has studied a voluntary community system for Woodacre Flats, but no project is approved.

Who sets zoning in Woodacre?

Marin County, under Title 22 and the 1997 San Geronimo Valley Community Plan. Woodacre is outside the Coastal Zone.

What can operate in a Woodacre village building?

In VCR, retail, offices and restaurants up to 40 patrons are permitted, subject to septic capacity. Bars and larger restaurants need a use permit.

Why is septic such a problem in the Flats?

The county cites poor soils, high groundwater, small lots and old systems. Inspections in 2004–2005 rated about two-thirds of Woodacre systems marginal or worse.

How many short-term rental licenses does Woodacre have?

12 initially, falling to 8, one per owner.

Is there a Woodacre transfer tax?

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

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Woodacre?

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

Sources & notes

Note: The community plan copy we used is hosted by a community group, and we could not read its Woodacre village section in full. We did not review the zoning map for Woodacre’s commercial parcels.

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

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