Cotati, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Cotati is a small incorporated city in southern Sonoma County, California, on Highway 101 between Rohnert Park and Penngrove, with about 7,300 residents on 1.87 square miles. Its housing ranges from single-family homes and mobile home parks to new apartments and condominiums approved near Highway 116, and Redfin put the median sale price in ZIP code 94931 at $759,671 for the three months ending August 2026. Cotati has its own city hall, water system and planning rules, and a SMART station at 980 East Cotati Avenue.
- County
- Sonoma County
- Government
- Incorporated city (1963)
- ZIP code
- 94931
- Population
- 7,347 (Census estimate, July 2025)
- Median sale price
- $759,671 (3 months to Aug 2026, Redfin)
- Water and sewer
- City-owned water; sewage to Santa Rosa’s regional plant
- SMART station
- 980 East Cotati Avenue
- School district
- Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified
Cotati homes for sale
The MLS listings below are the homes for sale in Cotati right now. Because the city is small, there may be only a handful at a time, so it helps to watch Rohnert Park and Penngrove as well; our property search covers all three.
What do homes in Cotati sell for?
$759,671
ZIP 94931, 3 months ending August 2026, Redfin
24
August 2026, Redfin (21 a year earlier)
$451
August 2026, Redfin (down 4.4%)
Cotati’s median sits between Rohnert Park’s and the county’s. Redfin’s 94931 figure was 2.7% higher than a year earlier, while the price per square foot slipped 4.4%, which can reflect a different mix of homes selling rather than a change in value. With 24 sales in August 2026, one large house or one condo-heavy month moves these numbers, so read them as a range.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, ZIP 94931 | $759,671 (up 2.7%) | 3 months ending August 2026, Redfin |
| Median days on market | 43 (41 a year earlier) | Same period, Redfin |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 100.1% | August 2026, Redfin |
| Share sold above list | 34.8% (down 12.8 points) | August 2026, Redfin |
| Rohnert Park, ZIP 94928, for comparison | $705,000 | 3 months ending August 2026, Redfin |
| Sonoma County median | $875,000 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
| Owner-occupied homes; median gross rent | 59.2%; $2,056 a month | 2020–2024 ACS, Census QuickFacts |
When we price a Cotati home we look at its own street first, then at Rohnert Park sales for tract homes and at Penngrove sales for larger lots. The Sonoma County market report gives the quarterly county picture.
Where is Cotati, and who governs it?
Cotati sits on Highway 101 between Rohnert Park and Petaluma. On the SMART line, Rohnert Park’s station is the next stop north and Petaluma North the next stop south. Highway 116, the Gravenstein Highway, also passes through the city, and several approved projects sit where it meets Alder Avenue and Redwood Drive. Cotati’s ZIP code is 94931, and City Hall is at 201 West Sierra Avenue.
Cotati, Rohnert Park and Penngrove share one origin. Rancho Cotate covered 17,234 acres, including the land that is now Cotati, Rohnert Park and Penngrove, and the Page family owned it from 1849 to 1929 (City of Cotati). Voters made Cotati a city on July 2, 1963, so city ordinances, not county ones, decide zoning, rentals and building permits here. Penngrove, just to the south, is not part of Cotati and follows Sonoma County’s rules instead.
Cotati’s hexagon, older streets and housing
The center of Cotati is a six-sided plaza. The streets around it were laid out for the Cotati Land Company’s 1892 subdivision and named for six of Thomas Page’s sons, and the hexagon was made a State Historical Landmark in 1973. La Plaza Park, at its center, hosts the Cotati Accordion Festival each late August.
- Downtown: the hexagon streets and La Plaza, where new proposals are small mixed-use buildings such as the five-unit La Plaza Village at 8150 La Plaza.
- Tenure: the Census counts 59.2% of Cotati homes as owner-occupied, a higher share than Rohnert Park’s 49.9%, and median gross rent of $2,056.
- Mobile home parks: the city’s Housing Element commits it to preserving its mobile home parks, and a separate chapter of the land use code governs any conversion of a park to another use.
- New construction: condominiums, rental apartments and a 35-home subdivision are approved or proposed, mostly along Highway 116 and near the station.
What is being built in Cotati?
For a city of 1.87 square miles, Cotati has a long project list. More than 600 homes and apartments are approved or proposed, most of them rentals, and a rezoning near the station would allow more. This is the city’s own list as of mid-2026 (City of Cotati, projects in progress).
| Project | Location | Homes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotati Village 1 | Alder Avenue and Highway 116 (northeast corner) | 177 rentals, 18 affordable | Approved February 27, 2024 |
| Cotati Village 2 | Alder Avenue and Highway 116 (northwest corner) | 126 rentals, 13 affordable | Approved August 27, 2024 |
| Redwood Row | Highway 116 and Redwood Drive, next to Lowe’s | 134 condominiums and 44 affordable apartments, plus shops and a park | Approved May 13, 2025 |
| Flahavan Estates | 8841 Old Redwood Highway, 7.12 acres | 35 single-family homes of 1,912–2,242 sq ft, optional ADU | Approved January 23, 2024 |
| Cotati Station | Santero Way, next to SMART | 98 apartments (replacing a 74-unit approval) | Proposed |
| Eucalyptus Glen | Lund Hill Lane | 8 duplex units and 4 homes | 1990 approval; tree removal approved March 24, 2026 |
Two zoning changes are also under way. The Transit Oriented Community rezoning would allow 25 to 35 homes per acre on land within half a mile of the SMART station, and a Freeway Oriented District overlay for commercial land next to Highway 101 was due for regulations in fall 2026. The Cotati Hotel and Market, 153 rooms at 147 St. Joseph Way, received design approval in July 2022. If you’re buying near any of these sites, read the project file for traffic, height and construction timing.
For buyers who want a new single-family home, Flahavan Estates is the main for-sale subdivision on the list; Redwood Row will add condominiums. Ask the builder for the homeowners association budget and the property tax bill, which can include special assessments.
Cotati rules for rentals, rent and ADUs
Cotati’s municipal code, not the county’s, applies to every parcel inside city limits. These four rules can change a buyer’s plan.
Short-term rentals and lodging tax
Cotati’s land use code has no short-term or vacation rental section. It allows bed-and-breakfast inns of up to five guest rooms where the zoning permits them, with a use permit and parking for an on-site owner or manager. Any stay of 30 days or less owes the city’s 10% transient occupancy tax plus a 2% tourism assessment, 12% in all (City of Cotati). A county comparison of city rules also says Cotati has no short-term rental program.
We found no permit path for a whole-home vacation rental in Cotati’s code. If visitor income is part of your plan, get a written answer from Cotati Community Development before you buy.
Rent rules
Cotati’s housing code has two chapters. Chapter 19.14 stabilizes mobile home space rents: an increase can come only once every 12 months and may not exceed the lesser of the change in the San Francisco–Oakland Consumer Price Index or 6%, apart from the pass-through and arbitration exceptions the chapter sets out. Chapter 19.08 bars discrimination against families with children in rentals (Cotati Municipal Code, Title 19). There is no local rent cap or just-cause chapter for apartments and houses, so California’s AB 1482 rules apply to those unless the unit is exempt.
ADUs and unpermitted units
The city says nearly every residential property in Cotati is eligible for an ADU, and it offers pre-reviewed ADU plans. A temporary amnesty program under AB 2533 lets owners legalize a unit built before January 1, 2020, for a fee of about $600 to $800, with up to five years for repairs that aren’t life-safety items. Because the city runs an amnesty program, we check the permit status of any second unit on a home our clients are buying. Our guide to lots and ADUs in Sonoma County compares the cities.
Transfer tax
Cotati has no city transfer tax, so a sale here pays only the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. Petaluma and Santa Rosa each add $2.00 per $1,000.
Water, sewer and fire checks in Cotati
Inside city limits, water comes from the City of Cotati’s own system of wells, pumps, tanks and pipelines, and wastewater goes to Santa Rosa’s Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (City of Cotati). A home on the city system doesn’t need a well test or septic inspection. ZIP codes don’t follow city limits exactly, so confirm on the county parcel record that the address is inside the city; outside it, the county’s rules apply and the home may be on a well or septic.
California’s 2025 update of fire-hazard maps for land inside cities means you should look up the address on CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map. If the parcel is in a High or Very High zone, the seller must give AB 38 defensible-space documentation or both sides agree the buyer will complete the work within a year. Sonoma Clean Power supplies electricity by default, with PG&E running the lines and the billing.
Getting around from Cotati
The SMART station at 980 East Cotati Avenue sits beside the Sonoma County Transit intermodal facility and has a park-and-ride lot (SMART). Trains run north to Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor and south through Petaluma and Marin to Larkspur, where a shuttle meets the ferry. By car, Cotati is on Highway 101, and Highway 116 passes through the city. The Census puts the average commute for Cotati workers at 28.6 minutes.
Daily life in Cotati
- Downtown: La Plaza Park and the hexagon of streets around it, home to the Cotati Accordion Festival (festival site).
- Schools: public schools belong to the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District, which runs 12 schools in the two cities. The district confirms which school serves a given address.
- University: Sonoma State University, founded in 1961, is in neighboring Rohnert Park, which has a memorandum of understanding with the university and the City of Cotati.
- Regional parks: Crane Creek Regional Park, 128 acres with 3.5 miles of trails, is east of Rohnert Park on Pressley Road.
Cotati compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cotati | City | ZIP 94931 median $759,671 (3 months to August 2026, Redfin); no short-term rental program; mobile home space rents capped at the lesser of CPI or 6% |
| Rohnert Park | City | ZIP 94928 median $705,000; single-room short-term rentals only, with a permit; larger new-home areas at SOMO Village and the University District |
| Penngrove | Unincorporated | County rules, including the county’s 2024 just-cause tenant ordinance and vacation rental permits |
| Santa Rosa | City | $2.00 per $1,000 city transfer tax; receives Cotati’s wastewater at its regional plant |
| Petaluma | City | $2.00 per $1,000 city transfer tax and local tenant protections since 2022 |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Cotati buyers
Cotati purchases tend to turn on details at the parcel level. During your contingency period, we confirm whether the address is inside city limits, check the permit history of any second unit, look up the fire-hazard zone, read the city’s project list for anything planned nearby, and pull comparable sales from Cotati, Rohnert Park and Penngrove so the price reflects the lot and the house, not just the ZIP median.
- Agents licensed to work in Cotati, listed with links to their DRE records and our own listing disclosed.
- How to buy a home in Sonoma County and financing a Sonoma County purchase.
- Vacation rental rules across Sonoma County, city by city.
Owners thinking of selling can start with a home valuation. For the wider region, see the Sonoma County real estate guide and how we help buyers.
Selling a home in Cotati
Cotati is small enough that the jurisdiction question comes up on almost every sale. Homes inside the city are City of Cotati permit files. Penngrove and the rural land around town are unincorporated, so their permits, septic records and well records sit with Permit Sonoma.
Transfer tax
Cotati adds no city transfer tax; the county recorder lists the city under the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. A $760,000 sale pays $836. The seller customarily covers it in Diamond’s North Bay markets, but it is a negotiable term of the contract. Our transfer tax explainer has the details.
Older homes, added units and rural systems
On the older streets around the hexagon, compare the living area and any second unit with the permit record before a buyer’s agent does, and gather the finals before you list. If a unit was never permitted, ask the city about its unpermitted dwelling unit amnesty program first, and read our guide to selling with an unpermitted ADU.
On a Penngrove-side or rural parcel, the septic system may need more than a pumping report. Permit Sonoma requires an operational permit, renewed annually, for systems that use supplemental treatment. Its acknowledgement form obliges the owner to tell the next owner about those requirements, so put the permit and service records in the disclosure package.
State items every Cotati seller handles
- A written statement that the house has an operable smoke alarm (Health and Safety Code 13113.8).
- Written certification that the water heater is braced (Health and Safety Code 19211).
- Carbon monoxide alarms where there are gas appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage.
- The Civil Code 1101.4 disclosure about noncompliant plumbing fixtures.
- AB 38 defensible-space documentation if the current state map puts the parcel in a High or Very High zone.
The Sonoma County selling guide covers disclosures and timing. To price a Cotati home against the few comparable sales in town, start with a free home valuation.
Sources for this section: County of Sonoma Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax; Permit Sonoma: Operational Permit and Monitoring Program; Permit Sonoma: Form WLS-043, acknowledgement of operational permit requirement; California Health and Safety Code section 13113.8 (California Public Law); California Health and Safety Code section 19211 (California Public Law); California Health and Safety Code section 17926 (California Public Law); California Civil Code section 1101.4 (California Public Law); Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19.
Cotati real estate FAQs
Where is Cotati, California?
Cotati is in southern Sonoma County on Highway 101, between Rohnert Park to the north and Penngrove and Petaluma to the south. It has its own SMART station at 980 East Cotati Avenue, and Highway 116 passes through the city.
What is Cotati’s ZIP code?
Cotati’s ZIP code is 94931. ZIP codes don’t follow city limits exactly, so check a parcel’s jurisdiction before relying on city rules or services.
What does a house in Cotati cost?
Redfin’s median sale price for ZIP 94931 was $759,671 for the three months ending August 2026, up 2.7% from a year earlier, at about $451 per square foot. Only 24 homes sold in August 2026, so the figure can swing.
Is Cotati its own city?
Yes. Voters approved incorporation on July 2, 1963, so the City of Cotati handles zoning, building permits, water and sewer. Penngrove, next door, is unincorporated and follows Sonoma County’s rules.
What is the population of Cotati?
About 7,300. The Census Bureau’s latest estimate is 7,347, on 1.87 square miles of land.
Why is downtown Cotati a hexagon?
The six streets around La Plaza Park were laid out for the Cotati Land Company’s 1892 subdivision of the Page family’s Rancho Cotate and named for six of Thomas Page’s sons. The hexagon became a State Historical Landmark in 1973.
Can I run a vacation rental in Cotati?
Cotati’s code has no short-term rental permit, and a county comparison says the city has no short-term rental program. Bed-and-breakfast inns of up to five rooms need a use permit, and any stay of 30 days or less owes 12% in lodging tax and assessment.
Does Cotati have rent control?
Only for mobile home spaces. Chapter 19.14 limits space-rent increases to once a year and to the lesser of the CPI change or 6%. Apartments and houses follow state law (AB 1482).
Are new homes being built in Cotati?
Yes. Flahavan Estates (35 single-family homes on Old Redwood Highway) and Redwood Row (134 condominiums next to Lowe’s) were approved in 2024 and 2025, alongside several apartment projects on Highway 116 and near the SMART station.
Is Cotati on city water or wells?
Homes inside the city are on city water: Cotati runs its own system of wells, pumps and storage tanks. Sewage is treated at Santa Rosa’s regional plant, so those homes aren’t on septic either. Rural parcels outside city limits can be on private wells.
Can I build an ADU in Cotati?
The city says nearly every residential property is eligible for one, and it offers pre-reviewed plans. If a home already has an unpermitted unit built before 2020, the amnesty program can bring it into the permit record.
Which schools serve Cotati?
Public schools are run by the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Check the assigned school for a specific address with the district.
Is there a train from Cotati to San Francisco?
SMART runs from Cotati south to Larkspur in Marin County, where a shuttle connects to the ferry. There’s no direct train into San Francisco itself.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: ZIP 94931 housing market and ZIP 94928 (3 months ending August 2026); C.A.R.: September 2026 home sales
- U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts, Cotati
- City of Cotati: 19th-century history, incorporation, projects in progress, housing and ADUs, unpermitted unit amnesty, mobile home parks, water and sewer and transient occupancy tax
- Cotati Municipal Code (eCode360): Title 19, Housing and Chapter 17.42; County of Sonoma: table of city vacation rental rules
- Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- SMART: stations, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District, Sonoma State University and Cotati Accordion Festival
Figures carry their dates where they appear, and we refresh market numbers every quarter. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; confirm the rules for a specific property with the agency named. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Plan your next move
Share your preferred location, budget, property requirements and timing. We can help organize a focused search, arrange showings or discuss preparing a property for sale.
Local resource: Sonoma County community directory. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
