Forestville, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Forestville is an unincorporated town of about 3,700 people in west Sonoma County, California, on Highway 116 near the Russian River, with a small downtown served by its own water and sewer district and rural parcels and river neighborhoods around it. Redfin put the ZIP 95436 median sale price at $631K over the three months ending June 2026. Sonoma County sets the zoning and rental rules, and inside the town’s sewer district a sale triggers a private sewer-lateral inspection.
- County
- Sonoma County
- Government
- Unincorporated (county rules)
- ZIP code
- 95436
- Median sale price
- $631K (3 months to June 2026, Redfin)
- Population
- 3,717 (2020–2024 Census survey)
- Water and sewer
- Forestville Water District (central Forestville and Mirabel Heights)
Forestville homes for sale
The MLS listings below cover Forestville and ZIP 95436. To widen the search to Graton, Sebastopol or the river towns, open our home search and set the map to west county.
What do homes in Forestville sell for?
$631K
3 months to June 2026, Redfin, ZIP 95436
36
3 months to June 2026 (42 a year earlier), Redfin
101.5%
June 2026, Redfin
Forestville prices sit between Guerneville’s and the county’s. Redfin’s three-month median for ZIP 95436 was down 3.2% on a year earlier, the sale-to-list ratio was 101.5% in June 2026, and Redfin counted 25 sales that month against 14 a year before. The county median was $875,000 in September 2026 (C.A.R.). A three-month median can mix in-town houses with river cabins and rural parcels, so read it as a range, not a price for any one home.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, ZIP 95436 | $631K (down 3.2% year over year) | Three months ending June 2026, Redfin |
| Median price per square foot | $668 (up 28.0% year over year) | Redfin, accessed October 2026 |
| Homes sold above list price | 50.1% | June 2026, Redfin |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $730,300 (±$63,018) | 2020–2024 American Community Survey, via Census Reporter |
| Housing units and households | 1,490 units; 1,458 households | 2020–2024 American Community Survey |
| Sonoma County median price | $875,000 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
The Census figures say something about the town itself. The Forestville census area has almost as many households as homes, 1,458 against 1,490 (both with margins of about 175), which suggests few homes in the census area are vacant or seasonal, though the margins are wide. In Guerneville the same survey puts that share at about three in ten.
Downtown Forestville and its neighborhoods
Forestville has two quite different housing markets. The center of town, which its water district calls Central Forestville and Mirabel Heights, is on district water, and part of it is on district sewer. The neighborhoods along River Road and the river raise different questions: who supplies the water, whether the home is on septic, the flood stage and the vacation-rental cap.
Central Forestville and Mirabel Heights
The Forestville Water District covers about 5 square miles and roughly 3,000 customers (Forestville Water District). Its water connections (1,000) outnumber its sewer connections (430) by more than two to one, so a home inside the water district can still be on a septic tank; check the sewer bill, not just the water bill. Outside the boundary, the district refers residents to Russian River Utility, a private water company.
The river neighborhoods
Sonoma County’s 2023 vacation-rental study named three Forestville neighborhoods on the river and counted their homes and permits:
| Neighborhood | Parcels | Parcels with a home | Rental permits | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hacienda | 395 | 253 | 21 (8.3%) | 109 acres |
| Rio Dell | 587 | 317 | 14 (4.4%) | 127 acres |
| Summerhome Park | 174 | 119 | 9 (7.6%) | 39 acres |
Source: Permit Sonoma, ZCE23-0001 (March 16, 2023). Not every parcel has a house: in Rio Dell only 317 of 587 did. If you’re looking at a vacant river lot, confirm what the zoning, septic rules and flood maps let you build before you price it as a building site. Hacienda is also named in Russian River Utility’s service area (Permit Sonoma provider list), and the National Weather Service flood stages below list the Mirabel Park Resort, the Mirabel trailer park and Mirabel Road at River Road.
Water, sewer and septic: what to check in Forestville
Forestville Water District
The district doesn’t pump its own supply. It buys drinking water from Sonoma Water, drawn from Sonoma Water’s six Raney radial collector wells along the Russian River, and delivers about 110 million gallons a year through 1,000 service connections (Forestville Water District). Every connection pays a flat bimonthly meter fee of $37.08 per dwelling unit, plus $8.77 per 1,000 gallons for the first 12,000 gallons, rising to $10.95 and $13.15 in the higher tiers.
The sewer district and its sale-time inspection
The district’s treatment plant takes wastewater from 430 connections serving about 1,400 people and treats some 45 million gallons a year to tertiary standards, then discharges it to Jones Creek or reuses it. Its sewer charges appear on the county property tax bill (Forestville Water District).
Inside the Forestville Sewer District, Ordinance 61 requires a private sewer lateral inspection after a sale or remodel, in effect since January 1, 2018. Ask early in escrow who will order it and how any repair will be handled.
Septic and wells outside the district
Beyond the district’s sewer lines, homes use septic systems, and some rural parcels rely on wells. Sonoma County doesn’t require a septic inspection when a home sells, so order your own. Near the river the stakes are higher: the county’s septic program treats the Russian River as impaired for pathogens, places every system inside its protection area in Tier 3, which carries enhanced standards above the county’s usual Tier 2 rules, and by default draws that area 600 feet back from the bank (Permit Sonoma LAMP). The Regional Water Board’s Russian River pathogen plan, approved by the State Water Board on August 18, 2026 and awaiting final approval, adds basic operational inspections across the watershed (North Coast Water Board). Our Sonoma County wells and septic guide lists the reports to ask for.
Does Forestville flood?
The National Weather Service’s flood list names no downtown Forestville streets; every Forestville entry is on the river edge. The lower river is measured at the Guerneville gauge, where flood stage is 32 feet, and these are the Forestville-area impacts it lists (NOAA California Nevada River Forecast Center):
| Guerneville gauge | Forestville-area impact |
|---|---|
| 33 ft | Mirabel trailer park begins to flood |
| 36 ft | Mirabel Park Resort and Mirabel trailer park flood |
| 37 ft | Mirabel Road floods at River Road |
| 39 ft | River Road floods in Hacienda |
For scale, the river crested at 45.38 feet on February 27, 2019 and at 38.79 feet on February 5, 2025; the record is 49.5 feet, set February 18, 1986. A Hacienda or Mirabel home can stay dry while its road goes under at 37 or 39 feet, so ask sellers about road closures as well as water in the house, and pull the FEMA flood zone for the parcel.
Vacation rentals in Forestville’s river neighborhoods
All three named river neighborhoods were recommended for a 5% cap in the county’s 2023 rezoning, rather than the outright exclusion recommended for parts of Guerneville. On April 24, 2023 the Board adopted Ordinance 6423, which applied cap and exclusion zones to parcels in three supervisorial districts; confirm the final status of any Forestville parcel on the county’s map. With a 5% cap, no new permits are issued once permitted rentals reach 5% of the single-family homes in the zone, and by the 2023 counts Hacienda (8.3%) and Summerhome Park (7.6%) were already above that line, while Rio Dell (4.4%) was just under it.
In practice, assume you can’t add a new vacation rental in Hacienda or Summerhome Park unless Permit Sonoma tells you otherwise for that parcel, and check the zoning of any home in town for R1, where new rentals are banned. Where a rental is allowed it needs a county permit, a license, a certified property manager and a transient occupancy tax account, at the county’s 12% rate. Our guide to vacation rental rules in Sonoma County walks through the steps.
The West County Trail and getting outdoors
The West County Regional Trail ends in downtown Forestville. It’s a mostly paved, 5.5-mile path linking Forestville, Graton and Sebastopol on the old Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway line, with free parking at the Highway 116 trailhead in town and a boardwalk through the Atascadero Creek Ecological Reserve north of Graton. In Sebastopol it meets the Joe Rodota Trail to Santa Rosa, and together the two run 14 miles (Sonoma County Regional Parks).
- Use: walking, running, cycling and horses; dogs on leash.
- Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset, except for commuting.
- Trailheads with parking: Highway 116 in downtown Forestville, Ross Station Road, Graton Road and near Sebastopol Charter School.
For homes near the trail, check whether the parcel backs onto the old rail corridor and how that affects privacy, fencing and access.
Vineyards and the Green Valley appellation
Forestville sits on the edge of a federally defined wine region. The federal description of the Green Valley of Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area runs its boundary to “the town of Forestville where Covey Road intersects with State Highway 116 (Gravenstein Highway)” (27 CFR 9.57). The area was established in 1983 as “Sonoma County Green Valley” and took its current name in 2007. Its full name ties it to the larger Russian River Valley appellation (27 CFR 9.66), established the same year and last amended in November 2024.
For a vineyard parcel, the appellation is only the start. Check whether the land is under a Williamson Act contract, which lowers the assessment in exchange for use limits and rules out a vacation rental, and read our guide to vineyards and wineries for sale in Sonoma County.
How far is Forestville from Santa Rosa?
By bus, about 42 minutes. Sonoma County Transit Route 20 leaves from downtown Forestville and runs through Graton, Sebastopol and Santa Rosa Junior College to the Santa Rosa Transit Mall; a typical weekday trip leaves at 6:34 a.m. and arrives at 7:16 a.m. There are 11 regular weekday departures in that direction, 9 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday (Sonoma County Transit). By bike, the West County and Joe Rodota trails make a 14-mile route to Santa Rosa. SMART trains stop in Santa Rosa.
Forestville compared with nearby areas
| Area | One verified difference from Forestville |
|---|---|
| Sebastopol | An incorporated city whose water service covers its city limits; the West County Trail meets the Joe Rodota Trail there |
| Graton | On the West County Trail between Forestville and Sebastopol; parts of Graton were among the areas where the county’s August 2022 rules stopped approval of new vacation rentals |
| Guerneville | On the Russian River sanitation district and Sweetwater Springs water; about an hour to the Santa Rosa Transit Mall on Route 20 |
| Rio Nido | Mostly R1 zoning, so new vacation rentals aren’t allowed; too few sales for a reliable median |
| Santa Rosa | A city that adds its own transfer tax of $2.00 per $1,000 to the county’s $1.10, and has SMART stations |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Forestville buyers
A Forestville search usually splits early into “in the district” and “out of it”, and we work through the differences with you. In town, we confirm the water and sewer connections and build the sewer-lateral inspection into the escrow timeline. On the river side, we check the flood stage for the road as well as the house, the water company, the septic record and whether the neighborhood’s rental cap is already full. On rural parcels, we look at well records, septic capacity and what the zoning allows you to build.
See our Sonoma County real estate overview and our guide to buying a home in Sonoma County for the countywide steps. If you’re weighing agents, see our guide to real estate agents in Sonoma County.
Selling a home in Forestville
Forestville is unincorporated, so Permit Sonoma keeps its building and septic files, while the Forestville Water District supplies water and, in the center of town, sewer. That sewer district adds a step that most Sonoma County sales don’t have.
The sewer lateral inspection
Under the district’s Ordinance 61, every property in the Forestville Sewer District needs a private sewer lateral inspection following a sale or remodel, a rule in effect since January 1, 2018. The district says the work calls for a licensed, certified inspector with camera equipment; a buyer’s general home inspector won’t do. Order it before listing, so a cracked or root-blocked line becomes a known repair instead of an escrow surprise.
The district (707-887-1551) can confirm current procedures. Since its water customers far outnumber its sewer connections, confirm which services the house actually has.
Septic, flood and rental status
- Septic parcels. A system with supplemental treatment needs a Permit Sonoma operational permit every year, and the WLS-043 acknowledgement commits you to tell the buyer about it.
- River neighborhoods. In Hacienda, Mirabel and Rio Dell, have the FEMA zone and any elevation certificate ready; Permit Sonoma may have one on record. Our North Bay flood zone guide explains the maps.
- Vacation rentals. Hacienda and Summerhome Park were already above the 5% cap recommended in 2023, and the county allows no new rentals in an over-concentrated cap area. Because only an owner can hold the license, a buyer would have to apply anew.
Transfer tax and state items
Forestville pays only the county documentary transfer tax, $0.55 for each $500 of value: about $693 on a $630,000 home. Who pays is a contract term: sellers usually cover it in Diamond’s North Bay markets, but it can be shared; see our guide to transfer tax. Expect to supply AB 38 defensible-space paperwork for High or Very High fire zone parcels, plus a smoke alarm statement, water heater bracing certification and the Civil Code 1101.4 fixture notice.
Our Sonoma County selling guide covers the countywide steps, and Diamond’s seller services build the lateral inspection into the listing timeline.
Sources for this section: Forestville Water District: Private sewer lateral inspections; Permit Sonoma: Operational Permit and Monitoring Program; Permit Sonoma: Form WLS-043, acknowledgement of operational permit requirement; Permit Sonoma: Floodplains and floodways; Permit Sonoma: Vacation rentals; Permit Sonoma: Vacation rental permit and license application; County of Sonoma Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax; Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 13113.8; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 19211; California Public Law: Civil Code section 1101.4.
Forestville real estate FAQs
Is Forestville, CA a city?
No. Forestville is an unincorporated census-designated place covering about 5.3 square miles, so Sonoma County sets its zoning and permits. Its ZIP code is 95436.
What is the population of Forestville?
About 3,717, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey. The same survey counts 1,490 homes and 1,458 households in the Forestville census area.
How much do homes in Forestville cost?
Redfin’s median sale price for ZIP 95436 was $631K over the three months ending June 2026, down 3.2% from a year earlier, against a September 2026 county median of $875,000. In-town homes, river cabins and rural parcels price very differently, so compare like with like.
How far is Forestville from Santa Rosa?
Sonoma County Transit’s Route 20 takes about 42 minutes from downtown Forestville to the Santa Rosa Transit Mall. Cyclists can ride the West County and Joe Rodota trails, a 14-mile route.
Who provides water and sewer in Forestville?
The Forestville Water District serves Central Forestville and Mirabel Heights with water bought from Sonoma Water, and runs a sewer system with about 430 connections. Outside its boundary, Russian River Utility, private wells and septic systems are common, so confirm both services by address.
Do I need a sewer inspection when I buy in Forestville?
Inside the Forestville Sewer District, yes: Ordinance 61 has required a private sewer lateral inspection after a sale or remodel since January 1, 2018. Agree in the purchase contract who orders it and who pays for any repairs.
Does Forestville flood?
The town center doesn’t appear in the NWS flood list, but the river edge does. Mirabel trailer park begins to flood at 33 feet on the Guerneville gauge, Mirabel Road floods at River Road at 37 feet, and River Road in Hacienda at 39 feet.
Can I run a vacation rental in Forestville?
It depends on the parcel. New rentals aren’t allowed in R1 zoning, and the river neighborhoods of Hacienda, Rio Dell and Summerhome Park were recommended for 5% caps in 2023, with Hacienda and Summerhome Park already above 5% at the time. Check the parcel with Permit Sonoma before you buy for rental income.
Is Forestville in a wine appellation?
The Green Valley of Russian River Valley appellation’s boundary runs through Forestville at Covey Road and Highway 116, and the area takes its full name from the larger Russian River Valley appellation. Check the federal boundary description for a specific vineyard parcel.
Where does the West County Trail go?
It runs 5.5 miles from downtown Forestville through Graton to Sebastopol, mostly paved, and connects there with the Joe Rodota Trail to Santa Rosa. Parking at the Forestville trailhead on Highway 116 is free.
What should I check on a rural Forestville parcel?
The well, the septic system and the zoning. The county doesn’t require a septic inspection at sale, so order one, and ask for well logs and flow tests; building a new home in a marginal or scarce water zone requires dry-weather well testing.
How do I choose a real estate agent for Forestville?
Confirm the agent’s license on the California DRE public lookup and ask how they handle the sewer-lateral inspection, river flood stages and rental caps. Our guide to Sonoma County real estate agents explains how to compare them.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: 95436 housing market (three months ending June 2026) and Census Reporter: Forestville CDP, ACS 2020–2024
- C.A.R.: September 2026 home sales and price report
- Forestville Water District: about the district, water service, sewer service and Ordinance 61 and 2025 water quality report
- Permit Sonoma: water and sewer referral list, ZCE23-0001 Planning Commission table (2023), vacation rental regulations and OWTS manual and LAMP
- NOAA California Nevada River Forecast Center: Russian River at Guerneville (GUEC1) and North Coast Regional Water Board: Russian River pathogen TMDL
- Sonoma County Regional Parks: West County Regional Trail and Sonoma County Transit: Route 20
- 27 CFR 9.57, Green Valley of Russian River Valley and 27 CFR 9.66, Russian River Valley
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.
