Healdsburg, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Healdsburg is an incorporated city of about 11,300 people in northern Sonoma County, California, built around a downtown Plaza where the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley wine regions meet. Redfin put its September 2026 median sale price at $1,049,500. Inside the city limits you buy under city rules, city-owned electric service and a voter-approved growth cap. Just beyond them, the same search turns into vineyard and rural parcels under Sonoma County rules.
- County
- Sonoma County
- Government
- Incorporated city (City of Healdsburg)
- ZIP code
- 95448
- Population
- 11,340 (2020 Census)
- Median sale price
- $1,049,500 (Sep 2026, Redfin)
- Electricity
- Healdsburg Electric (city-owned)
- School district
- Healdsburg Unified
Healdsburg homes for sale
Current MLS listings in Healdsburg appear below. To widen the search to Windsor, Geyserville or the rural valleys outside the city limits, use our property search and filter by town, price and lot size.
What do homes in Healdsburg sell for?
$1,049,500
September 2026, Redfin
$833
3 months to September 2026, Redfin
63
September 2026, Redfin
Healdsburg sells well above the county as a whole. Redfin’s September 2026 median of $1,049,500 was 7.5% higher than a year earlier, while the Sonoma County median for the same month was $875,000 (California Association of REALTORS). Homes took a little longer to sell than in 2025, and fewer of them changed hands.
Two cautions when you read these figures. Redfin’s page labels the median as a September figure in one place and a three-month figure in another, and a few vineyard estates closing in the same month can lift both the median and the price per square foot. The Census Bureau’s survey-based median value for owner-occupied homes, $950,100 for 2020 to 2024, is a useful cross-check because it reflects owners’ estimates for all owner-occupied homes, not only the ones that sold.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,049,500 (up 7.5% year over year) | September 2026, Redfin (its calculation from MLS and public records) |
| Median price per square foot | $833 (up 18.4%) | 3 months to September 2026, Redfin |
| Homes sold | 38 (52 a year earlier) | September 2026, Redfin |
| Median days on market | 63 (54 a year earlier) | September 2026, Redfin |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 98.7%; 24.3% of homes sold above list | September 2026, Redfin |
| Median value, owner-occupied homes | $950,100 | 2020–2024, U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) |
| Owner-occupied share of homes | 60.1% | 2020–2024, U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) |
| Sonoma County median, for comparison | $875,000 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
A sale-to-list ratio under 100% with a quarter of homes still selling over asking means pricing is uneven: some homes draw competing offers while most close a little under their list price.
How Healdsburg’s city rules shape a purchase
The City of Healdsburg covers only 4.42 square miles of land (Census). Everything inside that line follows the City of Healdsburg’s zoning, permits and taxes. Many properties with a Healdsburg mailing address sit outside it, in the Dry Creek or Alexander Valley countryside or on the slopes of Fitch Mountain, where Sonoma County is in charge. Confirm which side of the line a parcel falls on before you plan an addition, an ADU or rental income.
A voter-approved growth cap
Healdsburg voters limit how many homes can be built in the city each year. Measure M, passed in 2000 and now Chapter 17.24 of the municipal code, allows an average of 30 new homes a year and no more than 90 in any three-year period (Healdsburg Municipal Code). Measure P in 2018 added up to 50 more a year for multifamily homes restricted to households earning no more than 160% of the county median income, and Measure H in March 2020 let those homes be sold as well as rented. Units affordable to low-income households are exempt from the cap.
The city also has an urban growth boundary, first adopted in 1996. Voters extended it through December 31, 2030 with Measure W in November 2012, with 76% voting yes. For a buyer, the practical effect is a limited supply of new construction inside the city.
Inclusionary housing in new projects
In June 2019 the City Council raised the share of income-restricted homes required in new developments from 15% to 20%, with projects of four or fewer units allowed to pay a fee instead (Healdsburg Tribune). If you’re buying a newly built home, ask whether it’s one of the restricted units and, if so, what resale and occupancy terms come with it.
Long-term rentals
Renting a Healdsburg home for longer than 30 days is allowed, and the city adds one rule to state law: when a landlord ends a tenancy of 12 months or more for a no-fault reason, households at or below 120% of the county median income get an extra month’s rent in relocation pay, and those at or below 80% get another month (City of Healdsburg). There’s no local rent cap; the state’s AB 1482 limits apply.
Transfer tax and closing costs
Healdsburg doesn’t add a transfer tax on top of the county’s, so a sale here pays the county’s documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 (Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder). Our guide to buying a home in Sonoma County walks through the rest of the closing budget.
Can you run a vacation rental in Healdsburg?
Usually not inside the city. A whole-home rental of 30 days or less needs a city Conditional Use Permit, a business license and an annual fire and safety inspection, and the city’s own vacation rental page says most homes “will not qualify due to zoning restrictions” (City of Healdsburg). The city treats finding unpermitted rentals as a priority, and the owner is responsible even when a tenant is the one running the rental.
Where a rental is permitted, the guest pays 16%: the city’s 14% transient occupancy tax plus a 2% Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District assessment, in place since January 1, 2017 (City of Healdsburg).
Just outside the city, county rules apply instead. In the unincorporated Fitch Mountain neighborhood, the county counted 27 vacation-rental permits among 732 parcels during its 2023 rezoning review, and in April 2023 the Board of Supervisors placed Fitch Mountain among its vacation-rental cap and exclusion zones (Permit Sonoma). Our guide to vacation rental rules in Sonoma County explains the county permit.
If rental income is part of your plan, get the zoning confirmed in writing by the city or Permit Sonoma before you remove contingencies. Most homes inside Healdsburg can’t be legally rented for stays of 30 days or less.
Utilities: Healdsburg Electric, water and wastewater
Inside the city limits, your electricity comes from the City of Healdsburg, not PG&E. Healdsburg Electric is a publicly owned utility governed by the City Council, and Sonoma Clean Power, the default supplier almost everywhere else in the county, doesn’t serve Healdsburg (Sonoma Clean Power).
- Cost: the city’s March 2025 comparison put a 500 kWh monthly bill at about $132, against about $213 on PG&E rates (City of Healdsburg). Rates rose in November 2023, the first increase in five years, with annual steps scheduled through 2027.
- Power mix: the city lists geothermal power from The Geysers, a field of about 45 square miles in the Mayacamas Mountains, among its sources, and offers an optional Green Rate that buys renewable energy to match a customer’s use.
- Water and wastewater: the city also bills for water and wastewater service, with one online bill-pay link covering electric, water and wastewater, so a home inside the limits is usually on city water and sewer.
Outside the city, expect a private well, a small water system or a septic system, and PG&E with Sonoma Clean Power for electricity. Our guide to wells, septic and rural utilities in Sonoma County lists the inspections to order on a rural parcel.
Fire history and hazard checks
The 2019 Kincade Fire started at 9:27 p.m. on October 23, 2019, at John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road northeast of Geyserville, burned 77,758 acres before containment on November 6, and destroyed 374 structures, with 60 more damaged (CAL FIRE).
- Look up the zone: CAL FIRE released new Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for cities in 2025, and cities could add zones but not remove them. Check the parcel on the current map rather than relying on an older disclosure.
- AB 38 at sale: in a High or Very High zone, the seller provides a defensible-space inspection report from the six months before the sale, or buyer and seller agree in writing that the buyer will bring the property into compliance within a year of closing.
- Insurance: ask for quotes as soon as your offer is accepted. Hillside and wooded parcels on the edges of town can price very differently from a house a few blocks from the Plaza.
- Flood: check homes near the Russian River or a creek against FEMA’s flood map and the seller’s natural hazard disclosure.
The wine valleys around Healdsburg
Healdsburg sits where three federally defined American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) meet, and a fourth starts just to the southeast. The federal regulations draw these boundaries using Healdsburg’s own streets and landmarks, so parcels a short drive apart can fall in different appellations.
| AVA | Regulation | Established | Healdsburg connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian River Valley | 27 CFR 9.66 | 1983 (most recent change November 2024) | The boundary description begins at the Healdsburg Avenue Bridge over the Russian River |
| Dry Creek Valley | 27 CFR 9.64 | 1983 | The boundary runs through the town of Healdsburg to the Russian River |
| Alexander Valley | 27 CFR 9.53 | 1984 | The boundary follows Healdsburg Avenue and passes Fitch Mountain |
| Chalk Hill | 27 CFR 9.52 | 1983 | Southeast, toward Windsor, mapped on the Healdsburg quadrangle |
If you’re weighing a planted parcel, start with our vineyard property guide and the listings in vineyards and wineries for sale in Sonoma County.
The Plaza, dining and open space
Daily life in Healdsburg centers on the downtown Plaza; both station sites SMART studied are within half a mile of it. The 2026 MICHELIN Guide gives three stars to SingleThread at 131 North Street and one star to Troubadour at 381 Healdsburg Avenue, and lists Valette, Dry Creek Kitchen and Barndiva in town (MICHELIN Guide). Our article on Michelin-star restaurants in Sonoma County covers the full list and the walkable streets around them.
- Open space: the city owns two hillside preserves, both stewarded by the nonprofit LandPaths: the 150-acre Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve, with wetlands, oak woodland and chaparral, and a 173-acre preserve on Fitch Mountain (LandPaths).
- Schools: public schools are part of the Healdsburg Unified School District. Confirm the assigned schools for a specific address with the district.
- Housing mix: about 60% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and the median gross rent was $2,158 in the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey, so a meaningful share of the city’s housing is rented.
Getting around: SMART is coming to Healdsburg
Healdsburg sits on Highway 101, and for now there’s no passenger train. That’s changing. In September 2025 the SMART board awarded the first $21.7 million phase of a contract to Stacy and Witbeck/Herzog to build nine miles of track from Windsor to Healdsburg, a downtown station and an extension of the multiuse pathway, backed by $269 million in grants (SMART). SMART’s Windsor station opened in 2025. As of October 2026, SMART’s project page shows construction north of Windsor running from January 2027 to November 2028, with Healdsburg service planned for December 2028.
The station site isn’t final. SMART studied two locations: Depot/Hudson, beside the historic depot in south Healdsburg about 0.38 mile from the Plaza, and Vine/West Plaza, on Vine Street between North and Matheson streets, about 0.2 mile from the Plaza. The City Council reaffirmed its preference for Depot/Hudson in September 2026 (SMART). If you’re buying near either site, expect construction and, later, train and pathway activity.
- Buses: Sonoma County Transit Route 60 links Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor and Santa Rosa, Route 60X runs an express between Cloverdale and Santa Rosa, and Route 67 is the local Healdsburg shuttle (Sonoma County Transit).
- North of town: SMART is seeking funding to continue to Cloverdale in two projects of about nine miles each, and it’s evaluating a station in Geyserville.
Healdsburg compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Healdsburg | Incorporated city | City-owned electric utility; growth cap averaging 30 new homes a year; median $1,049,500 (September 2026, Redfin) |
| Windsor | Incorporated town | Has had a SMART station since 2025, three years ahead of Healdsburg’s planned opening |
| Geyserville | Unincorporated, Sonoma County | County rules for permits and vacation rentals; the Kincade Fire started in the hills to its northeast |
| Cloverdale | Incorporated city | Redfin median of $589,219 for the three months ending September 2026, far below Healdsburg |
| Santa Rosa | Incorporated city | Adds its own $2.00 per $1,000 transfer tax on top of the county’s |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Healdsburg buyers
A Healdsburg purchase often turns on a rule rather than a feature: whether the parcel is inside the city, whether a rental or ADU is allowed, which utility serves it, and what the fire map now says. Ahead of any offer here, we confirm the jurisdiction and zoning, pull the utility history, check the fire zone and insurance quotes, and read each comparable sale for what it was, in town or out, planted or not.
- Agents who serve Healdsburg: a disclosed list with each DRE license linked.
- Thinking about the top end of the market? Our Napa and Sonoma luxury real estate guide covers estates and vineyard homes.
For the wider county, see our Sonoma County real estate guide and how we work with buyers.
Selling a home in Healdsburg
The City of Healdsburg covers only a few square miles, while the Healdsburg mailing address reaches into Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Fitch Mountain. In town, the city’s planning and building staff hold the permit history; outside, it is Permit Sonoma. On Fitch Mountain and other edge areas, confirm the jurisdiction before ordering records.
Transfer tax
Healdsburg adds no city transfer tax; the county recorder includes the city in the county’s $1.10 per $1,000. On a $1,050,000 sale, that is $1,155. Sellers customarily pay it in Diamond’s North Bay markets, but the contract can assign it differently; our transfer tax page explains the math.
What Healdsburg buyers ask about
- Rental history. If you have rented the home to short-stay guests, describe the use and any permit accurately, and confirm with the city before presenting that income as something a buyer can continue.
- Price-restricted homes. If the house was built under one of the city’s income-restricted programs, read its recorded resale restrictions before setting a price.
- Fire zone and defensible space. Look the parcel up on the current state hazard map. In a High or Very High zone, Civil Code 1102.19 requires defensible-space documentation from the seller, or a signed agreement that the buyer will obtain it. Our AB 38 inspection guide explains who inspects.
- Rural systems. On county parcels, buyers expect well and septic records. A septic system with supplemental treatment needs an annual Permit Sonoma operational permit, so include it.
- Vineyard parcels. Plantings, water rights and grape contracts need their own file; see our guide to selling a vineyard.
Every sale also needs the seller’s written smoke alarm statement, a written water heater bracing certification, carbon monoxide alarms where the home burns gas or has an attached garage, and the Civil Code 1101.4 plumbing fixture disclosure. Because Healdsburg prices vary so much between the Plaza blocks and the valley floor, start with a valuation built from Healdsburg sales.
Sources for this section: County of Sonoma Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax; Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19; 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); Permit Sonoma: Operational Permit and Monitoring Program.
Healdsburg real estate FAQs
Is Healdsburg a city or part of unincorporated Sonoma County?
Healdsburg is an incorporated city with its own council, zoning and utilities. Its limits cover only 4.42 square miles, though, and many homes with a Healdsburg address are outside them and follow county rules. The parcel’s assessor record or the city planning department will tell you which applies.
What is the median home price in Healdsburg?
Redfin reported a median sale price of $1,049,500 for September 2026, up 7.5% from a year earlier, and a median of $833 per square foot over the three months to September. That compares with a Sonoma County median of $875,000 for the same month. Monthly figures move with the mix of sales, so look at several months before drawing conclusions.
Can I buy a Healdsburg home and rent it to visitors?
Inside the city it’s difficult. Short stays of 30 days or less need a Conditional Use Permit, a business license and an annual safety inspection, and the city says most homes won’t qualify under their zoning. Outside the city, the county permit applies, and Fitch Mountain is among the county’s cap and exclusion zones.
What is the hotel and vacation rental tax in Healdsburg?
Guests pay 16%: a 14% transient occupancy tax plus a 2% tourism improvement district assessment. That total has applied since January 1, 2017, after voters approved Measure S in November 2016.
Who provides electricity in Healdsburg, and is it cheaper?
The City of Healdsburg runs its own electric utility, so city customers aren’t on PG&E or Sonoma Clean Power. The city’s March 2025 comparison showed about $132 a month for 500 kWh, against about $213 on PG&E rates. Rates are set to rise in annual steps through 2027.
Does Healdsburg limit how many new homes can be built?
Yes. Measure M caps new construction at an average of 30 homes a year, with up to 50 more a year allowed for income-restricted multifamily homes and an exemption for low-income housing. An urban growth boundary, extended by voters to 2030, also limits where the city can expand.
Is there a city transfer tax when you buy in Healdsburg?
No. Healdsburg doesn’t add one on top of the county’s, so the county rate of $1.10 per $1,000 is the whole tax. Santa Rosa and Petaluma are the Sonoma County cities that add their own.
When will the SMART train reach Healdsburg?
SMART says passenger service to Healdsburg is planned to start by late 2028. The construction contract was awarded in September 2025, and the downtown station site was still being settled in the fall of 2026, with the city favoring the Depot/Hudson location.
Will SMART continue to Geyserville and Cloverdale?
That’s the plan, but it isn’t funded yet. SMART is seeking money for the Healdsburg-to-Cloverdale stretch as two projects of about nine miles each, and says the Cloverdale station will be built when funding becomes available. It’s also studying a Geyserville station near Highway 128 and Remmel Road.
Which wine appellations surround Healdsburg?
The Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley AVAs all meet at Healdsburg, and Chalk Hill lies to the southeast toward Windsor. Appellation is part of how vineyard land and its grapes are marketed, so confirm a parcel’s AVA against the federal boundary description.
Did the Kincade Fire affect Healdsburg real estate?
The 2019 Kincade Fire started northeast of Geyserville, burned 77,758 acres and destroyed 374 structures. For a buyer today, the practical steps are the same on any Healdsburg-area parcel: check the current fire map, ask for the AB 38 defensible-space paperwork if the zone is High or Very High, and get an insurance quote early.
Which school district serves Healdsburg?
Public schools in the city are part of the Healdsburg Unified School District. Attendance boundaries can change, so confirm the schools for a specific address with the district before you rely on them.
Where can I hike or ride near downtown Healdsburg?
The city’s Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve (150 acres) and its Fitch Mountain preserve (173 acres) are both cared for by LandPaths. The SMART extension contract also lengthens the multiuse pathway along the rail line, and SMART expects that work to be complete by late 2028.
How do I find a real estate agent who knows Healdsburg?
Look for an agent who can explain the city’s rental, growth and utility rules as well as the comparable sales. Our list of agents who serve Healdsburg shows each agent’s DRE license so you can check it yourself.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: Healdsburg housing market (September 2026) and C.A.R.: September 2026 sales and price report (October 19, 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts, Healdsburg city (2020 Census; ACS 2020–2024)
- City of Healdsburg: vacation rentals, transient occupancy tax, electric rates and residential growth management; Municipal Code chapter 17.24 (accessed October 2026)
- Sonoma County Registrar of Voters: Measure W (2012), Greenbelt Alliance: 2012 results, Healdsburg Tribune: Measure H (March 4, 2020) and inclusionary housing (June 6, 2019)
- Permit Sonoma: vacation rental rezoning table (March 2023) and Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder: documentary transfer tax
- Sonoma Clean Power: FAQ
- CAL FIRE: Kincade Fire, 2025 local fire hazard map update and Office of the State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance
- eCFR: Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill
- SMART: Healdsburg extension contract (September 19, 2025), funding release (June 7, 2025), station location and Geyserville and Cloverdale planning; Sonoma County Transit
- MICHELIN Guide: SingleThread and Troubadour (2026); LandPaths: places; Healdsburg Unified School District
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 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.
