Marina District, San Francisco Real Estate & Homes for Sale
The Marina is San Francisco’s flat bayfront neighborhood from Van Ness Avenue and Fort Mason west to the Presidio, under city rules through SF Planning. Its land is fill placed between the 1860s and 1912, so blocks lie in the state liquefaction zone, and most pre-1979 multifamily buildings fall under the Rent Ordinance.
Explore Marina District, San Francisco real estate and homes for sale with this local guide. Contact Diamond to discuss your criteria and current property-search options.
| County | San Francisco (City and County) |
|---|---|
| Local government | City and County of San Francisco — SF Planning |
| Housing | 1920s houses, flats and apartment buildings; RH-1 to RM-4 zoning |
| Hazards to check | Built on bay fill; state liquefaction zone (disclosure at sale) |
| Getting around | Bus neighborhood: 22 Fillmore, 30 Stockton; no BART or Muni Metro |
| Local rules | Rent Ordinance on most pre-1979 multifamily; Blackstone Court Article 10 district |
The Marina is the flat, bayfront neighborhood at the top of San Francisco, running from Van Ness Avenue and Fort Mason west to Lyon Street and the Presidio, and from Lombard Street north to the water. Its land was created by filling a shallow cove between the late 1860s and 1912, it hosted the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and it was built out as a residential district in the 1920s. That made ground, more than the homes on it, is what sets the Marina apart from the rest of the city’s northside.
In the San Francisco Association of Realtors’ MLS map the Marina is subdistrict 7A, one of four neighborhoods in SF District 7 and one of dozens covered in our San Francisco neighborhood guide. This guide covers how the land was made, what the 1989 earthquake did and did not show, the state liquefaction zone, the housing and zoning, transit, and what a seller should have ready. For prices and days on market, use the market report on this page rather than any number you read elsewhere.
Marina homes for sale
Marina market report
Where the Marina begins and ends
Van Ness Avenue and Fort Mason form the eastern edge. Lyon Street and the Presidio form the western edge, Lombard Street and Cow Hollow sit to the south, and the north side is open shoreline along Marina Boulevard and the Marina Green.
The ground is close to level from end to end, which is unusual for San Francisco and is part of the appeal: walking, cycling and parking a car in a garage at street grade are all easier here than on the hills just to the south. East of Van Ness the grid climbs into the North Waterfront and Russian Hill.
How the land was made
The U.S. Geological Survey’s study of the Marina after the 1989 earthquake traced the filling in detail. Geologist M.G. Bonilla found that “artificial filling of a cove at the site of the Marina District proceeded gradually from the late 1860’s to 1912,” and that in 1912 “large hydraulic fills were placed in the central part of the Marina and in adjacent parts of the Presidio” ahead of the exposition.
A popular story says the Marina sits on rubble from 1906. The USGS account is more careful: Bonilla wrote that “probably, at least a small amount of 1906 debris is in the fills,” and most of the material was dredged sand and bay mud. The distinction matters because the hydraulic sand fill is what behaved worst in 1989.
After the 1915 fair closed, nearly all of its buildings were taken down and the site was developed as a residential neighborhood, largely complete by the end of the 1920s. The Palace of Fine Arts at 3301 Lyon Street, City Landmark No. 88, is the exposition building still standing where it was built.
What the 1989 earthquake showed
The Loma Prieta earthquake struck on October 17, 1989. The Marina was about 100 km (60 miles) from the epicenter, yet it became one of the most studied damage areas in the region, and USGS Professional Paper 1551-F is devoted to it.
- The damage was concentrated. USGS reported that nearly all of it fell within about 0.75 square kilometers bounded by the Bay and Baker, Chestnut and Buchanan Streets, out of a district of about 4 square kilometers.
- Building type mattered. The most severe damage was in four-story, wood-frame corner buildings.
- The ground mattered. Sand boils, the surface sign of liquefaction, were most conspicuous where hydraulic fill lies underneath.
- Water supply mattered. With mains broken, the city’s Portable Water Supply System, drawing water from the Bay, stopped the Marina fire.
For a buyer, the lesson is narrower than “the Marina is risky.” Two homes a block apart can sit on different fill, have different foundations and have very different retrofit histories, so the building file matters more than the neighborhood name.
The state liquefaction zone, in practice
Under the 1990 Seismic Hazards Mapping Act, the California Geological Survey maps “zones of required investigation.” A liquefaction zone marks where “the stability of foundation soils must be investigated” before certain new construction, and sellers and their agents must disclose at sale that a property lies inside one.
San Francisco Planning carries the state zone in its own map data, and the Chestnut Street blocks fall inside it. Planning’s project screening for the zone asks whether a proposal involves new building construction or certain additions, which can mean a geotechnical report for a rebuild or a large addition.
- Look up the parcel on the California Geological Survey’s EQ Zapp or Planning’s Property Information Map.
- Read the Natural Hazard Disclosure report in the seller’s packet; it states whether the parcel is in the zone.
- If you plan to rebuild or add on, budget for a geotechnical engineer before you remove contingencies.
Our San Francisco hazard maps guide explains the other city and federal maps that come up in a Marina disclosure packet.
Houses, flats and corner apartment buildings
Because the neighborhood was built in a short span after the exposition, the Marina reads as one period: one- and two-story houses over street-level garages, two-unit flats, and larger apartment buildings that often take the corners. The neighborhood has changed little in outline since that build-out, even where interiors have been redone several times.
Each condo unit is its own parcel, so the count overstates condos relative to buildings, but it shows how much of the Marina is shared ownership.
That stock brings three city programs into play:
- Soft-story retrofits. The city’s Mandatory Soft Story Program covers wood-frame buildings of three or more stories, or two stories over a basement or underfloor area, with five or more units, where the construction permit was applied for before January 1, 1978. The Department of Building Inspection names the Marina District as one of the places these buildings are common.
- Rent control. Most multifamily buildings built before June 1979 are covered by the Rent Ordinance, so a buyer of a Marina apartment building or a flat with a tenant should assume controlled rents until the leases and permit history show otherwise.
- Condo and TIC ownership. Many two-unit and corner buildings are owned as condominiums or tenancies in common; see our guides to San Francisco condos and TIC ownership before you compare one with a house.
Zoning on the flat
Planning’s zoning layer shows a mix in the Marina: RH-1, RH-2 and RH-3 house districts, RM-1 through RM-4 mixed residential districts for the apartment blocks, P (public) for the parks and waterfront, and RTO-C transit-oriented parcels. Chestnut Street is mapped NC-2, a small-scale neighborhood commercial district, and one shopping-center parcel is mapped NC-S.
The Article 10 Blackstone Court Historic District, five properties dating from 1849 to 1906 and adopted in 1987, is the only Article 10 district that Planning’s data labels as Marina. Other city landmarks include the Marina Branch Library at 1890 Chestnut Street (No. 262), the former San Francisco Gas Light Company building at 3640 Buchanan Street (No. 58), and the Ladies’ Protection and Relief Society building at 3400 Laguna Street (No. 320).
The Family Zoning Plan took effect on January 12, 2026. Planning says it concentrates new capacity on major transit and commercial streets, with mid-rise buildings of six to eight stories possible there, while most residential blocks keep their existing height limits. Check the exact parcel before you assume a corner lot or a Lombard Street frontage carries the same rules as the block behind it.
Chestnut Street, the Green and the Presidio edge
Chestnut Street, starting at Fillmore Street and running west for several blocks, is the neighborhood’s main street of shops, restaurants and cafes. Lombard Street, the southern edge, carries U.S. 101 traffic toward the Golden Gate Bridge and is lined with motels and other businesses that serve that traffic.
Along the water are the Marina Green, the municipal small-craft harbor that gave the neighborhood its name, and Fort Mason to the east. To the west, Crissy Field and the Presidio begin at Lyon Street.
Buses, bikes and the bridge
There is no BART station or Muni Metro line in the Marina; it is a bus neighborhood. Several Muni routes end here, which helps with getting a seat:
- 22 Fillmore starts at Fillmore and Bay and climbs through Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights toward the Western Addition, the Mission and Mission Bay. SFMTA lists it as running 24 hours.
- 30 Stockton runs along Chestnut Street between Van Ness Avenue and Divisadero Street toward North Beach, Chinatown and the Caltrain depot; SFMTA extends daytime trips to the Crissy Field terminal.
- 43 Masonic ends near Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard by Fort Mason and runs by way of Lombard Street and the Presidio to Presidio Avenue and on toward the Haight and the Excelsior.
- 45 Union/Stockton has its Marina terminal at Lyon and Greenwich and runs east on Union Street to North Beach, downtown and the Caltrain depot.
Drivers reach the Golden Gate Bridge directly from Lombard Street, which is part of the U.S. 101 corridor with Van Ness Avenue. The flat streets make the Marina one of the easier parts of the city to cycle, and the waterfront path runs along the Marina Green toward Crissy Field.
Storm and shoreline flood maps
Two different flood maps apply in San Francisco, and a Marina disclosure packet may mention both. The SFPUC’s 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map shows parcels likely to see deep flooding from stormwater runoff in a 100-year storm; it does not show flooding from the Bay. Since 2019, Article 51 of the Police Code has required a seller of a property in that zone to tell the buyer in writing before the sales contract or transfer of title.
Flooding from the Bay itself is FEMA’s subject. Planning’s copy of the FEMA flood maps for this stretch of shoreline, effective March 2021, includes VE coastal high-hazard and AE zones as well as lower-risk X zones, so whether a given lot is in a special flood hazard area is a parcel question. Check the address on both maps; a lender will ask about the FEMA one.
Selling a home in the Marina
Marina buyers spend more time on the building file than buyers on the hills do, because they have read about 1989. A seller who answers the structural questions up front avoids a long renegotiation after inspections.
- Retrofit evidence. Permits, engineer’s drawings and final sign-offs for foundation bolting, shear walls or a soft-story retrofit, plus any compliance letter from the Department of Building Inspection. Describe the work exactly; “retrofitted” covers everything from a few anchor bolts to a full engineered upgrade.
- Reports on the ground. Any geotechnical or structural reports from past projects, and the Natural Hazard Disclosure showing the liquefaction zone.
- City documents. The 3R report, the energy and water inspection and the transfer tax are covered in our San Francisco seller requirements guide.
- Units and tenants. For flats and small buildings, leases, rent history and any buyout or eviction filings, and for condos the HOA’s budget, reserve study and minutes.
Seismic retrofit work may be excluded from property tax reassessment under state law; the city’s soft-story program page says owners must keep records and submit the exclusion form within 30 days of completing construction. Buyers weighing a Marina flat against a house up the hill will also compare it with Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow listings, so price against the right ownership type, not only the zip code.
Questions people ask
Is the Marina built on rubble from the 1906 earthquake?
Mostly not. The USGS found that the cove was filled gradually from the late 1860s to 1912, largely with dredged sand and mud, and that the fill “probably” contains at least a small amount of 1906 debris.
Is the whole Marina in a liquefaction zone?
Much of the filled ground is mapped, including the Chestnut Street blocks, but zone lines follow geology, not neighborhood names. Check the specific parcel on the state’s EQ Zapp or Planning’s Property Information Map.
Does being in the zone stop me from remodeling?
No. The zone triggers a soils investigation for certain projects, such as new construction and some additions, and a disclosure at sale. Interior remodels are handled through the normal permit process.
Where was the 1989 damage worst?
USGS placed nearly all of it within about 0.75 square kilometers bounded by the Bay and Baker, Chestnut and Buchanan Streets, with the worst damage in four-story wood-frame corner buildings.
Are Marina apartment buildings rent-controlled?
Most multifamily buildings built before June 1979 are covered by the Rent Ordinance, and many Marina buildings date from the 1920s and 1930s. Confirm unit by unit with the leases and the Rent Board’s rules.
Is there BART in the Marina?
No. The Marina is served by Muni buses, and BART and Caltrain are reached by bus or car.
If you own in the Marina and want to know where your home stands against current sales, start with a home valuation; we’ll review the building file with you before any price is set. For homes at the top of the market, see our notes on San Francisco luxury homes.
Soft story retrofits and Marina apartment buildings
The 1989 damage concentrated in four-story wood-frame corner buildings, and those are the buildings San Francisco’s Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program was written for. It covers wood-frame buildings with five or more residential units, two or more stories over a basement or underfloor area, an original construction permit applied for before January 1, 1978, and a soft story that has not been strengthened to the ordinance’s standard (SF soft story program).
The program sorts buildings into four tiers that set deadlines. Tier IV covers buildings with ground-floor commercial use or buildings in a mapped liquefaction zone; because the state liquefaction zone covers the Marina’s filled land, a covered Marina building will usually fall in Tier IV even without a storefront. Buildings that miss their deadlines can be posted with an "Earthquake Warning" placard. DBI keeps a database of each building’s status, and liquefaction status can be checked by block and lot on the Property Information Map (SF soft story program).
The other tiers are Tier I for educational, assembly or residential care uses, Tier II for buildings of 15 or more units, and Tier III for the rest. As of the program’s August 2016 update, more than 5,000 buildings citywide were required to take part, more than 1,700 had filed for or received permits and more than 700 had completed retrofits, so a building’s file may be anywhere from screening to final sign-off.
For a buyer, the practical questions are whether the building was screened in, whether the retrofit permit reached a Certificate of Final Completion, and how the cost was shared among owners or passed through to tenants. Units in pre-June 1979 buildings often carry rent increase limits and just-cause eviction protection (SF.gov: rental laws); see San Francisco multifamily investing.
ADUs and added units in Marina buildings
A seismic retrofit is also the moment many owners add units. SF Planning’s Local ADU Program allows unlimited ADUs plus one detached ADU in existing buildings of five or more legal units, and in properties undergoing seismic upgrades under the City’s AB-094 program. Local Program ADUs fall under the City’s rent control law, and the program is unavailable after an owner move-in eviction in the prior five years or another no-fault eviction in the prior ten. The State Program is ministerial, decided within 60 days of a complete application, and evictions don’t preclude it, but the two programs can’t be combined (SF Planning: ADUs). Review periods apply to qualifying complete applications and the applicable state pathway, with statutory exceptions; they do not guarantee that a proposed unit is feasible or that a building permit will be issued. Confirm the current requirements with the permit agency and HCD.
On the RH-1 and RH-2 house blocks, garage space is a common site for a unit. The Department of Building Inspection issues the permit (DBI); on fill, ask the structural engineer to address the foundation as part of any ground-floor conversion. See buying a home with an ADU and our unwarranted units guide for ground-floor rooms built without permits.
Luxury homes and estates in the Marina
At the top of the Marina market are the houses facing the Marina Green and the bay along Marina Boulevard, the houses near the Palace of Fine Arts on the Presidio edge, and full-floor condominiums in converted buildings. The Blackstone Court Article 10 district puts exterior work there through preservation review (Article 10, third-party reproduction). Waterfront position brings shoreline and storm flood questions; check the parcel on the SFPUC’s 100-year storm flood map as well as the state liquefaction zone, and ask whether past storm events affected the garage level.
The due diligence that matters most on a high-value Marina home: the foundation design and any engineered retrofit on hydraulic fill, documented with permits and final sign-offs; geotechnical reports from past projects; earthquake insurance availability and terms (earthquake insurance, insuring a high-value home); the 3R report (SF.gov: 3R report); and the City’s transfer tax tier, $11.25 per $500 from $5 million and $27.50 from $10 million (SF.gov: Transfer tax).
Owners of waterfront homes often prefer a quiet sale. Ask Diamond Real Estate Group which permitted private-marketing options fit your property, goals and the applicable MLS rules. Availability of any particular listing is not guaranteed. Related reading: private sales · San Francisco luxury homes · Cow Hollow. We do not promise that any particular property is available.
The Local ADU eviction lookbacks have a specific exception for temporary capital-improvement evictions when the required declaration preserves the tenant’s right to reoccupy. Confirm the actual eviction history and chosen program with Planning.
Historic review depends on the designating ordinance and scope of work. Ordinary in-kind maintenance/repair can be exempt from a Certificate of Appropriateness, and some minor work has an administrative review path.
Sources for this section
- City and County of San Francisco: Mandatory Soft Story Program — https://sfgov.org/sfc/esip/soft-story
- SF Planning: Property Information Map — https://sfplanninggis.org/pim/
- SF.gov: Learn about San Francisco rental laws — https://sf.gov/learn-about-san-francisco-rental-laws
- SF Planning: Accessory Dwelling Units — https://sfplanning.org/accessory-dwelling-units
- SF.gov: Department of Building Inspection — https://www.sf.gov/departments–department-building-inspection
- SF Planning Code Article 10 (gocodebook reproduction) — https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_planning/0-0-0-27871
- SFPUC: 100-Year Storm Flood Map FAQs — https://www.sfpuc.gov/learning/emergency-preparedness/flood-maps
- SF.gov: Request a Report of Residential Building Record (3R) — https://www.sf.gov/request3r
- SF.gov: Transfer tax — https://www.sf.gov/transfer-tax
Sources & notes
- DataSF: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2024 closed roll, parcel counts by property class for assessor neighborhoods 7A-7D
- U.S. Geological Survey: Professional Paper 1551-F, The Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Marina District (1992)
- U.S. Geological Survey: Professional Paper 1551-F full text (PDF)
- California Geological Survey: Seismic Hazards Program
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (zoning districts, landmarks, Article 10 districts, seismic hazard zones)
- San Francisco Department of Building Inspection: Mandatory Soft Story Program
- San Francisco Planning: SF Family Zoning Plan
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map FAQs (December 2024)
- San Francisco Association of Realtors: SFAR San Francisco MLS district map (via Reineck & Reineck)
- SFMTA: 22 Fillmore route
- SFMTA: 30 Stockton route
- SFMTA: 43 Masonic route
- SFMTA: 45 Union/Stockton route
- Wikipedia: Marina District, San Francisco (boundaries and exposition history; used for background only)
- Wikipedia: Cow Hollow, San Francisco (boundaries and name; used for background only)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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