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Napa, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Napa is an incorporated city of 76,562 people (July 2025, Census) at the south end of the Napa Valley in Napa County, California, and more than half the county’s residents live inside its limits. Its housing runs from mid-1800s homes south of downtown to 1950s houses in the west and hillside homes east of the river. Redfin put the city’s median sale price at $829,605 for the three months to September 2026, down 2.4% from a year earlier.
Two things shape a Napa purchase more than most: the city caps vacation rentals, and the Napa River flood project, still under construction, sets how much flood risk a low-lying street carries. Some addresses with a Napa mailing address, such as Silverado, sit outside the city limit, where county rules apply instead.
- County
- Napa County
- Government
- Incorporated city (City of Napa)
- Population
- 76,562 (July 1, 2025, Census estimate)
- Median sale price
- $829,605 (3 months to Sept 2026, Redfin)
- Vacation rentals
- Capped: 41 whole-home and 60 hosted permits
- Water
- City of Napa (Lake Hennessey, Milliken Reservoir, State Water Project)
Napa homes for sale
Current MLS listings inside the City of Napa appear below. To include Silverado, Coombsville or the rest of the valley, use our full property search.
What do homes in Napa sell for?
$829,605
3 months to September 2026, Redfin
$539
3 months to September 2026, Redfin
54
September 2026, Redfin
Napa has enough sales for its median to mean something: Redfin counted 171 in September 2026 alone, against 167 a year earlier. Prices were slightly softer than in 2025, with the median down 2.4% and the price per square foot down 3.8%. Buyers had room to negotiate on some homes, since a third of listings took a price cut, yet more than a quarter still sold above the asking price.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, City of Napa | $829,605 (down 2.4% year over year) | 3 months to September 2026, Redfin |
| Median price per square foot | $539 (down 3.8%) | 3 months to September 2026, Redfin |
| Homes sold | 171 (167 a year earlier) | September 2026, Redfin |
| Median days on market | 54 (53 a year earlier) | September 2026, Redfin |
| Sale-to-list price ratio | 98.4% | September 2026, Redfin |
| Sold above list / had a price drop | 27.4% / 33.2% | September 2026, Redfin |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $856,400 | ACS 2020–2024, Census QuickFacts |
| Napa County median price, for comparison | $918,000 (up 2.0%) | September 2026, C.A.R. |
The county median covers every town from American Canyon to Calistoga, so it isn’t a like-for-like benchmark. Within Napa, a 1950s Westwood house, a 19th-century home in Napa Abajo and a view home in Alta Heights can sit far apart on price per square foot, so we price from sales in the same neighborhood and era.
Where Napa is and which rules apply
The City of Napa covers 18.05 square miles, and its 76,562 residents are about 58% of Napa County’s 132,949. About 58.7% of its homes are owner-occupied, against 63.4% countywide, and the median gross rent was $2,282 a month (ACS 2020–2024).
A Napa mailing address doesn’t always mean city rules. Silverado, around the Silverado Country Club, is in unincorporated Napa County, where Napa County Planning, Building & Environmental Services issues permits, the county’s short-term rental prohibition applies and county Environmental Health permits wells and septic systems. Coombsville is a similar case to check: Redfin lists it as a Napa neighborhood, but it isn’t one of the city’s 25, so confirm whether a Coombsville parcel is inside the city limit. Inside the line, the City of Napa sets zoning, vacation-rental permits, fire-zone rules and Mills Act contracts.
Napa neighborhoods and the homes in them
The City of Napa recognizes 25 neighborhoods by name, each with its own boundary map. Five of them are described below from the city’s own neighborhood pages.
| Neighborhood | Where (city boundaries) | Homes and history |
|---|---|---|
| Napa Abajo | Franklin and South Jefferson streets east to the Napa River; Division Street south to West Imola Avenue | Settled in the mid-1800s, before the city incorporated; period architecture on wide, tree-lined streets; part of a National Register of Historic Places listing |
| Fuller Park | Highway 29 east to Franklin Street; Oak and Third streets south to West Imola Avenue | Also mid-1800s and on the National Register, with many listed homes; the city park of the same name and several Napa County offices |
| Alta Heights | East of the Napa River, from Coombsville Road and Third Street north to Clark and East avenues, out to the city limit | Settled mostly after 1900; sits above the valley floor, and many homes look out over the city |
| Westwood | West of Highway 29, between First Street and Old Sonoma Road, to the city limit | Former orchard land; many houses built in the 1950s by local builders the Devitas; Westwood Hills Park, opened in 1976 |
| Browns Valley (Central, East, South, West) | West Napa; Browns Valley Central is bounded by Browns Valley Road, Westview Drive and Redwood Road | Former orchard and prune farms; Browns Valley Road was one of west Napa’s first improved roads, in 1911 |
The rest of the city’s map is Beard, Bel Aire, Central Napa, Coventry Manor, Downtown, McPherson, Pueblo Park, Riverpark, Sheveland Ranch, Shurtleff, Soscol Gateway, Springwood Estates, Stonehouse, Terrace, Vineyard Estates, Vintage and Von Uhlit Ranch. Listing sites add their own labels, such as Redfin’s Stanly Ranch, Montecito, St. John’s and North Napa, so match a listing’s neighborhood to the city map before comparing prices.
Historic homes and Mills Act contracts
For an older house in Napa Abajo, Fuller Park or elsewhere on the city’s 2016 Historic Resources Inventory, ask whether it already has a Mills Act contract. These contracts trade property-tax savings for restoration and upkeep; they renew automatically each year and pass to the buyer at a sale. The city first signed one in 2006, for the Napa Valley Opera House, and takes applications through July 31 each year (City of Napa). If a contract exists, read the work it commits you to before you write an offer.
Can you run a vacation rental in Napa?
Only with a city permit, and the whole-home kind is effectively closed to newcomers. Napa Municipal Code 17.52.515 treats any stay of fewer than 31 days as a vacation rental and caps permits at 41 non-hosted (whole-home) and 60 hosted. On the city’s September 2026 update, all 41 non-hosted permits were taken and the wait list was full (City of Napa).
- Hosted permits: the owner must live and sleep at the home while guests stay, and no more than two bedrooms may be rented. The city took applications from October 1 to 15, 2026 and picks permit holders by lottery.
- Buying a permitted home: an existing non-hosted permit can transfer to a new owner under section 17.52.515(f)(2). If a seller markets one, confirm it with the city in escrow and make the contract depend on it.
- Taxes: room rent in the city carries 15% in total: a 12% transient occupancy tax, a 1% special tax for affordable and workforce housing and a 2% tourism improvement district assessment (City of Napa TOT form).
- Monthly rentals: the county grand jury’s 2019 review noted that rentals of more than 30 days don’t need a vacation-rental permit.
Don’t count on short-stay income from a Napa home unless it already holds a transferable non-hosted permit. Outside the city limit, county code generally bans stays under 30 days, with narrow exceptions such as some Silverado Country Club rentals.
The Napa River flood project and flood zones
The Napa River runs through the middle of the city, past downtown and along the edge of Napa Abajo, and flood risk depends on where a street sits relative to it. In 1998, two-thirds of Napa County voters approved the Napa River–Napa Creek Flood Protection Project, designed to give 100-year flood protection along about seven miles of the river, from the Butler Bridge at Highway 29 north to Trancas Street, and about a mile of Napa Creek up to Jefferson Street (Napa County), using a “living river” design that keeps the channel’s natural width and its link to the floodplain.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has been building it since 2000, with the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District as local sponsor (City of Napa). Finished pieces, by the county’s list, include the Maxwell Bridge replacement, east-bank terracing from Kennedy Park to Third Street, the floodwall and promenade from Hatt to First, and the dry bypass around the oxbow. The county’s project schedule, checked in October 2026, estimates the floodwalls north of the bypass for early 2028 and gives no date yet for the Imola–Hatt and Oxbow floodwall segments (Napa County).
For any address near the river or Napa Creek:
- Look the parcel up on FEMA’s flood map service center, which the city links, and note the zone and the map’s effective date.
- Check which of the city’s four flood “Phase Response Areas” the street is in; the city uses them for street closures in a flood.
- Ask your lender early whether flood insurance will be required, and get a quote before you remove contingencies.
Elevation matters too: the city notes that Alta Heights’ height above the valley floor has often been appreciated when the river floods.
The 2014 South Napa earthquake and what to check
The magnitude 6.0 South Napa earthquake struck at 3:20 a.m. on August 24, 2014 (10:20 UTC), at a depth of about 11 kilometres near the West Napa Fault, north of San Pablo Bay (USGS). Its recovery study looked at the fault hazards of the West Napa Fault System and at continuing fault movement after the quake, known as afterslip, “especially in the Browns Valley residential neighborhood” (USGS).
A dozen years on, it still belongs in a buyer’s homework:
- Repairs: for a pre-2014 house, ask for permits covering any later foundation, chimney or framing repairs, and whether a claim was filed.
- Older construction: in Napa Abajo, Fuller Park and Alta Heights, have the inspector check foundation bolting, cripple walls and brick chimneys.
- Disclosures and cover: read the hazard report for mapped fault and seismic zones, especially in west Napa, and price earthquake cover with your homeowners quotes.
What else to check before buying in Napa
Water and sewer
The City of Napa draws water from three sources: Lake Hennessey, Milliken Reservoir and the State Water Project (City of Napa). Rural parcels outside the city may use a private well, permitted by county Environmental Health; the state approved the groundwater plan for the Napa Valley Subbasin in January 2023. Confirm the source for each address.
Fire hazard zones
The city maps local Fire Hazard Severity Zones as Moderate, High and Very High. In those zones it lists wildfire-resistant construction (building code Chapter 7A), 100 feet of defensible space and a hazard disclosure at sale under Civil Code 1102.19, the AB 38 rule. The maps rate hazard, not risk, and the city notes that insurers use their own risk models (City of Napa). After the October 2017 Atlas Fire, which started off Atlas Peak Road and destroyed 783 structures in Napa and Solano counties (CAL FIRE), hillside buyers should request insurance quotes in the first days of escrow.
Transfer tax and closing costs
A Napa sale pays only the county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000, half of which goes to the city; we found no separate city tax. On an $829,605 sale with no loans assumed, that comes to about $913, usually paid by the seller in Northern California (Napa County). Our Napa County real estate guide covers the county-wide rules.
Getting around Napa
Highway 29 cuts through the west side of the city, forming the edge of both Fuller Park and Westwood on the city’s maps, and crosses the river at the Butler Bridge. The city’s mean commute was 23.9 minutes (ACS 2020–2024).
VINE Transit runs seven local routes in the city Monday to Saturday, named for the areas they serve: A Browns Valley, B Westwood/South Napa, C Jefferson/Central Napa, D Shetler/Shurtleff, E Vintage, F Southwest Napa and G Coombs/South Napa. Regional lines include the daily 10 Up Valley and 11 Napa–Vallejo connectors, the weekday 11X and 21 expresses and the 29 Napa–BART Express, Monday to Saturday (VINE Transit). From Vallejo, San Francisco Bay Ferry boats take about an hour to downtown San Francisco, at $10 one way for adults from July 2026 (SF Bay Ferry).
Downtown, the Oxbow and daily life
On the city’s map, Downtown is a neighborhood of about 210 acres that mixes commercial and residential buildings around the bends of the Napa River. It runs from Jefferson Street east to the river and south to Division and Third streets, and it reaches across Soscol Avenue to take in the Oxbow Public Market and the former Copia site (City of Napa). The historic Napa Valley Opera House, the city’s first Mills Act building, and a seasonal farmers market are part of the same walkable core.
The flood project shaped this part of town: the dry bypass carries high water around the river’s oxbow and returns it to the channel once the flood drops. Homes near the river and the Oxbow trade on walking distance to downtown, and they’re also where the flood-map check above matters most. For parks, the city’s neighborhood pages name Fuller Park and Westwood Hills Park. Public schools are run by the Napa Valley Unified School District, which serves more than 16,000 TK–12 students in 26 schools across Napa, American Canyon and Yountville; use its Find Your School page to confirm the assignment for an address. Connectivity is good: 93.3% of households had a broadband subscription (ACS 2020–2024).
For costs and trade-offs from a resident’s angle, read what living in Napa is really like.
Wine country at the city’s edge
The city stops where Napa County’s farmland protections start. The county created California’s first agricultural preserve in April 1968, and under Measures J (1990) and P (2008), land the county General Plan designates as agricultural can’t be converted without voter approval, a policy that can’t itself be changed without a vote until after December 31, 2058 (Napa County General Plan).
Napa County holds all or part of 19 federal wine appellations, starting with the Napa Valley AVA in 1981; Coombsville is one of them (27 CFR 9.223). Napa County grapes averaged $6,635.85 a ton in 2025, the highest district average in California (CDFA), so on a parcel with planted vines, ask for the grape contracts and crop history. Our guides to vineyards and wineries for sale in Napa County and the Napa Valley appellation go further.
Napa compared with nearby areas
| Area | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Napa | City | Vacation rentals capped at 41 whole-home and 60 hosted permits; median sale price $829,605 (3 months to September 2026, Redfin) |
| American Canyon | City (incorporated 1992) | ZIP 94503 median $699,697 for the 3 months to August 2026 (Redfin); its water comes mainly from the State Water Project |
| Yountville | Town | Every residential rental, including ADUs and rooms, needs a town rental permit renewed each January |
| St. Helena | City | Vacation rentals capped at 25, and permits can’t be transferred to a buyer |
| Sonoma | City (Sonoma County) | New vacation rentals barred since early 2018, apart from historic-building reuse; urban growth boundary extended to 2040 |
| Vallejo | City (Solano County) | Ferry to San Francisco; a city conveyance tax brings the transfer tax to $4.40 per $1,000 |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Napa buyers
In Napa, the homework turns on three questions: city or county, what the river does nearby, and how old the structure is. Confirm the jurisdiction and any vacation-rental permit with the agency that issued it, pull the FEMA zone and the city’s flood maps, ask for post-2014 repair permits and Mills Act paperwork, and price from sales in the same neighborhood and era.
- Licensed agents who work in Napa, with each DRE license linked.
- Luxury homes and estates in Napa and Sonoma, for Silverado and hillside property.
- Investment property, including how the rental caps affect returns.
- Already own here? Start with a private home valuation.
See how we work with buyers for the steps from first showing to closing.
Selling a home in Napa
Inside the city limit, the City of Napa is the planning and permit authority, so the building file, any vacation-rental permit and any Mills Act contract are city records. Some Napa mailing addresses, such as Silverado, are unincorporated, and there Napa County holds the permits. Check which side of the line you are on before you list, because it decides whose rules the sale follows.
Transfer tax
Napa County charges $0.55 per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000, when the deed records, and its auditor sends half of the base tax to the city each quarter. On an $850,000 sale that is $935. The county notes that the seller customarily pays in Northern California, but the contract can split it differently. We did not find a separate City of Napa transfer tax; your escrow officer will show the total on the estimated settlement statement. Our guide to California transfer taxes explains the math.
Paperwork the state requires
Before closing you certify in writing that the house has a working smoke alarm and a braced water heater. Carbon monoxide alarms are required where there is a gas appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. You also disclose the water-conserving plumbing rule and whether any noncompliant fixtures remain. If the city’s map puts the parcel in a High or Very High fire zone, add the AB 38 defensible-space report or a written agreement for the buyer to comply within a year.
Selling with a non-hosted vacation-rental permit
The permit can pass to a buyer, but the buyer has to apply for it. The city’s transfer packet asks for an $819 administrative permit fee, proof of the ownership change, mailing labels for owners within 500 feet, site photos and a proposed rental agreement, and the applicant certifies that no HOA rules bar the use. All 41 non-hosted permits were taken and the wait list full in September 2026, so put the permit and its approval file in the disclosure package.
What Napa buyers ask to see
- Permits and final inspections for foundation, chimney or framing repairs made after the August 2014 earthquake.
- The FEMA flood zone and any elevation certificate for homes near the Napa River or Napa Creek.
- The recorded Mills Act contract and its work schedule, for homes on the historic inventory.
- For a condo or townhome, the HOA’s governing documents, current assessments and any rental limits, which Civil Code 4525 requires the seller to provide.
To see where your house sits against recent sales of the same neighborhood and era, start with a private home valuation.
Sources for this section: Napa County: Document Transfer Tax; City of Napa: Vacation Rental Permits; City of Napa: VR Non-Hosted Transfer application (2023); California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 13113.8; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 17926; California Public Law: Health and Safety Code section 19211; California Public Law: Civil Code section 1101.4; Justia: California Civil Code section 1102.19; California Public Law: Civil Code section 4525.
Napa real estate FAQs
How much does a house cost in Napa?
Redfin’s median sale price for the City of Napa was $829,605 for the three months to September 2026, or $539 per square foot, both a little lower than a year earlier. The Census Bureau’s median value of owner-occupied homes was $856,400 (2020–2024). Prices vary widely by neighborhood and age of home.
Can I buy a home in Napa and rent it to visitors?
Only with a city permit. All 41 whole-home (non-hosted) permits are taken and the wait list is full, so a new owner can usually only run a hosted rental, living on site and renting up to two bedrooms, if they win a permit in the city’s lottery. A home that already holds a non-hosted permit is the exception, because that permit can transfer at a sale.
Can I find a townhome or condo in Napa?
Filter the property search by property type to see what’s listed now; public data doesn’t give a separate median for attached homes in the city. For any HOA property, read the budget, reserve study and any planned special assessment before you remove contingencies, and check the flood zone for complexes near the river.
Which school district serves Napa?
The Napa Valley Unified School District runs public schools in Napa, American Canyon and Yountville, with more than 16,000 TK–12 students in 26 schools. School assignments follow the address, so check the district’s Find Your School page for the home you’re considering.
Is Silverado part of the City of Napa?
No. Silverado is unincorporated, so Napa County handles planning, permits, wells and septic there. Short-term rentals are generally prohibited in the unincorporated county, with an exception for some Silverado Country Club rentals under an approved Development Agreement.
Which Napa neighborhoods have the oldest homes?
Napa Abajo and Fuller Park, south of downtown, were settled in the mid-1800s before the city incorporated, and both are part of a National Register of Historic Places listing. Alta Heights, across the river, was settled mostly after 1900.
Is the Napa River flood project finished?
Not fully. The Army Corps has been building it since 2000, and the county lists the bypass, floodwalls, terracing and several bridges as complete; its schedule estimates the floodwalls north of the bypass for early 2028, with no date yet for the Imola–Hatt and Oxbow segments. Check each parcel’s current FEMA zone and your hazard disclosure report rather than assuming the risk is gone.
Was Browns Valley affected by the 2014 earthquake?
USGS singled out the Browns Valley residential neighborhood in its study of afterslip, the slow fault movement that continued after the August 24, 2014 quake. In west Napa, read the hazard disclosures closely and ask about foundation repairs made since.
Does Napa have a city transfer tax?
No separate one that we could find. A Napa sale pays the county’s $1.10 per $1,000, and the city receives half of what’s collected inside its limits. By custom the seller usually pays it, though the contract can say otherwise.
Can I get to BART or San Francisco by public transit from Napa?
Yes. VINE’s Route 29 Napa–BART Express runs Monday to Saturday, and Routes 11 and 11X connect Napa with Vallejo, where the ferry to San Francisco takes about an hour.
What fire rules apply to a Napa home?
If the home is in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone on the city’s map, expect wildfire-resistant building standards, 100 feet of defensible space and a fire-hazard disclosure at sale under the AB 38 rule. Get an insurance quote early, because insurers price risk with their own models.
Can I buy vineyard land near Napa?
Yes, but mostly outside the city limit, where county agricultural zoning and Measures J and P apply. Read our guide to Napa County vineyards and wineries for sale before you look.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: Napa housing market (September 2026); C.A.R.: September 2026 sales report; Census QuickFacts: Napa city
- City of Napa neighborhood pages: Alta Heights, Fuller Park, Napa Abajo, Westwood, Browns Valley Central, Downtown
- City of Napa: vacation rentals (September 2026), TOT form, Mills Act, water, fire zones, flooding
- Napa County: flood project, transfer tax, short-term rentals (2019), General Plan agricultural element
- USGS: South Napa earthquake poster and OFR 2014-1249; CAL FIRE: Atlas Fire
- VINE Transit, SF Bay Ferry, Napa Valley Unified School District, eCFR: 27 CFR part 9, 2025 Grape Crush Report
Figures carry their dates where they appear. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; confirm the rules for a specific property with the agency named.
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: Napa County planning and building services. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
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Explore Napa in more detail
Parks, agricultural history and winery buildings offer different ways to understand the landscape in and around Napa beyond a market statistic.
What is your property in Napa worth?
Planning a sale or weighing your next move? Request a broker market analysis based on the property, relevant comparable sales and the local setting.
September 2026 MLS area snapshot
| MLS area | Closed sales | Avg price | Avg DOM, days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa (E0400) | 54 | $1,003,302 | 60 |
BAREIS, September 2026; reported October 7. Residential all subtypes; MLS areas may differ from city limits; averages, not medians. Checked October 29.
