Olema, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Olema is a very small unincorporated village in West Marin, Marin County, California, in the narrow Olema Valley that the San Andreas Fault created, on the bus line just before Point Reyes Station. There’s no reliable median price for it: Redfin reports no sale figures for ZIP 94950, where the Census Bureau counts about 22 residents. Marin County sets the coastal and land-use rules, and the North Marin Water District’s West Marin system supplies water.
- County
- Marin County
- Government
- Unincorporated; Marin County coastal zone
- ZIP code
- 94950
- Residents, ZIP 94950
- About 22 (ACS 2020–2024)
- Water
- North Marin Water District, West Marin system
- Median sale price
- No reliable figure (too few sales)
Olema homes for sale
Listings with an Olema address are rare, so the results below may be empty for long stretches. Our property search lets you widen the area to Point Reyes Station, Inverness and Bolinas and set an alert.
What do homes in Olema sell for?
22
ACS 2020–2024, Census Bureau
About 11
Margin ±13, ACS 2020–2024
No figure
Too few sales; none reported for ZIP 94950, Redfin, August 2026
Olema has too few sales for a meaningful median, and we won’t estimate one. Redfin’s page for ZIP 94950 showed no sale price, price per square foot or sales count as of August 2026 (Redfin), and ATTOM’s property database counts just two residential and three commercial properties inside its Olema boundary (ATTOM, April 2025).
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, ZIP 94950 | Not reported | August 2026, Redfin |
| Population and homes, ZIP 94950 | 22 residents; about 11 housing units (±13) | ACS 2020–2024, Census Reporter |
| Properties in ATTOM’s Olema boundary | 2 residential, 3 commercial; average home age 116 years | Updated April 22, 2025, ATTOM |
| Bolinas (ZIP 94924) median: a different market, not an Olema figure | $1.9 million | Three months to August 2026, Redfin |
| Marin County single-family median: countywide, not an Olema figure | $1,678,750 | September 2026, C.A.R. |
To price an Olema property we draw comparables from across West Marin and adjust for what drives value here: the water connection, the septic system, the acreage, any commercial use and how the parcel sits against park land.
Park land, historic ranches and the 2025 settlement
Two national park units shape the land around Olema. Point Reyes National Seashore covers 71,055 gross acres (as of the end of 2015), was established in 1972 and logged 2,371,800 recreation visits in 2024 (National Park Service). The park’s mailing address is 1 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station. The second unit is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, whose Olema Valley district, a valley sloping north toward Tomales Bay and south toward Bolinas Lagoon with Highway 1 running through it, is administered by the Seashore (National Park Service).
The valley floor is ranch country. The 14,127-acre Olema Valley Dairy Ranches Historic District, between Bolinas and Point Reyes Station, was listed on the National Register in April 2018 and includes 19 properties worked by tenants or families since 1856 (National Park Service). The park service’s ranch plans cover both the Seashore and the recreation area’s north district.
Those ranch plans changed in 2025. Under a settlement reached on January 9, 2025, according to the County of Marin:
- 11 lessees will retire 12 ranching operations on the Seashore, with compensation from The Nature Conservancy.
- Nine ranches continue, including seven historic ranches in the recreation area’s north district on 20-year leases.
- The plan affects about 28,000 acres of ranch and dairy land, and about 16,000 acres are to be rezoned into a Scenic Landscape zone. Tule elk will generally be allowed to roam the Seashore.
- The county, which wasn’t a party, approved about $15 million to buy and rehabilitate former Coast Guard housing in Point Reyes as 54 rental homes for households earning 30% to 60% of area median income.
If a property borders park or ranch land, ask how the settlement’s lease and zoning changes apply to the neighboring parcels. For trails such as the 11-mile Bolinas Ridge Trail, which starts from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard or Highway 1, see our guide to hiking in Marin County.
The San Andreas Fault and hazard disclosures
Olema’s valley is a fault valley. The National Park Service says the San Andreas Fault “has created the landscape of this area with its long bays and lagoons and the narrow Olema Valley.” In the 1906 earthquake the Point Reyes Peninsula jolted about 20 feet to the northwest, and the Pacific plate keeps moving northwest at about two inches a year; the paved 0.6-mile Earthquake Trail is across the parking lot from the Bear Valley Visitor Center (NPS site bulletin).
Before you commit to an Olema property, read the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement for an earthquake fault zone or seismic hazard zone, and ask a geotechnical engineer what that means for the structure and any addition.
The same disclosure covers mapped fire hazard zones. If the parcel is in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, California’s AB 38 rule requires the seller to give the buyer documentation of a defensible-space inspection done in the six months before the sale; if that can’t happen by closing, buyer and seller agree in writing that the buyer will get one within a year.
Water, septic and the coastal zone
Olema is on the North Marin Water District’s West Marin system, which the district says primarily serves Point Reyes Station, Olema, Bear Valley, Inverness Park and Paradise Ranch Estates (North Marin Water District). The system draws groundwater from two well fields near Lagunitas Creek and treats it at the Point Reyes Treatment Plant to remove iron and manganese.
- Supply risks: the district notes that its Coast Guard Wells in Point Reyes Station can be affected by salinity and flooding from Lagunitas Creek’s tidal area, and production swung in 2021–2023 with drought and mandatory conservation.
- Confirm the connection: ask the district whether the parcel has an active service. Where a property relies on a private well instead, Marin County requires permits to drill and to operate a domestic well.
- Septic: septic systems are permitted by Marin County Environmental Health Services, which notes that extra permits may apply in the Coastal Zone and in Stream Conservation Areas. An inspection at sale is recommended rather than required; order one anyway.
Olema is one of the ten coastal communities named in the county’s short-term rental amendment to its Local Coastal Program, so building and remodeling projects there are reviewed under that program; ask the county whether yours needs a coastal development permit. The updated program took effect on July 13, 2021.
Vacation rentals and hotel tax in Olema
Olema is one of the smallest short-term rental townships in Marin. The county’s February 2025 procedures allow three licenses for the whole township, and the county’s current page lists Olema among the places with a limited number (County of Marin). A license ends automatically when a property changes hands, apart from one transfer to a spouse or children, and stays under 30 days pay the 14% West Marin hotel tax. Assume an Olema home won’t come with rental income.
Point Reyes Station and getting around
Point Reyes Station is the next stop on the bus line. It’s where the water district’s Coast Guard Wells are, and the county’s planned 54-home rental project in former Coast Guard housing is in Point Reyes. Marin Transit Route 68 connects the two and runs from the San Rafael Transit Center through Fairfax, the San Geronimo Valley and Lagunitas to Olema, Point Reyes Station and Inverness (eastbound trips also stop at Samuel P. Taylor), with eight westbound and nine eastbound trips on weekdays and ten westbound trips on weekends (Marin Transit, April 2026).
Olema compared with nearby areas
| Area | Local water or utility | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Olema | North Marin Water District, West Marin system | Three short-term rental licenses for the township |
| Inverness | Inverness Public Utility District (stream diversions and wells) | The same district runs the volunteer fire department; 86 rental licenses in the county’s October 2026 procedures |
| Bolinas | Bolinas Community Public Utility District | No new water connections since 1971; ZIP 94924 median $1.9 million (3 months to August 2026) |
| Stinson Beach | Stinson Beach County Water District | Median $4.2 million (3 months to September 2026, Redfin) |
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Olema buyers
With so few homes, an Olema purchase is usually a one-off property, and we treat it that way. We confirm the water service with the district or the well permits with the county, pull the septic file, read the hazard disclosures with the fault and fire zones in mind, check what the coastal program allows on the parcel, and build a price from West Marin sales rather than a ZIP median. For the county’s rules in one place, see our Marin County real estate guide; for how we work with buyers, our buyer services page; and if you own in the valley and are weighing a sale, ask for a private home valuation.
Selling a home in Olema
Olema is an unincorporated village inside Marin County’s coastal zone, one of the communities the county’s Local Coastal Program maps cover. Past work on the property may have needed a coastal development permit as well as a building permit, unless it fell within the county’s categorical exclusions. Buyers will ask to see both for additions, outbuildings and changes of use, so pull the records from the Community Development Agency’s Public Access Viewer before you list.
Septic and water
Environmental Health notes that properties in the Coastal Zone or a Stream Conservation Area can need additional septic permits, which matters to any buyer planning changes. The county doesn’t require a septic inspection when a property sells, but it advises buyers to request septic records and, if none exist, to have a septic inspector evaluate the system.
North Marin Water District’s retrofit-on-resale certificate is written for its Novato service area, and the district’s page doesn’t mention West Marin. Ask the district whether anything applies to an Olema connection, and transfer the account in escrow.
Hazard disclosures
Olema sits in the fault valley of the San Andreas, so read the Natural Hazard Disclosure report as soon as it arrives and answer fault-zone questions in your seller disclosures. Check the fire hazard rating in Marin County Fire’s lookup tool too: in a High or Very High zone the buyer receives an AB 38 defensible-space inspection, or both sides agree in writing that the buyer will get one within a year after closing.
Commercial property, tax and state forms
Some Olema parcels are commercial rather than residential, and those sales bring leases, use permits and different buyers; our guide to selling commercial property covers that process. Either way, the county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 is the only one due. The seller customarily pays it in Diamond’s North Bay markets, but it’s negotiable (see our transfer tax guide). Homes also need a water heater bracing certification and a written disclosure of any noncompliant plumbing fixtures.
With too few Olema sales for a median, a price has to come from West Marin comparables; ask for a home valuation.
Sources for this section: County of Marin Planning: Local Coastal Program; County of Marin Environmental Health Services: Septic systems program; County of Marin Environmental Health Services: Septic regulations update (LAMP); North Marin Water District: Retrofit on Resale program; County of Marin Community Development Agency: Records search (Public Access Viewer); Marin County Fire: What is an AB-38 inspection?; Marin County Assessor-Recorder: Fees (documentary transfer tax); California Public Law: Health and Safety Code 19211 (water heater bracing); California Public Law: Civil Code 1101.4 (water-conserving plumbing fixtures).
Olema real estate FAQs
Where is Olema, California?
Olema is an unincorporated village in West Marin, Marin County, in the Olema Valley along the San Andreas Fault. Marin Transit’s Route 68 stops there between Lagunitas and Point Reyes Station.
What is Olema’s ZIP code?
Olema uses ZIP code 94950. The Census Bureau’s survey of that ZIP code area counts about 22 residents and 11 housing units across 4.8 square miles; the housing-unit margin of error (±13) is larger than the estimate itself.
How much does a home in Olema cost?
There isn’t a reliable figure. Redfin reported no sale price for ZIP 94950 as of August 2026, and ATTOM counts only two residential properties inside its Olema boundary, so we price each Olema property on its own from comparable West Marin sales, adjusted for water, septic, acreage and park frontage.
Who supplies water in Olema?
The North Marin Water District’s West Marin system, which serves Olema along with Point Reyes Station, Bear Valley, Inverness Park and Paradise Ranch Estates. Its water is groundwater from wells near Lagunitas Creek, treated at the Point Reyes Treatment Plant.
Is Olema on the San Andreas Fault?
The National Park Service says the fault created the narrow Olema Valley, and the Point Reyes Peninsula moved about 20 feet northwest in 1906. Check the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement for a mapped fault zone on any parcel you consider.
What did the 2025 Point Reyes ranch settlement change?
Under the January 9, 2025 agreement, 12 ranching operations on the National Seashore are retiring, while nine ranches continue, including seven in the recreation area’s north district on 20-year leases. About 16,000 acres are to be rezoned as Scenic Landscape, according to the County of Marin.
Can I run a vacation rental in Olema?
Only if you hold one of the township’s three county short-term rental licenses, and a license doesn’t transfer to a buyer. Expect a waitlist, and budget for the 14% West Marin hotel tax if you do get one.
Do I need a coastal permit to build or remodel in Olema?
Olema is in the county’s coastal zone, so projects are reviewed under the Local Coastal Program by Marin County’s Community Development Agency. Ask the county early whether your project needs a coastal development permit.
How are septic systems handled in Olema?
Marin County Environmental Health Services permits septic systems, grading them from Class I (code-compliant) to Class IV (undocumented or failing). Extra permits may apply in the Coastal Zone and Stream Conservation Areas, and the county’s septic rules are being rewritten, with adoption targeted for the end of 2026.
Can I get to Olema by bus?
Yes. Marin Transit Route 68 runs between the San Rafael Transit Center and Inverness through Olema, with eight westbound and nine eastbound trips on weekdays as of the April 2026 schedule.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: ZIP 94950 (August 2026), Census Reporter: ZIP 94950 (ACS 2020–2024), ATTOM: Olema (April 2025) and C.A.R.: September 2026 sales report
- National Park Service: Point Reyes park statistics, ranch historic districts (November 2018), Olema Valley and Bolinas Ridge (June 2025) and San Andreas Fault site bulletin
- County of Marin: ranch settlement FAQ (updated May 19, 2025)
- North Marin Water District: West Marin water factsheet
- County of Marin: septic systems, wells, short-term rentals and transient occupancy tax
- California Coastal Commission: short-term rental LCP amendment (April 2024); Office of the State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance
- Marin Transit: Route 68 (April 2026)
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.
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Local resource: Marin County planning and township resources. Check official information for the address you are considering; area descriptions do not establish a property’s permitted uses.
