Presidio Heights, San Francisco Real Estate & Homes for Sale
Presidio Heights is a small, mostly single-family San Francisco neighborhood on the south edge of the Presidio, between Arguello Boulevard and Presidio Avenue, under city rules through SF Planning. Most houses are early-1900s, many Edwardian, on RH-1 blocks, and no liquefaction or landslide zone is mapped there.
Explore Presidio Heights, 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 | Early-1900s single-family houses, many Edwardian; mostly RH-1 |
| Hazards to check | No mapped liquefaction or landslide zone |
| Getting around | 1 California and 43 Masonic buses; no BART or Muni Metro station nearby |
| Local rules | Sacramento Street Neighborhood Commercial District on Sacramento St |
Presidio Heights is a small, mostly single-family neighborhood on the south edge of the Presidio, bounded by Pacific Avenue and the Presidio wall on the north, Arguello Boulevard on the west, California Street on the south and Presidio Avenue on the east. Most of its houses were built in the early 1900s, many of them Edwardian, and most of its residential blocks are zoned RH-1 for one-family houses.
The San Francisco Association of Realtors maps it as subdistrict 7C, the westernmost of the four neighborhoods in SF District 7. It shares a long border with Pacific Heights to the east and faces Laurel Heights and the Richmond across California Street and Arguello Boulevard, which the MLS places in District 1. For the rest of the city, see our San Francisco real estate guide.
Presidio Heights homes for sale
Presidio Heights market report
What the housing looks like
Compared with its neighbors, Presidio Heights is the most uniformly single-family. Planning’s zoning layer shows RH-1 as the dominant district, with smaller areas of RH-2, RH-3 and RM-1 where flats and small apartment buildings already stand.
The houses are mainly early-twentieth-century: Edwardian and period-revival designs, many of them large detached or semi-detached houses on the north-south streets that run up to the Presidio wall. Two are city landmarks:
- Roos Residence, 3500 Jackson Street, built 1909, City Landmark No. 56.
- Koshland House, 3800 Washington Street, built 1902, City Landmark No. 95.
Planning’s landmark work program also lists two more Presidio Heights houses under consideration, at 3778 Washington Street and 3655 Clay Street. A house that is being studied for designation may face added review for exterior changes, so ask about status before you plan a remodel. See our Edwardian and Victorian homes guide for inspection issues common to houses of this age.
Living at the Presidio wall
The neighborhood’s defining feature is its northern edge. The Presidio begins on the far side of Pacific Avenue and its wall, so the northernmost houses face parkland rather than another block of houses.
The Presidio was a military post under three flags. It is now a National Historic Landmark and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, managed by the Presidio Trust in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Houses on Pacific Avenue and the upper blocks of the cross streets look onto the park’s trees rather than other houses, and that position is one of the things buyers here compare most closely. The trade-off is that the park’s edge has no shops, so daily errands run south toward Sacramento and California Streets.
Sacramento Street and the California Street edge
Sacramento Street west of Presidio Avenue is zoned as the Sacramento Street Neighborhood Commercial District, a short run of shops, restaurants and services set among houses.
California Street, the southern edge, has more: across the street in District 1 are the Laurel Village shopping center and the Jordan Park and Laurel Heights blocks. The Lake Street neighborhood lies just west of Arguello.
Zoning and the 2026 rezoning
Besides RH-1 and the Sacramento Street NCD, Planning’s layer shows a handful of RTO-C transit-oriented parcels and P parcels for public land. The Family Zoning Plan, effective January 12, 2026, focuses added capacity on major transit and commercial streets, so the RH-1 interior blocks are not where most change is expected; California Street frontage is the place to check closely.
RH-1 zoning allows one main house per lot, and state law allows accessory dwelling units on many single-family lots. Get a parcel-specific answer from an architect or Planning before you pay for development potential.
Getting around Presidio Heights
Two Muni lines do most of the work. The 1 California runs to downtown along the California, Sacramento and Clay corridor, and some trips start and end at Sacramento and Presidio Avenue, at the neighborhood’s eastern edge. The 43 Masonic runs on Presidio Avenue, north through the Presidio to the Marina and south toward the Haight and beyond.
There is no BART or Muni Metro station nearby, so garage access and size tend to weigh heavily with buyers here.
Ground, retrofits and systems
Presidio Heights is on high ground. Planning’s copy of the state seismic hazard maps shows neither a liquefaction zone nor an earthquake-induced landslide zone in the neighborhood, unlike the filled land of the Marina.
That does not settle the building question. Houses from the 1900s and 1910s may have original or partly upgraded foundations, older electrical systems and hillside drainage issues, and the inspection should cover them. Our hazard maps guide lists the city and state lookups for any parcel.
Selling a home in Presidio Heights
Presidio Heights is small, so in any season there are few truly comparable sales, and the houses that do sell differ widely; pricing depends on careful comparison more than on a neighborhood average. Buyers will compare your house with Presidio Heights sales first, then with the western blocks of Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff and Lake Street.
- Define the comparable set. Position on the block, Presidio frontage, lot width, garage and condition of the systems matter more than bedroom count.
- Organize the history. Gather permits and final inspections for additions, lower-level conversions and any seismic work, and note the architect if the house has a known one.
- Prepare the city documents. Order the 3R report early and line up the conservation inspection; our seller requirements checklist walks through both. San Francisco applies one transfer tax rate to the whole price by tier, and the rate jumps from $3.75 to $11.25 per $500 at $5 million, so a price just over a tier line costs far more than one just under it.
- Choose how public to be. Some sellers here want a quiet sale. Diamond can approach likely buyers privately through its own client database and targeted off-market campaigns; once a home is promoted to the public, though, NAR’s Clear Cooperation policy and local MLS rules call for it to be submitted to the MLS.
For how the top end of the city’s market behaves, see San Francisco luxury homes, and for the firm’s wider approach to high-value property, our luxury real estate page.
Permits, ADUs and remodels in Presidio Heights
San Francisco Planning reviews zoning and historic status, and the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) issues building permits. For any Presidio Heights address, start with Planning’s Property Information Map. It shows the zoning district (RH-1 on most blocks), the height district, any landmark or survey status, and the permits on record.
Two things shape most remodels here.
Historic status. The Roos Residence and the Koshland House are city landmarks, and other houses are under study for designation, as described above. On a landmark, exterior changes need preservation review before a permit is issued. Check the parcel’s status before you price a major remodel.
Accessory dwelling units. RH-1 zoning allows one main house per lot, but San Francisco’s two ADU programs can add units (SF Planning ADUs):
- State program: ministerial, with a 60-day review once an application is complete.
- Local program: reviewed by Planning first. A lot with four or fewer legal units can add one ADU plus one detached ADU.
- Junior ADU: a single-family house can add one of up to 500 square feet, with owner occupancy required if sanitation is shared with the main residence.
ADUs generally can’t be sold separately and aren’t eligible for short-term rental.
DBI’s 3R report shows a house’s authorized use and building permit history, though not its plumbing or electrical permits (SF 3R report). Match it to the finished lower floors and any additions. For upkeep on older houses, see our District 7 home maintenance comparison.
Costs to plan for when buying in Presidio Heights
Transfer tax: San Francisco charges one tiered rate on the whole price, per $500 of value (SF transfer tax):
- $3.40 above $250,000 and under $1 million
- $3.75 from $1 million to under $5 million
- $11.25 from $5 million to under $10 million
- $27.50 from $10 million to under $25 million
- $30.00 at $25 million or more
Because the rate applies to the whole price, crossing a tier line raises the tax on every dollar. See our San Francisco transfer tax guide.
Property tax: the 1% general levy plus voter-approved bonds, with parcel taxes and special assessments on the bill (SF Treasurer, secured property taxes; parcel taxes and special assessments). The supplemental bill after a purchase can be large on a high-value home, so estimate it before closing (SF supplemental assessments). See our San Francisco property tax guide.
Older systems: for a house from the 1900s or 1910s, budget for foundation, electrical and drainage work if the inspections call for it.
Luxury homes and estates in Presidio Heights
Presidio Heights is one of San Francisco’s single-family neighborhoods. In planning terms, its high end is the large early-twentieth-century house on an RH-1 lot, often Edwardian or period-revival in design, including houses on the blocks that face the Presidio wall. Several houses are city landmarks or under study for designation, which adds preservation review to exterior work. See San Francisco luxury homes and our Victorian and Edwardian homes guide.
The due diligence that matters most at this level:
- Permits: check the history for every addition and lower-level conversion.
- Seismic and foundations: review any seismic work and the foundation’s condition.
- Historic status: confirm the parcel’s status on the Property Information Map.
- Insurance: quotes that reflect rebuilding cost; see insuring a high-value home.
- Guest space: for a home with a separate unit or carriage house, check its legal status; see homes with guest houses.
Across Pacific Avenue, the land is part of the Presidio, managed by the Presidio Trust with the National Park Service as noted above, so city zoning doesn’t govern what happens on that side of the street.
Many Presidio Heights owners prefer discretion. 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. See our private sales page and luxury home auctions in California. We can’t promise that any particular property will be available.
Add to the existing "Questions people ask" section:
Where can I find Presidio Heights homes for sale?
Current MLS listings for Presidio Heights, subdistrict 7C of District 7, appear at the top of this page. Sales are few, so buyers usually also watch the western blocks of Pacific Heights, Laurel Heights and Jordan Park, Lake Street and Sea Cliff.
What transfer tax applies to a Presidio Heights sale?
San Francisco’s tiered real property transfer tax, charged on the whole price at the rate for its tier. It’s $3.75 per $500 from $1 million to under $5 million and $11.25 per $500 from $5 million to under $10 million, with higher tiers above that (SF transfer tax).
Who issues building permits in Presidio Heights?
The Department of Building Inspection issues building permits, after any required Planning review. Landmarks and houses under study for designation can also need preservation review.
For a taxable transfer, the applicable tier’s rate is charged on each$500 or fractional part of the taxable consideration/value; exemptions and special rules can affect the result. Confirm the calculation with escrow.
Sources for this section
- SF Planning, Property Information Map: https://sfplanninggis.org/pim/
- SF Planning, Accessory Dwelling Units: https://sfplanning.org/accessory-dwelling-units
- SF.gov, 3R report: https://www.sf.gov/request3r
- SF.gov, Transfer tax: https://www.sf.gov/transfer-tax
- SF Treasurer, Secured property taxes: https://sftreasurer.org/property/secured-property-taxes
- SF Treasurer, Parcel taxes and special assessments: https://sftreasurer.org/property/parcel-tax-exemptions-and-special-assessments
- SF.gov, Supplemental assessments: https://www.sf.gov/information–learn-about-supplemental-assessments
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Presidio Heights and Pacific Heights?
Presidio Avenue is the dividing line in the MLS. Presidio Heights, to the west, is smaller and more uniformly single-family; Pacific Heights has a wider mix of mansions, flats and apartment buildings and a larger commercial street on Fillmore.
Is Laurel Village in Presidio Heights?
No. Laurel Village is on California Street between Laurel and Spruce, on the south side of the boundary, in Laurel Heights; the MLS places that area in District 1. It is still the nearest larger shopping center for many Presidio Heights houses.
Is Presidio Heights in a liquefaction zone?
No. Neither liquefaction nor landslide zones appear in Presidio Heights on Planning’s version of the state maps. Check any specific parcel on the state’s EQ Zapp anyway.
Can I build an ADU on an RH-1 lot here?
Many RH-1 lots can add an accessory dwelling unit under state and city rules, subject to lot layout, setbacks and any historic review. Planning’s Property Information Map is the first lookup.
Which Muni lines serve Presidio Heights?
The 1 California and the 43 Masonic, which runs on Presidio Avenue. There is no BART or Muni Metro station in or near the neighborhood.
If you own in Presidio Heights and want a realistic view of value and timing, contact Matthew Martinez for a private conversation about your house and the comparable sales.
Sources & notes
- DataSF: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2024 closed roll, parcel counts by property class for assessor neighborhoods 7A-7D
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (zoning districts, landmarks, Article 10 districts, seismic hazard zones)
- San Francisco Planning: SF Family Zoning Plan
- City and County of San Francisco: Transfer tax
- Presidio Trust: About the Presidio
- San Francisco Association of Realtors: SFAR San Francisco MLS district map (via Reineck & Reineck)
- SFMTA: 1 California route
- SFMTA: 43 Masonic route
- Wikipedia: Presidio Heights, San Francisco (boundaries and landmarks; used for background only)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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