Santa Rosa, CA Real Estate & Homes for Sale
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
Santa Rosa is the seat of Sonoma County and its largest city: 179,437 people (Census Bureau, July 2025 estimate) on 42.53 square miles along Highway 101. Redfin’s median sale price was $716,000 for the three months to August 2026. Buying here means choosing between very different parts of one city, from the Fountaingrove hills and the neighborhoods rebuilt after the 2017 Tubbs Fire to Oakmont’s association-run community off Highway 12 and the southwest areas annexed with Roseland in 2017.
- County
- Sonoma County (county seat)
- Government
- Incorporated city
- Population
- 179,437 (July 2025 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)
- Median sale price
- $716,000 (3 months to Aug 2026, Redfin)
- Transfer tax
- $3.10 per $1,000 (county $1.10 plus city $2.00)
- SMART stations
- Santa Rosa Downtown, Santa Rosa North, Sonoma County Airport
Santa Rosa homes for sale
Current MLS listings in Santa Rosa appear below. Our property search narrows them by neighborhood, price, lot size or property type, including acreage and other specialty properties at the city’s edges, or widens the search to Windsor, Rohnert Park and the rest of the county.
What do homes in Santa Rosa sell for?
$716,000
3 months to August 2026, Redfin
40
August 2026, Redfin (46 a year earlier)
100.2%
August 2026, Redfin
Santa Rosa is big enough for its median to mean something. Redfin counted 423 sales in August 2026, and the $716,000 median for the three months to August was 3.1% below the same period a year earlier. The typical home went under contract in about 40 days, six fewer than in August 2025, and sold at its asking price (a sale-to-list ratio, sale price divided by final list price, of 100.2%). About a third of sales (36.4%) closed above list, while 31.1% of listings took a price cut first (Redfin).
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, Santa Rosa | $716,000 (down 3.1% year over year); 423 sales in August | Three months to August 2026, Redfin |
| Median sale price per square foot | $424 | August 2026, Redfin |
| Fountaingrove median | $1,349,531 (up 9.3%); 42 sales in June; 73 days on market | Three months to June 2026, Redfin |
| Rincon Valley median | $719,153 (down 2.2%); 36 days on market | Three months to August 2026, Redfin |
| Bennett Valley median | $692,259 (down 14.5%); 33 days on market | Three months to June 2026, Redfin |
| ZIP 95407 (southwest) median | $664,712 (up 7.2%); 61 sales in August | Three months to August 2026, Redfin |
| Sonoma County median, for comparison | $875,000 (up 10.1%) | September 2026, C.A.R. |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes, Santa Rosa | $713,900 | 2020–2024, Census American Community Survey |
Fountaingrove’s median for the three months to June was close to double Bennett Valley’s, and its homes sat longer and sold slightly under asking (97.6% of list). Each neighborhood row rests on a few dozen sales, so use them for direction, not to price a house. The Census value is what owners reported in 2020–2024 surveys, not this year’s sale prices. Our Sonoma County market report compares the towns.
What does city government mean for a Santa Rosa purchase?
Inside city limits, Santa Rosa’s council, planning staff and fire department set the rules that touch a purchase, not Permit Sonoma.
Santa Rosa’s city transfer tax
Santa Rosa charges its own real property transfer tax of $2.00 for each $1,000 of value (City Code Chapter 3-20), on top of Sonoma County’s $1.10 (Santa Rosa City Code; Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder). Only Santa Rosa and Petaluma add a city tax in this county.
| Sale price | County tax | City tax | Total in Santa Rosa | Total in Windsor or Rohnert Park |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $716,000 | $787.60 | $1,432.00 | $2,219.60 | $787.60 |
| $1,350,000 | $1,485.00 | $2,700.00 | $4,185.00 | $1,485.00 |
The purchase contract says who pays. The city code makes the parties to the deed jointly and severally liable, so check that the escrow instructions match what you agreed.
Roseland is now inside the city
On November 1, 2017, Santa Rosa completed the Roseland Area Annexation, adding about 714 acres of former county islands in southwest Santa Rosa: Roseland, Victoria Drive, West Hearn Avenue, Brittain Lane and West Third Street (City of Santa Rosa). Addresses and ZIP codes didn’t change, but city zoning, permits and police now apply. Older reports may still describe these parcels as county land.
A Santa Rosa address isn’t always in the city
ZIP code 95403, for example, also covers parts of Windsor and the unincorporated communities of Fulton and Larkfield-Wikiup (Statistical Atlas, from Census geography). Outside city limits, the county or the Town of Windsor sets the rules and the city transfer tax doesn’t apply, so confirm the parcel’s jurisdiction first.
Neighborhoods and parts of Santa Rosa
Neighborhood names here are informal and overlap, so treat them as a guide and confirm each parcel’s zoning, fire zone and any association.
Fountaingrove
The October 2017 fires damaged six city parks in the Fountaingrove area, among them Nagasawa Community Park, where 21 of 33 acres burned, and their recovery wasn’t finished until July 2023 (City of Santa Rosa). Fountaingrove’s median of $1,349,531 for the three months to June 2026 was nearly twice the citywide figure (Redfin). A house here may be a survivor or a post-2017 rebuild, so permit history, fire zone and insurance belong in every offer. Our Napa and Sonoma luxury real estate guide covers estate due diligence.
Coffey Park and the Hopper Avenue corridor
Coffey Park lost its namesake park entirely in October 2017: all 5.85 acres of Coffey Neighborhood Park burned, both playgrounds included, and the rebuilt park reopened on October 28, 2020 (City of Santa Rosa). The Hopper Avenue corridor, in a neighborhood the city describes as heavily affected by the Tubbs Fire, is getting one of the last major pieces of post-fire infrastructure work: a $4.7 million contract to widen the street and add sidewalks, protected bike lanes, drainage and signals, under construction from late April 2026 into early 2027 and partly paid for with PG&E settlement money (City of Santa Rosa).
Rincon Valley and Bennett Valley
Rincon Valley tracks the city on price: a three-month median of $719,153 through August 2026, about 36 days on market and 100.2% of list (Redfin). Bennett Valley’s three-month median was $692,259 through June 2026, down 14.5%, a drop that over a few dozen sales mostly reflects which homes sold, so compare price per square foot on the same street. Hillside and acreage property on Sonoma Mountain is a separate market; our guide to Sonoma Mountain and Diamond A covers it.
Oakmont and the Highway 12 corridor
At the city’s east end, Highway 12 leaves for Kenwood and Sonoma Valley, and Route 30 buses stop in Oakmont on the way. The 95409 ZIP code here also takes in Spring Lake Regional Park and the entrance to Trione-Annadel State Park. Oakmont itself is organized around the Oakmont Village Association, which operates its East and West Recreation Centers and Central Activity Complex, counts more than 4,500 residents and describes Oakmont as an adult community (Oakmont Village Association). Read its governing documents for occupancy rules, dues and design review before you write an offer; Civil Code 4525 requires the seller to provide them.
Junior College, downtown and the preservation districts
Santa Rosa Junior College’s main campus is at 1501 Mendocino Avenue. The city is updating its North Station Area Specific Plan for the half mile around the Santa Rosa North SMART station, an area that takes in Coddingtown Mall, the college, Santa Rosa High School, Jennings Park, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Snoopy’s Home Ice, to evaluate housing, mobility and transit-oriented planning (City of Santa Rosa, September 2026). Our Santa Rosa Junior College area guide covers housing near the campus.
The city’s map shows eight preservation districts: McDonald, Ridgway, West End, St. Rose, Burbank Gardens, Railroad Square, Cherry Street and Olive Park (City of Santa Rosa). A contributing property there needs a Landmark Alteration Permit for many exterior changes, and demolition, additions and new construction can go to the Design Review and Preservation Board under Zoning Code Chapter 20-58 (City of Santa Rosa). Before you plan exterior work on an older house, find out whether it’s a contributor.
Roseland and southwest Santa Rosa
The southwest has some of the city’s lower prices: ZIP code 95407 had a median of $664,712 for the three months to August 2026, up 7.2%, with 61 sales in August and 41 days on market (Redfin). It’s also where the last of the city’s fire-recovery affordable housing, the 64-unit Burbank Avenue Apartments in Roseland, opened in October 2025.
What should you check about fire before buying in Santa Rosa?
The Tubbs Fire started on October 8, 2017, near Highway 128 and Bennett Lane outside Calistoga. It burned 36,807 acres, destroyed 5,636 structures and killed 22 people (CAL FIRE). Inside Santa Rosa it destroyed more than 3,000 homes, about 5% of the city’s housing stock; $38.4 million in federal recovery funds received in 2020 has since helped finance five affordable developments with 377 new homes (City of Santa Rosa).
The Glass Fire started in Napa County on September 27, 2020, and burned 67,484 acres across Napa and Sonoma counties, destroying 1,528 structures before containment on October 20 (CAL FIRE). On October 1 the Sonoma Index-Tribune described it as burning “between St. Helena, Calistoga and Santa Rosa” (Sonoma Index-Tribune).
The maps have changed since. CAL FIRE released new Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for cities on February 24, 2025, with “notable local changes” to Santa Rosa’s Very High zones and new High zones. The Santa Rosa Fire Department, citing the Tubbs, Nuns and Glass fires, proposed redrawing the city’s wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire area, last set in 2009, and the City Council approved the first reading unanimously on May 12, 2026 (Santa Rosa Fire Department).
A Santa Rosa home’s fire-zone status may have changed since its last sale. Check the parcel against the 2025 CAL FIRE map and the city’s current WUI boundary before you rely on an older disclosure or insurance quote.
- Zone and AB 38: in a High or Very High zone, the seller provides documentation of a recent defensible-space inspection, or you both agree in writing that you’ll bring the property into compliance within a year of closing.
- Rebuilt homes: get the building permit, final inspection and approved plans, and check that the roofing, vents and siding match them.
- Evacuation and vegetation: look up the home’s zone on the city’s evacuation page; the city also runs vegetation management inspections under its Vegetation Management Ordinance.
- Insurance: get quotes as soon as you’re in contract, because price and terms can decide whether the purchase works.
Rent rules and vacation rentals in Santa Rosa
Renting is common here: only 56.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 62.6% countywide, and the 2020–2024 median gross rent was $2,152 a month (Census American Community Survey).
Is there rent control in Santa Rosa?
Not for apartments or houses. The City Council adopted a rent stabilization ordinance in 2016 (Ordinance 4072, a 3% annual cap plus just-cause eviction rules for certain units), but a referendum put it on the ballot and voters rejected it as Measure C on June 6, 2017, with 52.5% voting no (City of Santa Rosa; Planetizen). It never took effect, so rentals follow state law, the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482), and its exemptions. Have a landlord-tenant attorney review any building you’d buy with tenants in place.
Mobilehome spaces are the exception. City Code Chapter 6-66 allows one space-rent increase a year, at 70% of the change in the Consumer Price Index and no more than 4% (Santa Rosa City Code); the city puts the current maximum at 1.75%, based on the CPI change through August 2025 (City of Santa Rosa).
Can you run a short-term rental?
A hosted one, yes; a new non-hosted one, no. Under Zoning Code Chapter 20-48, any stay of less than 30 consecutive days needs a one-year permit, issued only to the owner, before the home is listed (City of Santa Rosa).
- Hosted rentals, where the owner lives there more than half the year and stays on site during guests’ visits, are allowed citywide with no cap.
- Non-hosted rentals are closed to new applications. The council capped them at 198 in 2022 (KRCB); the city now lists 182 permits, a number that shrinks as they lapse, and permits generally can’t be transferred to a buyer.
- Not eligible: ADUs and junior ADUs, and income-restricted, student, senior and transitional housing.
- Taxes: since January 1, 2025, guests pay an 11% transient occupancy tax (TOT), set at the November 2024 election, plus a 3% Tourism Business Improvement Area assessment, remitted quarterly (City of Santa Rosa). An HOA can ban short-term rentals outright.
Don’t underwrite a Santa Rosa purchase on non-hosted vacation-rental income. The unincorporated county has different rules; see vacation rental rules in Sonoma County, and our investor services for long-term rental analysis.
Getting around: SMART, Highway 101 and buses
Three SMART stations have Santa Rosa addresses: Santa Rosa Downtown at 7 4th Street, Santa Rosa North at 1500 Guerneville Road and the Sonoma County Airport station at 1130 Airport Boulevard. The line runs one stop north to Windsor and south through Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato and San Rafael to Larkspur, and SMART expects a Healdsburg station in late 2028 (SMART).
- Highways: Highway 101 runs north–south through the city; Highway 12 heads east to Sonoma Valley.
- Bus: Sonoma County Transit Route 30 runs from Coddingtown, the junior college and the downtown Transit Mall through Oakmont, Kenwood and Glen Ellen to Sonoma Plaza, eight or nine trips a day each way and about an hour and a half end to end (Sonoma County Transit).
- Trail: the paved Joe Rodota Trail runs 8.5 miles from downtown Santa Rosa to Sebastopol on a former rail line (Sonoma County Regional Parks).
Santa Rosa Junior College, parks and daily life
Santa Rosa Junior College, which traces its history back more than 100 years, also runs a Petaluma campus, Shone Farm in Forestville and a Public Safety Training Center in Windsor (SRJC).
- Trione-Annadel State Park: more than 5,000 acres and over 45 miles of trails on the city’s eastern edge, south of Highway 12, including man-made Lake Ilsanjo; the entrance is at 6201 Channel Drive (California State Parks).
- Spring Lake Regional Park: 320 acres at 393 Violetti Road, with a 72-acre lake closed to gas engines, a lifeguarded swimming lagoon, 31 campsites and nearly 10 miles of trails; parking is $8, or $12 in summer (Sonoma County Regional Parks).
- North of downtown: the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Snoopy’s Home Ice sit within the North Station planning area.
Santa Rosa compared with nearby towns
| Town | Government | One verified difference |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa | Incorporated city, county seat | 179,437 residents; $2.00 per $1,000 city transfer tax; median $716,000 (3 months to Aug 2026, Redfin) |
| Windsor | Incorporated town (1992) | 25,864 residents; county transfer tax only; ZIP 95492 median $814,761 (three months to Sept 2026, Redfin) |
| Rohnert Park | Incorporated city | 44,811 residents; SMART station at 900 Enterprise Drive; county transfer tax only |
| Sebastopol | Incorporated city | 7,532 residents; the far end of the Joe Rodota Trail; ZIP 95472 median $1,202,147 (three months to Sept 2026, Redfin) |
| Fulton | Unincorporated, Sonoma County | County permits, vacation-rental rules and tenant ordinance; its own ZIP code, 95439 |
Population figures are Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025.
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Santa Rosa buyers
On a Fountaingrove or east-side home, we pull the fire-zone status under the 2025 maps, the rebuild permits and finals, and the association documents before you’re committed. On a rental, we read the short-term rental, mobilehome or state rent rules that apply and build the transfer tax and Proposition 13 reassessment into your numbers. On any home, we price from sales on the same streets, not the city median.
- Our step-by-step guide to buying a home in Sonoma County.
- Selling a Santa Rosa home first? Start with a home valuation.
For every town in the county, see our Sonoma County real estate guide.
Selling a home in Santa Rosa
A sale inside city limits runs through the City of Santa Rosa’s building and planning records, not Permit Sonoma’s. Two exceptions matter. Homes in Fulton, Larkfield or other county areas with Santa Rosa addresses are county files. For parcels annexed with Roseland in November 2017, earlier permits came from the county, so check both offices.
Transfer tax
Santa Rosa and Petaluma are the only cities in the county with their own transfer tax. The county charges $0.55 per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000; the city adds $2.00 per $1,000. On an $800,000 sale that is $880 to the county and $1,600 to the city, $2,480 in all. In Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller customarily pays, but the split is negotiable, and the city code makes every party to the deed jointly and severally liable, so the escrow instructions should say who pays. Our transfer tax guide explains the calculation.
What Santa Rosa buyers usually ask to see
- Rebuild records. For a home rebuilt after the 2017 fires, the building permit, final inspection and approved plans.
- Defensible-space paperwork. Check the parcel on the current state hazard map, not an older disclosure. In a High or Very High zone, Civil Code 1102.19 requires the seller to provide compliance documentation, or a signed agreement that the buyer will obtain it; our AB 38 guide covers the steps.
- Rental permit status. The city’s cap on non-hosted short-term rental permits shrinks when properties are sold or transferred, with a narrow exception in Zoning Code 20-48.040(G)(1). Price the home without counting on that permit.
- Association documents. In Oakmont and other planned developments, order the resale packet early; see our Oakmont guide.
- State items. A written smoke alarm compliance statement, a written water heater bracing certification, carbon monoxide alarms where the home has gas appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage, and the Civil Code 1101.4 disclosure about noncompliant plumbing fixtures.
Our Sonoma County seller guide covers disclosures and timing countywide. To see where your house fits against recent sales on its own streets, request a Santa Rosa home valuation.
Sources for this section: County of Sonoma Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax; Santa Rosa City Code: Chapter 3-20, real property transfer tax (eCode360); City of Santa Rosa: Non-hosted short-term rental permits FAQ; 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).
Santa Rosa real estate FAQs
How much does a house cost in Santa Rosa?
Redfin’s median sale price for Santa Rosa was $716,000 for the three months to August 2026, 3.1% lower than a year earlier. Neighborhoods range widely, from about $1.35 million in Fountaingrove (three months to June) to $664,712 in ZIP 95407 (three months to August).
Does Santa Rosa have a city transfer tax?
Yes: $2.00 per $1,000 of value on top of the county’s $1.10, or $3.10 per $1,000 in all. On a $716,000 sale that’s $2,219.60, against $787.60 in Windsor or Rohnert Park.
Does Santa Rosa have rent control?
Not for apartments or houses; voters rejected the 2016 ordinance as Measure C in June 2017, so state law applies. Mobilehome park spaces have their own city limit, currently 1.75% (based on the CPI through August 2025).
Can I buy a Santa Rosa home to use as a vacation rental?
Only as a hosted rental in your main home. The city isn’t accepting new non-hosted applications, its 182 existing permits shrink over time and generally can’t be transferred, and ADUs aren’t eligible.
What is the hotel tax on short-term rentals in Santa Rosa?
Since January 1, 2025, the transient occupancy tax is 11%, plus a 3% Tourism Business Improvement Area assessment. Operators remit both to the city every quarter.
Is Roseland part of Santa Rosa?
Yes, since November 1, 2017, when the city annexed about 714 acres in five former county islands in southwest Santa Rosa. City zoning, permits and police apply there now.
Where are the SMART stations in Santa Rosa?
Santa Rosa Downtown (7 4th Street), Santa Rosa North (1500 Guerneville Road) and Sonoma County Airport (1130 Airport Boulevard). Trains continue north to Windsor and south to Larkspur.
How do I check a Santa Rosa home’s fire hazard zone?
Look the address up on CAL FIRE’s 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, then ask the Santa Rosa Fire Department whether it’s inside the city’s WUI fire area, which was being redrawn in 2026. In a High or Very High zone, AB 38 defensible-space paperwork is part of the sale.
What should I ask about a home rebuilt after the Tubbs Fire?
Ask for the building permit, final inspection, approved plans and any engineering or soils reports, and get an insurance quote early. The materials on the house should match the permitted plans.
Is Oakmont age-restricted?
The Oakmont Village Association describes Oakmont as an adult community. Its governing documents set the occupancy rules, dues and design review, and the seller must provide them under Civil Code 4525.
How long do Santa Rosa homes take to sell?
Redfin’s August 2026 median was 40 days on market, six fewer than a year earlier. Fountaingrove ran slower, at a median of 73 days in June, and sold at 97.6% of list against 100.2% citywide.
Are older Santa Rosa homes in historic districts?
Some are. The city has eight preservation districts, including McDonald, Railroad Square and Cherry Street, where contributing properties need a Landmark Alteration Permit for many exterior changes.
Is Santa Rosa the same as Sonoma?
No. Santa Rosa is the county seat on Highway 101; the City of Sonoma is a separate city of about 10,500 people at the south end of Sonoma Valley, about an hour and a half away by Route 30 bus. Our Sonoma County guide covers both.
Sources & notes
- Redfin: Santa Rosa (August 2026), with its Fountaingrove, Rincon Valley, Bennett Valley and ZIP 95407 pages; C.A.R.: September 2026 sales report; Census QuickFacts: Santa Rosa
- Santa Rosa City Code: Chapter 3-20 (transfer tax) and Chapter 6-66 (mobilehome rents); Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder
- City of Santa Rosa: rent stabilization history, mobilehome parks, short-term rentals, TOT, Roseland annexation, historic preservation, restoring parks, fire-recovery housing (November 2025), Hopper Avenue (April 2026), North Station Area plan (September 2026), WUI update
- Planetizen: Measure C (June 2017); KRCB: rental cap (August 2022); Sonoma Index-Tribune: Glass Fire (October 2020)
- CAL FIRE: Tubbs Fire and Glass Fire; State Fire Marshal: AB 38 guidance
- SMART stations; Route 30; SRJC; Trione-Annadel; Spring Lake; Oakmont Village Association; Statistical Atlas: ZIP 95403
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.
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.
