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SF District 6 Real Estate: Hayes Valley, Alamo Square, Fillmore & More

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

SF District 6 is the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® (SFAR) MLS search district for the central-north part of the city: Anza Vista, Hayes Valley, Lower Pacific Heights, the Western Addition, Alamo Square and North Panhandle. It is a real estate search area, not the Board of Supervisors district that shares the number.

The district runs from the Civic Center edge west to Masonic Avenue and from roughly California Street south toward the Panhandle and Market Street, with neighborhood lines that vary by source. Its housing spans 1870s Victorians, blocks rebuilt during urban renewal, and buildings from the last two decades on former freeway land, which is why prices and ownership types swing so widely from one subdistrict to the next.

SF District 6 homes for sale

SF District 6 market report

District 6 neighborhoods at a glance

SFAR’s map labels the subdistricts 6a through 6f. The table gives each one’s character and its main transit; follow the links for full neighborhood guides.

Neighborhood (SFAR code)	Character	Main transit
Anza Vista (6a)	Built on the former Calvary Cemetery site between Geary Boulevard, Turk Street, Masonic Avenue and Divisadero Street; City Center shopping and a Kaiser Permanente hospital on Geary	38 Geary, 31 Balboa on Turk
Hayes Valley (6b)	Victorian and Edwardian flats plus newer condo and apartment buildings on former Central Freeway parcels; Hayes Street shops and Octavia Boulevard	Van Ness Muni Metro, Civic Center BART, 5 Fulton
Lower Pacific Heights (6c)	Blocks between California Street and Geary Boulevard from Presidio Avenue to Van Ness, centered on Fillmore Street’s shops between California and Post	22 Fillmore, 38 Geary, 24 Divisadero
Western Addition (6d)	The Fillmore core south of Geary: surviving Victorians, redevelopment-era complexes and newer mixed-use buildings; Webster Street and Cottage Row landmark districts nearby	22 Fillmore, 38 Geary, 31 Balboa, 5 Fulton
Alamo Square (6e)	Hilltop blocks around a four-block park; Victorian and Edwardian-era houses and flats, most inside the Alamo Square Historic District	5 Fulton, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero
North Panhandle (6f)	Residential blocks between Anza Vista and the Panhandle, with the Divisadero Street commercial corridor on the east side (labeled “Park North” on SFAR’s printed map)	5 Fulton, 24 Divisadero, 31 Balboa

Bordering MLS districts are District 7 (Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Cow Hollow and the Marina) to the north, District 8 (including Van Ness/Civic Center) to the east, District 5 (the Haight, Duboce Triangle and Noe Valley) to the south, and District 1 (the Richmond, Lone Mountain and Jordan Park) to the west.

The range of housing in one district

District 6 holds three building generations that rarely sit this close together elsewhere in the city.

Late 19th and early 20th century. Much of the area survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Alamo Square Historic District ordinance dates its houses from the 1870s to the 1920s, and the Bush Street–Cottage Row houses go back to the 1870s and early 1880s.
Urban renewal. The Redevelopment Agency’s Western Addition A-1 project (1956 to 1973) and the larger A-2 project, begun in 1966, cleared many blocks in the Fillmore and Japantown, which were rebuilt with larger developments.
Post-freeway and recent construction. After the Central Freeway north of Market Street came down (demolition was completed in 2003, and Octavia Boulevard opened in 2005), its land in Hayes Valley became sites for new housing.

Anza Vista is its own case: it occupies land that was Calvary Cemetery until the graves were moved to Colma in the 1930s and 1940s, so its housing postdates that removal.

Ownership forms follow the buildings. Divided Victorians are sold as condos or as TIC interests, newer buildings are mostly condos with HOAs (see our condo guide), and older rental buildings trade as income property, covered in our San Francisco multifamily guide.

Zoning, area plans and historic districts

Four named commercial districts in the Planning Code shape District 6’s main streets:

Hayes-Gough NCT: west of Franklin and east of Laguna, south along Octavia to Market. Housing is strongly encouraged, density is set by the building envelope rather than lot area, and parking is not required for housing.
Fillmore Street NCT: Fillmore from Bush Street to McAllister Street, encouraging housing above ground-floor commercial and permitting ADUs.
Japantown NCD: Geary to Post between Fillmore and Laguna, with ground-floor commercial required.
Divisadero Street NCT: Divisadero from Haight Street to O’Farrell Street, with housing above shops and limits on late-night and drive-up uses.

Hayes Valley also falls under the Market and Octavia Area Plan, whose 2008 Planning Code amendments created the Residential Transit-Oriented (RTO) district, added a community improvements fee on certain new development, and limited demolition or conversion of dwelling units in RTO and NCT districts.

Three Article 10 landmark districts are in or beside the district: Alamo Square (Ordinance 324-84, 1984), Webster Street (Ordinance 166-81, 1981) and Bush Street–Cottage Row (designated 1991). Exterior work on those properties goes through Planning review. Individual landmarks are scattered throughout, from the Westerfeld House at 1198 Fulton Street to Marcus Books/Jimbo’s Bop City at 1712–1716 Fillmore Street.

Transit corridors

Most of District 6 is organized around a handful of Muni corridors rather than rail. Hayes Valley is the exception, with Market Street rail at its southeast corner.

Corridor	Service	Neighborhoods it serves most
Market Street	Muni Metro at Van Ness Station (N Judah and other subway lines); BART at Civic Center/UN Plaza	Hayes Valley
Geary Boulevard	38 Geary (Geary and O’Farrell to downtown)	Anza Vista, Lower Pacific Heights, Western Addition
Fillmore Street	22 Fillmore, 24 hours, Marina to Mission Bay	Lower Pacific Heights, Western Addition, Alamo Square
Divisadero Street	24 Divisadero, 24 hours	North Panhandle, Alamo Square, Lower Pacific Heights
Fulton and McAllister streets	5 Fulton to Civic Center	North Panhandle, Alamo Square, Western Addition, Hayes Valley
Turk and Eddy streets	31 Balboa, about 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.	Anza Vista, North Panhandle, Western Addition

SFMTA lists the 21 Hayes as suspended and directs riders to the 6 Hayes-Parnassus. Drivers reach U.S. 101 through Octavia Boulevard at Market Street.

Seismic, soft-story and rental rules

The district’s older wood-frame stock brings the same checks up again and again:

Seismic hazard zones. State-mapped liquefaction and landslide zones are published by the city on DataSF and reported in the Natural Hazard Disclosure. Our hazard maps guide explains the sources.
Soft-story retrofits. DBI’s mandatory program covers wood-frame buildings with five or more units and three or more stories (or two over a basement or underfloor area) whose permit was applied for before January 1, 1978.
Rent rules. Costa-Hawkins exempts units with a certificate of occupancy after February 1, 1995 from local rent-increase limits, which covers most post-freeway buildings; units in older flats and apartments usually remain subject to them. The allowable increase for March 2026 through February 2027 is 1.6%.

Point-of-sale items such as the 3R report, transfer tax and the water and energy inspection apply citywide and are on our San Francisco seller requirements page. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a San Francisco real estate attorney about a specific property.

How buyers compare District 6 neighborhoods

Building age versus HOA. A Hayes Valley condo built after 2005 has a reserve study and an HOA budget; an Alamo Square flat has character and a permit history that needs reading. Each carries different costs.
Preservation review. Inside the Alamo Square, Webster Street or Cottage Row districts, exterior projects take an extra review step. Outside them, the base zoning and the commercial district rules set the limits.
Title form. TICs are common in divided older buildings because condo conversion is restricted, and TIC financing and resale work differently from condos.
Parking. The Hayes-Gough NCT does not require parking for new housing, while an older building may have no garage, or one added later. Confirm what any space actually conveys.
Corridor or side street. Homes on Geary, Fillmore, Divisadero or Hayes sit on busy transit and shopping streets; a block away the setting changes. Visit at the hours you would actually be home.

Selling in District 6

Pricing a District 6 home starts with picking comparable sales from the right subdistrict and the right building type, since a Victorian flat and a new condo a few blocks apart can trade on different terms. Our San Francisco selling guide covers preparation and timing, and the market report on this page shows current District 6 figures.

Before listing, gather the 3R report, any historic district approvals, HOA or TIC documents, and rent records if the property is occupied. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as inspectors and engineers; you’re free to choose any provider.

Questions people ask

What is SF District 6 in real estate?

It is one of the ten SFAR MLS search districts. District 6 covers Anza Vista, Hayes Valley, Lower Pacific Heights, the Western Addition, Alamo Square and North Panhandle, labeled 6a through 6f.

Is MLS District 6 the same as Supervisorial District 6?

No. The MLS district is a real estate search area drawn by SFAR. Board of Supervisors districts are separate political boundaries with their own lines.

What is the difference between Lower Pacific Heights and Pacific Heights?

Lower Pacific Heights, between California Street and Geary Boulevard, is MLS subdistrict 6c. Pacific Heights, to the north, is in District 7.

Which District 6 neighborhoods are historic districts?

Most of Alamo Square lies within the Alamo Square Historic District, created in 1984. The Webster Street and Bush Street–Cottage Row landmark districts are in the wider Western Addition and Japantown area. Check the specific parcel.

What does “North Panhandle” mean on a listing?

It is SFAR subdistrict 6f, the blocks north of the Panhandle and west of Divisadero. The printed SFAR map labels it “Park North.”

How do I get downtown from District 6 without a car?

Hayes Valley has Muni Metro at Van Ness Station and BART at Civic Center. Elsewhere, the 38 Geary, 5 Fulton and 31 Balboa run east toward downtown, and the 22 Fillmore and 24 Divisadero run north and south.

Are District 6 apartments rent controlled?

Many older units are. Units with a certificate of occupancy after February 1, 1995 are exempt from local rent-increase limits under Costa-Hawkins, but just-cause eviction rules can still apply. Check each unit.

Where can I see current District 6 home prices?

The market report on this page shows current figures. For a specific property, a comparative market analysis using sales of the same building type gives a better read than a district-wide median.

If you are deciding between District 6 neighborhoods or preparing to sell here, we can compare specific buildings, pull permit and title records, and line up recent sales. Contact Diamond Real Estate Group, or start with our San Francisco buying guide and the full San Francisco neighborhood guide.

Sources & notes

Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.