Twin Peaks, San Francisco Real Estate & Homes for Sale
The Twin Peaks neighborhood is the band of steep residential streets below the two summits, centered on Corbett Avenue, Burnett Avenue and upper Market Street, under San Francisco city rules through SF Planning. Most parcels are condominiums and apartment buildings, and small mapped landslide zones mean each steep lot needs its own check.
Explore Twin Peaks, 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 | Mostly condominiums and apartment buildings on steep streets; some houses |
| Hazards to check | 17 small landslide zones around the area; no liquefaction zone |
| Getting around | 37 Corbett bus; upper Market Street; Twin Peaks Tunnel below |
| Local rules | Mapped seismic zones reported in Natural Hazard Disclosure |
The Twin Peaks neighborhood is the band of steep residential streets on the eastern slopes below the two summits, centered on Corbett Avenue, Burnett Avenue and upper Market Street.
Other streets with many parcels include Portola Drive, Gardenside Drive, Romain Street, Perego Terrace, Crestline Drive, Graystone Terrace and Parkridge Drive. Clarendon Heights borders it to the northwest and Corona Heights to the north, Eureka Valley lies downhill to the east, and Diamond Heights and Midtown Terrace in District 4 are nearby to the south and west.
Twin Peaks homes for sale
Twin Peaks market report
The peaks above the streets
The two summits reach about 925 feet. They are known as Eureka (north) and Noe (south) and stand about 660 feet apart; only nearby Mount Davidson is higher within the city.
- Recreation and Park manages the Twin Peaks Natural Area, about 31 acres, which is habitat for the endangered Mission blue butterfly.
- Christmas Tree Point, about 70 feet below the north peak, is the main viewpoint.
- A reservoir on the north side feeds the city’s high-pressure firefighting water system, built after 1906.
- In 2016 a pilot made the west side of the figure-eight road two-way and kept the east side for people walking and cycling; check the city’s current plans for that roadway.
Sutro Tower, completed in 1973, rises from the hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, just beyond the neighborhood’s northwest edge.
A building stock from the 1940s to the 1980s
Most of District 5 was built before 1920. Twin Peaks is the exception, and its parcel mix shows it.
- Single-family houses: about 130, with a median recorded build year of 1947, a median of about 1,460 square feet and lots of about 2,290 square feet. Only about 35% predate 1940.
- Condominium units: about 350, with a median build year of 1979.
- Apartment buildings: about 140, of which about 120 have five or more units, holding about 1,380 units with a median build year of 1964.
The largest buildings on the roll show the pattern:
Compare the particular property’s lot dimensions, permitted living area, construction history and ownership form using current records. Assessment classifications do not certify legal use or current listing availability.
Those mid-century and later buildings are a different product from the Victorian flats in the valleys below. Our San Francisco condo guide covers the HOA documents they involve.
RM-1 zoning on a hillside
The Central Neighborhoods Large Residence SUD (Planning Code Section 249.92) draws its southwestern edge along Portola Drive and the eastern fork of Twin Peaks Boulevard, so the residential blocks on the inside of that line fall under its 3,000-square-foot cap on new or enlarged units. An expansion of less than 15% is exempt, and permitted additions from the previous ten years and any unpermitted space count toward the total.
Planning’s map service also flags slopes of 20% and 25% or more, which matter for any addition or new building. This is general information, not legal advice; ask an architect or land use attorney about a specific parcel.
Landslide zones and steep lots
An envelope drawn around the 5D parcels returns 17 mapped landslide polygons on Planning’s seismic hazard layer, more than around any other District 5 subdistrict checked for these pages. The same envelope returns no liquefaction zone.
The Natural Hazard Disclosure in a sale reports mapped seismic hazard zones. For an existing home, the useful questions are about retaining walls, drainage, any past slope repairs and the foundation; our hazard maps guide shows how to check a parcel.
About half of the larger apartment buildings date from before 1964. If one of them is wood-frame, has at least five units, stands three stories tall (or two over a basement) and had its building permit applied for before 1978, DBI’s soft-story program applies, so confirm its retrofit status.
The 37 Corbett and the tunnel below
The 37 Corbett is the neighborhood’s bus. SFMTA’s route page shows it running from Parkridge Drive and Burnett Avenue along Crestline Drive, Burnett, Portola Drive and the length of Corbett Avenue down to Market and Castro streets, then on to the Haight. It runs about every 20 to 30 minutes from 6 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends until 10 p.m.
No Muni line reaches the summit; the closest stop is on Crestline Drive, near a path up the hill. Below the peaks, the Twin Peaks Tunnel, completed in 1918, carries the K, L and M lines between Castro station and the southwest of the city.
Selling a home in Twin Peaks
View, light, parking and building quality do most of the work in a Twin Peaks sale. Buyers comparing two condos on Corbett Avenue will look past the view to the HOA’s finances and the building’s age.
- Condominiums: the HOA budget, reserve study, minutes and any special assessment history, since reserves for roofs, siding and garages matter in buildings of that age.
- Houses: the 3R report, permits for any lower-level rooms, and geotechnical or retaining-wall records.
- Apartment buildings: a rent roll, leases and soft-story status; see our San Francisco multifamily guide.
For the city’s own sale requirements, see our guide to San Francisco selling requirements; HOA and building questions usually come up first here. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as HOA document services or geotechnical engineers; you’re free to choose any provider.
Questions people ask
How high are Twin Peaks?
The two summits are about 925 feet high and about 660 feet apart. Mount Davidson, nearby, is the only higher natural point in the city.
What kind of housing is most common in the Twin Peaks neighborhood?
Verify the particular property’s current records and dimensions; a neighborhood statistic is not a substitute for a parcel-specific answer.
Is Twin Peaks in a landslide zone?
Parts of it are. Planning maps 17 small landslide polygons around the neighborhood and no liquefaction zone, so check each parcel.
Can you take Muni to Twin Peaks?
The 37 Corbett serves the residential streets and stops on Crestline Drive near a path to the summit. No line goes to the top.
What zoning applies in Twin Peaks?
Verify the particular property’s current records and dimensions; a neighborhood statistic is not a substitute for a parcel-specific answer.
If you are pricing a Twin Peaks condo or house, or comparing buildings before you buy, we can pull the HOA, permit and sales records together for you. Request a home valuation, browse the rest of the district on our District 5 page, or go back to the San Francisco guide.
Costs to plan for when buying in Twin Peaks
Transfer tax. A Twin Peaks condo, house or apartment building pays San Francisco’s single transfer tax at one rate on the whole price. The rates are $3.40 per $500 above $250,000 and under $1 million, $3.75 from $1 million to under $5 million, and $11.25 from $5 million to under $10 million, a tier the larger Corbett Avenue and Gardenside Drive buildings can reach (SF.gov: Transfer tax). See our transfer tax guide.
Per-unit parcel taxes. For a condominium or apartment building, the SFUSD Facilities District charge reflects that: $21.50 per dwelling unit in a multifamily building for 2025–26, against $43.00 for a single-family parcel. Bills also carry the School Parcel Tax of 2020 ($334.38), SFUSD Teacher Support ($319.34), the City College tax and the $12 Bay Restoration Authority tax. The Treasurer lists an apartment license fee among the charges it collects for other departments (SF Treasurer). An apartment-building buyer should total all of these per unit.
HOA reserves. In condo buildings from the 1960s to the 1980s, the reserve study and any special assessment for siding, decks or garages usually matter more than the tax extras. See San Francisco condos and Civil Code 5551 condominium elevated-element inspections.
Adding units and remodeling in Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks has many apartment buildings, which is why one of Planning’s ADU rules matters here. Under the Local program, an existing building with five or more legal units can add an unlimited number of ADUs plus one detached ADU, while a building with four or fewer can add one ADU plus one detached ADU. Local-program ADUs are subject to rent control, and if waivers are used on a lot with rental units, a Costa-Hawkins Regulatory Agreement must be fully executed before the permit issues (SF Planning: ADUs). Garages and storage areas in 1960s buildings are the usual spaces considered.
For the Large Residence SUD blocks, size an addition against the 3,000-square-foot cap described above before you buy. Check the soft-story status of any wood-frame building of five or more units. DBI issues permits and keeps the building records. From September 14, 2026, most over-the-counter permits are available only through its PermitSF portal (SF.gov: DBI).
Luxury homes and estates in Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks has no estate lots. For a house, verify the actual lot dimensions and current zoning, including any RM-1 designation. In planning terms, high-end property here means the houses and condos with the widest views, on the upper streets around Corbett Avenue, Burnett Avenue, Parkridge Drive and Crestline Drive. The Central Neighborhoods Large Residence SUD caps new or enlarged units at 3,000 square feet on the blocks inside its line (Planning Code §249.92), so a buyer can’t count on turning a small view house into a much larger one. The view itself depends on what the downhill lots are zoned to allow.
For a high-value Twin Peaks property, the main checks are the parcel’s place among the 17 mapped landslide polygons, retaining walls and drainage, foundation records, and the permit history of lower floors. See our hillside geotechnical report guide and insuring a high-value home.
Buyers comparing view homes nearby also look at Clarendon Heights, Midtown Terrace and Diamond Heights. 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. Related reading: private sales). We don’t promise any particular property is available. See also San Francisco luxury homes.
Twin Peaks real estate: questions people ask
Are there Twin Peaks homes for sale besides condos?
Some. Search specifically for houses when comparing them with condominium or apartment-building opportunities.
Can I add a unit to a Twin Peaks apartment building?
Often yes. Planning’s Local ADU program allows unlimited ADUs plus one detached ADU in existing buildings with five or more legal units, and those units are rent-controlled.
Is Twin Peaks in San Francisco County?
Yes. Twin Peaks is in the consolidated City and County of San Francisco, which handles zoning, permits, property tax and the transfer tax.
Parcel-tax amounts labeled 2025–26 are historical examples. Use the current fiscal-year Treasurer information and the parcel’s actual bill for today’s amounts, applicable exemptions and assessments.
For a Large Residence SUD project, confirm the mapped boundary, application-date exceptions and the code’s floor-area calculation before relying on a summary. Qualifying state-law housing paths require their own eligibility review.
Assessment records are a starting point for checking a property, not a certification of legal use or a live listing inventory. Verify current permits, recorded ownership documents and any affordability restrictions.
Sources for this section
- SF.gov, Transfer tax: https://www.sf.gov/transfer-tax
- SF Treasurer & Tax Collector, Parcel tax exemptions and special assessments: https://sftreasurer.org/property/parcel-tax-exemptions-and-special-assessments
- SF Planning, Accessory dwelling units: https://sfplanning.org/accessory-dwelling-units
- SF.gov, Department of Building Inspection: https://www.sf.gov/departments–department-building-inspection
- San Francisco Planning Code §249.92 (GoCodebook mirror): https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_planning/0-0-0-65648
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts, property classes, build years, zoning codes and street addresses by neighborhood code, queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (special use districts, Article 10 historic districts, landmarks, open space, area plans, cultural districts, seismic hazard zones; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning Code (via GoCodebook): Sec. 249.92, Central Neighborhoods Large Residence Special Use District
- Wikipedia: Twin Peaks (San Francisco) (elevations, park and road history; background only)
- Wikipedia: Sutro Tower (height, completion, location)
- SFMTA: 37 Corbett route (streets, stops and service hours)
- Wikipedia: Castro station (location, opening date, lines)
- Wikipedia: Eureka Valley, San Francisco (development history; background only)
- SF Department of Building Inspection: Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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