# 3223 Canfield Road - Findings

**Property:** 3223 Canfield Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472  
**APN:** 025-060-014 / assessment 025060014000  
**Pulled:** 2026-06-23  
**Status:** active listing, MLS 326054221, listed 2026-06-22 at $1,795,000

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## TL;DR

This is an 8-acre Diverse Agriculture parcel in the Twin Hills / west Sebastopol countryside: 2 bed, 4 bath, 2,380 sf main house, built 1995, with garden infrastructure, a greenhouse/garden house, private well, water tanks, and a substantial 2015 barn.

The ask is not obviously crazy: $1.795M is 59.6% above the 2014 sale price of $1.125M, which is roughly a 4.1% annualized lift over 11.6 years. The property is also far cleaner in the public permit record than the cannabis/code-enforcement-heavy rural properties we have seen lately.

The key caveat is the barn apartment. Zillow markets a one-bedroom apartment over the barn and says there are two septic systems, but Permit Sonoma's 2015 barn permit is titled: **new detached utility barn, 1,600 sf, half bath, and unfinished 640 sf residential storage on the second floor**. The county assessor carries a 2,240 sf secondary structure, which matches the permit. Before assigning full guest-unit/rental/ADU value, get the finaled plans, certificate/inspection signoff, septic as-builts, and a written explanation of whether the upper floor is a legal dwelling, an ADU, guest quarters, or only storage.

## Snapshot

| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| List price | $1,795,000 |
| MLS | BAREIS / Sonoma MLS 326054221 |
| Date on market | 2026-06-22 |
| Listing agent | Ingrid M. Mathews, Coldwell Banker Realty, DRE 00861816, 707-849-4993 |
| Beds / baths | 2 bed / 4 bath per listing; county assessor carries 2 bed / 3 bath primary |
| Main house | 2,380 sf, built 1995, effective year 2005 |
| Secondary structure | 2,240 sf assessor secondary structure; 2015 finaled utility barn permit |
| Lot | 8.0 acres |
| Zoning | DA B6 20, NONE; General Plan DA 20 |
| Assessor use | 0051 - Rural Res/single Res |
| Williamson Act | No |
| 2025 assessed value | $1,401,978 net taxable value |
| 2025 taxes | Zillow reports $16,002 |
| Water | Private well; listing says 26+ gpm and about 21,000 gallons of tank storage |
| Septic | Listing says two septic systems; Permit Sonoma permit table shows a 1994 standard-system septic record and no obvious 2015 second-system permit in the JSON |
| Fire | Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zone, State Responsibility Area, Gold Ridge FPD |
| Flood | No F1 floodway or F2 floodplain flag in Permit Sonoma |
| Soil / groundwater | Zone 2 major natural recharge; Wilson Grove Formation Highlands, very low priority; soils SnC, SnD, SnE2 |

## The main diligence item: barn apartment legality

The property can be underwritten two ways:

1. **If the barn apartment is legal dwelling space:** the package is a strong 8-acre compound with house, barn, guest/rental flexibility, water, and agricultural/garden infrastructure. The $1.795M ask is defensible against the micro-area.
2. **If the barn apartment is not legal dwelling space:** the value is mostly the main house plus a very nice permitted utility barn. The ask still may be plausible, but the "compound" premium should be trimmed and the buyer should budget for legalization or accept non-dwelling/storage-only use.

The conflict is specific enough to make it a first-call question:

| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Zillow / BAREIS listing | One-bedroom apartment occupies the upper floor of the barn; two septic systems, one for house and one for barn/apartment |
| Permit Sonoma BLD15-4332 | New detached utility barn, 1,600 sf, with half bath and unfinished 640 sf residential storage on second floor; status Finaled |
| Sonoma County assessor GIS | Secondary structure size 2,240 sf, matching 1,600 + 640 |

Ask the agent for:

- Finaled BLD15-4332 approved plans and inspection card.
- Any certificate of occupancy or county record showing dwelling/ADU/guest-unit use.
- Septic permit/as-built for the barn system, including design bedroom count and field location.
- Whether the apartment has a kitchen, sleeping room, shower, separate utilities, or separate address.
- Whether any rental use has occurred and whether it is represented in disclosures.

## Public permit history read

The public permit record is generally reassuring. The original house package has 1994-1995 well/septic/building/grading records, the 2015 barn permit is finaled, the 2019 roof permit is finaled, and a new 18kW backup generator with 200A transfer switch was finaled 2026-04-30. The only enforcement record is VBU02-0582, which was closed after the county revised the complaint to "no violation found on this parcel."

The non-reassuring item is not a broad code-enforcement pattern; it is the narrow mismatch between the marketed barn apartment and the public permit title.

## Zoning / land-use posture

Permit Sonoma returns **DA B6 20, NONE** with General Plan **DA 20**. The 8-acre parcel is smaller than the 20-acre density tier, so treat it as a legal existing rural residential/agricultural parcel rather than a subdivision candidate. Normal rural residential use, gardens/orchards, pasture, and compatible agriculture are the value story. Any additional independent dwelling entitlement should be verified directly with Permit Sonoma, especially if the barn apartment is being counted as a legal ADU or guest unit.

The parcel is not under Williamson Act contract and has no urban service, sphere, sanitation district, coastal appeal, Bodega Bay PUD, ALUC referral, historic district, or public-trust-review flag in the Permit Sonoma report.

## Hazards / site constraints

The public overlays are manageable for west Sonoma:

- Fire Hazard Severity Zone: Moderate, State Responsibility Area.
- Fire district: Gold Ridge Fire Protection District.
- Flood: no F1 floodway or F2 floodplain flag.
- Liquefaction: very low susceptibility.
- Landslide: mixed "Few Landslides, Mostly Landslide" flag, so slope/drainage review still matters.
- Wet Weather Zone: D - Sebastopol.
- Groundwater Availability: Zone 2 - Major natural recharge.
- Groundwater subbasin priority: Wilson Grove Formation Highlands, Very Low.

Given the listing's references to subtle terraces, sprinklers, French drains, a knoll setting, and a new backup generator, site walk should focus on drainage, access during winter storms, propane/generator layout, defensible space, and whether the well/tank setup supports the gardens through late summer.

## Price read

At $1.795M:

| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| $/acre | $224,375/ac |
| $/main-house sf | $754/sf |
| $/gross primary + secondary sf | About $389/sf if the 2,240 sf barn is counted as building area |
| Premium to 2014 purchase | +$670,000 / +59.6% |
| Annualized 2014 -> 2026 increase | About 4.1%/yr |
| Ask vs 2025 assessed value | 1.28x assessed value |
| Estimated property tax at close | Roughly $19,000-$21,000/yr before special assessments, using ~1.1%-1.2% of sale price |

Nearby data points:

| Address | Key facts | Sale / value signal |
|---|---|---|
| 3581 Canfield Rd | 19 ac, 1,418 sf, 1935, premium vineyard/residence use | Sold 2024-02-23 for $2.4M |
| 3387 Canfield Rd | 24.43 ac, 6,893 sf olive crush/tasting/event facility | Off-market; historic ask fell from $7.5M in 2015 to $4.988M by 2017-2018; not a residential comp |
| 2483 Schaeffer Rd | 6.4 ac, county shows 2,901 sf primary plus granny-unit use | Sold 2004 for $898K; current assessed $1.245M |
| 2950 Canfield Rd | 81.9 ac pasture with residence, older/smaller home | Sold 2002 for $900K; assessed $580K under old basis |
| 3300 Canfield Rd | 0.5 ac, 1,440 sf, built 1960 | Last sold 2012 for $230K; not a land comp |

Subject's ask is most defensible when the property is treated as a turnkey rural estate with legal secondary space and strong water. If the upper barn apartment is not permitted as dwelling space, the valuation should be anchored more heavily to the main house, land, permitted utility barn, and water/garden infrastructure.

## Open actions

1. Ask Ingrid Mathews for the disclosure package immediately: TDS, SPQ, NHD, pest, roof, well, septic, generator, and any barn/apartment documentation.
2. Get BLD15-4332 approved plans, inspection/final card, and any certificate/clearance showing legal occupancy/use of the barn upper floor.
3. Get both septic system records and as-built diagrams. Confirm design bedroom count and whether the barn apartment is tied to a legal septic system.
4. Get well completion/yield/water-quality documents supporting the listing's 26+ gpm claim.
5. Clarify "Offer As Is": whether seller will fix health/safety/septic/well issues or only credits.
6. Confirm insurance availability/cost for an SRA rural property with barn, generator, propane, and guest-space claims.
7. Walk winter-drainage details: terraces, French drains, driveway slope, water tanks, generator pad, and garden irrigation.
8. Verify any ADU/guest-unit/rental constraints under DA B6 20 zoning before assigning income or separate-dwelling value.

## Files in this folder

| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| [index.html](index.html) | Static buyer brief bundle |
| [source/zillow-listing.md](source/zillow-listing.md) | Zillow / BAREIS listing facts and price history |
| [source/permit-sonoma-parcel-report.md](source/permit-sonoma-parcel-report.md) | Permit Sonoma parcel report synthesis |
| [source/permit-history.md](source/permit-history.md) | Permit Sonoma public permit table |
| [source/sonoma-gis-assessor.md](source/sonoma-gis-assessor.md) | Sonoma County GIS / assessor roll data |
| [source/comps.md](source/comps.md) | Tight nearby Zillow + county parcel comparison |

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Compiled from public records and listing data: Zillow/BAREIS, Permit Sonoma parcel report and permit APIs, Sonoma County public GIS/assessor layer. Not legal, tax, appraisal, or inspection advice. Verify all material facts in escrow.