New construction in San Rafael.
San Rafael splits cleanly between hillside neighborhoods governed by Design Review Board action plus VHFHSZ Chapter 7A, and flatland Marin neighborhoods governed by routine R-1 rules and FEMA SFHA along the bay edge.
Hillside customs in Sun Valley, Dominican, and Peacock Gap; R-1 rebuilds across central neighborhoods; multifamily near downtown and the SMART corridor.
Alpha Dream Construction · CA Lic. #1145233
New single-family permits in San Rafael are issued by City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division; California Title 24 Part 6 and CALGreen Part 11 apply statewide on top of any San Rafael reach-code amendments.
“Identify hillside vs. flatland status before architecture. Hillside lots trigger DRB review and Chapter 7A; bayside lots trigger FEMA elevation work.”
What gets built in San Rafael.
- ▸Sun Valley hillside custom
- ▸Gerstle Park R-1 rebuild
- ▸Peacock Gap bayside SFR
Does the lot work?
Slope, tree cover, and ridgeline rules dominate hillside lots; flatland R-1 governed by FAR, setbacks, and a 30-foot height limit.
Zoning and entitlement.
San Rafael uses R-1, R-2, R-3 districts plus Hillside Residential overlays in the canyon and ridge areas; downtown is governed by the Downtown Precise Plan.
Hillside parcels require Design Review with the Design Review Board; flatland R-1 SFRs largely ministerial.
Jurisdiction & plan check.
New homes in San Rafael are permitted by City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division.
Plan check rigorous on Title 24, structural lateral, hillside grading, and fire-code (Chapter 7A + defensible space).
City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division schedules inspections through its permit portal; foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation, drywall, and final are the standard hold points for new SFRs in San Rafael.
What drives cost in San Rafael.
Cost in San Rafael reflects local labor, land, and code conditions. The drivers below have the largest schedule and budget impact on ground-up homes here.
- $Hillside grading and stepped foundations
- $Chapter 7A exteriors in VHFHSZ
- $FEMA elevation work in bayside lots
- $MMWD service coordination
What drives schedule in San Rafael.
- ◷DRB design review on hillside
- ◷Geotech program for landslide zones
- ◷FEMA elevation certificate
Sitework & utilities.
Grading & drainage. Grading thresholds and Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater requirements apply per City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division; sloped parcels require geotech and an erosion-control plan.
Utility upgrades. PG&E electric/gas; Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) for water; sanitary districts for sewer.
Sewer / septic. Municipal sewer service in developed San Rafael parcels; verify lateral condition and any point-of-sale sewer compliance requirement before scoping.
Site access & staging. Site access in San Rafael can require temporary street-use or encroachment permits depending on street width, on-street parking restrictions, and proximity to schools or transit corridors.
Foundation & seismic.
Regional San Andreas system; CGS landslide hazard zones across the steep terrain.
Soils. Franciscan complex bedrock and colluvium; geotech required for hillside lots.
Energy code & green building.
California Energy Commission Climate Zone 3. New single-family homes must comply with the current Title 24 Part 6 envelope, HVAC, hot-water, and rooftop solar-PV requirements.
CALGreen Part 11 mandatory measures (≥65% C&D waste diversion, water-efficient fixtures, indoor-air-quality measures) apply to all new homes. San Rafael may layer reach-code or local green-building amendments — confirm the current adopted ordinance at intake.
Solar resource. Strong California solar resource; Title 24 PV sizing is calculated per conditioned floor area and orientation. Heating / cooling. Mild marine-influenced summers; cooling loads are modest but heat-pump HVAC is now the default new-construction spec under Title 24. Rainfall. ~35 in/year, concentrated November–March; budget wet-season contingency.
Constraints that matter here.
- Hillside
- Hillside Residential overlays add slope-band density, ridgeline rules, and Design Review Board action.
- Wildfire / WUI
- Hillside parcels across Sun Valley, Dominican, and Peacock Gap are in VHFHSZ — Chapter 7A and Marin defensible-space rules apply.
- Flood
- FEMA SFHA along Gallinas Creek and bayside areas; verify on FEMA MSC.
- Soils / foundation
- Franciscan complex bedrock and colluvium; geotech required for hillside lots.
- Site access / staging
- Site access in San Rafael can require temporary street-use or encroachment permits depending on street width, on-street parking restrictions, and proximity to schools or transit corridors.
Common risks: Landslide-zone geotech · DRB design revisions · FEMA freeboard surprises
San Rafael neighborhoods we build in.
- Sun Valley
- Dominican
- Gerstle Park
- Glenwood
- Peacock Gap
- Terra Linda
Why San Rafael isn’t like the next city over.
Hillside DRB review + VHFHSZ Chapter 7A + FEMA SFHA along the bay edge + MMWD water.
The Alpha Dream Construction process.
- 1 · Feasibility. Parcel + zoning + overlay screen before any design dollar is committed.
- 2 · Schematic + budget. Massing options, written budget range, schedule with permit risk noted.
- 3 · Design development. Architect, structural, MEP, Title 24, and geotech aligned on one set.
- 4 · Plan check. City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division submittal, comment cycles, and entitlements run in parallel.
- 5 · Construction. One superintendent, weekly owner reports, photo-documented hold points.
- 6 · Closeout. Final inspections, warranty walkthrough, O&M binder.
Who you’re working with.
Alpha Dream Construction is a CA Lic. #1145233 general contractor serving California homeowners and developers. Every project is run by a single accountable superintendent and documented in writing from feasibility through closeout.
San Rafael new construction · FAQ.
- Who issues new-home permits in San Rafael?
- The City of San Rafael Community Development Department — Building Division issues permits; Planning and the Design Review Board handle entitlement.
- Does Chapter 7A apply to my project?
- On VHFHSZ-mapped hillside parcels — yes. Verify on the CAL FIRE FHSZ map.
- Is my bayside lot in a FEMA SFHA?
- Many Gallinas Creek and bayside parcels are; confirm on the FEMA MSC.
- Who provides water?
- Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD). Confirm service capacity at intake.
- Does CALGreen apply?
- Yes, statewide. Confirm any Marin-specific reach-code amendments at intake.
Start with a San Rafael feasibility memo.
Send us the address and the program. We’ll come back with a written feasibility memo covering zoning, overlays, plan-check path, and a budget range — before any design work starts.
Then you're serious. Let's put it on a clipboard.
- 10-minute call with the foreman
- We tell you what your build actually costs, today
- No follow-up unless you ask
Free · Same-week scheduling