Acreage for Sale in California
Buying land in California? California land ranges across coast ranges, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave and Great Basin deserts. This guide covers where acreage for sale in California sits, the land types you will meet, what moves prices and the checks to run before you buy. Looking for something specific? The request form on this page watches for matching parcels.
California at a glance for buyers
- Deeds are recorded with the county recorder.
- California has 58 counties.
- Recorded sale prices are generally searchable at the county level.
- Water law mixes riparian and appropriation rules depending on the source.
Where to look for acreage in California
Demand centers on Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Inland Empire, and the High Desert. For more acreage per dollar, look at counties such as Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Fresno, Lassen, and Modoc.
Regional markets across California
- High Desert: San Bernardino County’s Phelan, Piñon Hills, Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley offer 1- to 40-acre parcels at far lower prices than the coast.
- Central Valley: Productive farmland from Bakersfield to Sacramento, priced by water access and crop, with development pressure at the edges of growing cities.
- North State and Sierra foothills: Rural parcels in Shasta, Tehama, Butte and the foothill counties, with timber, ranch and cabin land and wildfire risk to weigh.
California acreage types
High Desert lots around the Antelope Valley, Phelan, and Joshua Tree, Central Valley ag ground, foothill and mountain parcels, and rural northeastern parcels in Lassen and Modoc.
What drives California land prices
California land demand splits sharply between cheap high-desert and northern parcels and expensive infill and foothill lots near the metros.
Buying land in California: what to check first
- Confirm recorded legal access to a public road and order a survey.
- Get the parcel's zoning or deed restrictions in writing before relying on a use.
- Price utilities and septic: ask what the county requires.
Land due diligence checklistPerc tests and septic for raw land
Buying land in California: taxes and rules that affect your purchase
California reassesses land when it changes hands. Once the county assessor determines that a change in ownership has occurred, Proposition 13 requires the assessor to reassess the property to its current fair market value as of the date ownership changed. Property taxes follow the assessed value at acquisition, so a purchase price above the previous base-year value raises the tax bill and a lower one reduces it. Only the portion that changes ownership is reappraised, so buying part of a parcel reassesses only that part (State Board of Equalization).
Counties may also levy a documentary transfer tax on deeds under Revenue and Taxation Code 11911, at $0.55 for each $500 of value above $100, which is $1.10 per $1,000, and some cities add their own. Ask the county recorder what applies where the parcel sits and who is paying it in your contract, then budget the first-year tax bill from the price you pay, not from the seller's old bill.
California land values: what USDA data shows
USDA measured average farm real estate (all land and buildings on farms) in California at $14,100 per acre in 2026, up 12% from $12,600 in 2022. That ranks California 5 of the 48 states USDA reports, and it is 3.1 times the U.S. average of $4,500.
Pasture (grazing land), the closest USDA series to undeveloped rural land, averaged $4,250 per acre in 2026, up 14% since 2022 and above the U.S. pasture average of $2,000.
These are averages across working farms and ranches, not asking prices for any one parcel. A homesite near a town, a lot with road and power, or a parcel with water can sell well above these figures, and remote land with no access can sell well below them. Use them to see which way the market is moving and how it compares with the next state over, then check recent sales and current listings for the area you are looking at.
For comparison, USDA farm real estate averages per acre in the bordering states:
- Oregon: $3,880 per acre in 2026 (72% lower)
- Nevada: $1,230 per acre in 2026 (91% lower)
- Arizona: $4,300 per acre in 2026 (70% lower)
Frequently asked questions
What types of acreage are common in California?
High Desert lots around the Antelope Valley, Phelan, and Joshua Tree, Central Valley ag ground, and foothill and mountain parcels. Availability changes constantly.
Can I see what land sold for in California?
Usually. Recorded deed transfers are generally searchable at the county level, so you can compare recent sales to an asking price.
Who records a land deed in California?
The county recorder. A title or escrow company normally handles it at closing.
Can you find California land that isn't advertised?
Yes. Use the request form on this page with your target acreage, county and budget and we will tell you if a matching parcel comes up.
Will property taxes go up when I buy California land?
Usually the assessor reassesses the land to its fair market value as of the date ownership changed, so the new bill reflects roughly your purchase price, not the seller's old assessed value. If you buy only part of a parcel, only that part is reappraised.
How much does land cost in California?
USDA reports farm real estate in California averaging $14,100 per acre in 2026, against $4,500 for the United States. That is an agricultural average; vacant lots, land near towns and land with water or utilities price differently, so compare current listings for the area you want.