The Complete California Land Buyer's Guide
Real Estate Kristen Deschino September 30, 2024
Real Estate Kristen Deschino September 30, 2024
Purchasing vacant land, ranch property, farmland, or larger acreage with the intention of building a home, establishing a business, expanding agricultural operations, or making a long-term investment can be both an exciting and complex undertaking. Unlike purchasing an existing home, land transactions often require a more extensive due diligence process to fully understand a property's physical characteristics, permitted uses, development potential, utility availability, environmental considerations, and future ownership costs.
As California real estate values continue to appreciate and the demand for privacy, open space, and rural living grows, many buyers are exploring opportunities to transform raw land into their ideal homesite, working ranch, recreational retreat, or income-producing property. While the process can seem overwhelming at first, it is also one of the most rewarding investments a buyer can make when approached with careful planning and the guidance of experienced professionals.
Whether you're purchasing a small vacant parcel, a custom home site, horse property, agricultural land, or hundreds of acres for future development or investment, this guide provides an overview of the key due diligence considerations we encourage every land buyer to investigate before moving forward. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions, ask the right questions, and confidently navigate the unique aspects of purchasing land in California.
Clarify your budget and know your financial standing. In addition to the property purchase price to be negotiated between seller and buyer, there are always transactional closing costs, property taxes, and miscellaneous charges related to buying real estate.
Land purchases may require cash or specialized financing options, such as land or construction loans. Traditional loans are often unavailable so it is important to speak to your lender or bank to determine your best option. It is advisable to have these conversations up front, so there is adequate time for funds to land from a cash-out refinance or 401k transfer.
Think long-term and factor in improvement costs for site grading, utilities, or septic/water well installation. If the subject property already has some improvements in place, consider the impact on purchase price versus improving a raw parcel yourself.
Research the specific location and its local zoning laws and regulations. Cities and counties, as well as particular neighborhoods and even individual parcels, vary in everything from acceptable use to setback requirements.
Explore the property's natural hazards and any restrictions on use related to safety, environmental considerations, and future development. Many Southern California properties are located within High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, which may affect insurance availability, insurance premiums, lender requirements, future construction standards, defensible space obligations, and annual brush clearance requirements. Understanding these considerations early allows buyers to properly evaluate both the immediate and long-term costs of property ownership.
Contact the local governing agency, which is normally the city/county Planning Department, to understand what can and cannot be built on the land based on your plans. Residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and mixed-use zoning categories have defined acceptable use or business applications that need to be known and understood.
Always visit the land in person to evaluate its condition, access, and surrounding area. All direct entry should be coordinated formally with the owner of the property and if possible, accompanied by the seller or representative.
If necessary, commission a site survey to accurately define property boundaries and ensure there are no surprises related to neighbors encroaching or property line disputes.
Investigate the property’s location by viewing the parcel map or GPS coordinates on the below assessor’s link or Google Earth. This normally helps to clarify many location and terrain questions ahead of a site visit, such as if the property is landlocked without street frontage, or steep hills and mountainous.
We strongly advise our clients to fully investigate any property they are interested in, both prior to making an offer and during our escrow investigation contingency period, should you choose to have one. This includes checking for access to utilities by verifying with providers, conducting a percolation test for soil drainage as it relates to the installation of a septic system, and consulting with water well contractors about your potential drilling sites and the presence of potable groundwater. Most often all due diligence period investigations are done at the buyer’s expense, unless agreed to otherwise between buyer and seller.
Understand the costs associated with bringing utilities and services to the property if they are not readily available. As an example, underground versus above ground electrical installation costs are drastically different, and terrain, distance from street access, and providers may impact costs as well.
Beyond utilities and soils, land due diligence should also include a “big picture” review of the surrounding area—because what’s nearby (and what’s planned nearby) can materially affect enjoyment, resale value, and future buildability. We often advise buyers to look into nearby environmental factors and potential nuisance impacts such as landfills or solid-waste facilities, industrial uses, high-traffic corridors, airports and flight paths, rail activity, and other site-adjacent influences.
It’s also wise to pay attention to nearby institutional uses—such as prisons/jails or large government facilities—and to research upcoming developments that may change traffic patterns, views, noise levels, or access routes over time. For unincorporated Los Angeles County parcels, LA County Planning publishes hearing notices and “cases filed” reports that can be an early indicator of active development applications in a given planning area. Within City of Los Angeles boundaries, City Planning provides case reporting resources that can help the public track filed and processed discretionary planning cases.
For buyers considering land within the Santa Clarita Valley, we also recommend researching nearby community amenities, schools, infrastructure projects, and future development that may influence long-term enjoyment or value. Depending upon the property's location, this may include nearby schools such as Castaic High School, planned communities like Williams Ranch, transportation improvements, commercial development, and regional facilities such as the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. Buyers should carefully review all seller disclosures, the Natural Hazard Disclosure Report, and any Santa Clarita Valley regional disclosure package provided during escrow.
A practical step we recommend in escrow is obtaining a Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) report. While it’s not a substitute for full investigation, an NHD can be a valuable snapshot of certain risk factors tied to location—helping buyers identify items to research further and discuss with their insurance professional and lenders.
Just as important as understanding the land itself is understanding how natural hazard classifications may affect future ownership costs. Fire Hazard Severity Zones, flood zone designations, seismic considerations, and other environmental factors can influence insurance availability, premiums, deductibles, lender requirements, and even future construction standards.
Insurance has become one of the most significant due diligence items for California land buyers in recent years. Before removing contingencies, buyers should consider speaking with their insurance professional to determine whether coverage is available, what estimated premiums may be, and whether additional wildfire mitigation measures may be required.
Depending upon the property's location, buyers should also investigate applicable fire hardening recommendations or requirements, defensible space standards, annual brush clearance obligations, and any local regulations administered by the Los Angeles County Fire Department or other applicable fire authority. These requirements may evolve over time and can impact both vacant land and future residential construction.
Reviewing the property's Natural Hazard Disclosure Report early in escrow provides an excellent starting point for these conversations and allows buyers sufficient time to investigate any concerns before closing.
A special (and critical) due diligence item for land is access—specifically, legal access. It’s one thing to physically reach a parcel; it’s another to have the recorded right to use a driveway, private road, or shared route without future conflict. In California, easements are a form of real property right and are commonly created and documented in writing, then recorded—so they can be confirmed in the chain of title.
Practically speaking: buyers should review the seller’s disclosures and the property’s preliminary title report to verify recorded easements (and any access conditions or limitations). Ensuring legal access is not just about today’s convenience—it can impact financing, permitting, insurance, and long-term marketability. If access relies on a neighboring parcel—whether for a road, driveway, or utilities—confirm that the easement is properly described and recorded, and understand who maintains it (and how costs are handled). In Los Angeles County, recorded real estate records are maintained through the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, and those documents are often referenced directly in the title report.
Every parcel presents unique opportunities and challenges. Depending upon your intended use of the property, we often recommend contacting the appropriate agencies and professionals directly during your investigation period to independently verify information important to your purchase.
Common due diligence contacts include:
As with any real estate purchase, buyers should independently verify all information important to their intended use of the property.
Partner with experienced professionals and licensed contractors, who are familiar with the land development and permitting processes specific to the local area. 35 Oaks provides land consultation and represents land buyers, from start to closing.
Consulting with legal and financial experts will ensure you avoid costly mistakes, and take advantage of any available tax incentives for new construction, green energy projects for solar and other systems, etc.
Buying vacant land can lead to creating a deeply personal and rewarding real estate project, but it’s not without its challenges. From budgeting and financing to navigating local regulations and site conditions, each step requires careful planning and working with the right professionals.
APN stands for Assessor’s Parcel Number (oftentimes listed under Facts & Features / Details / Parcel Number on Zillow). This is the 10-digit identifier in Los Angeles County and it may vary in digits between counties and cities statewide. The APN is often the only way to accurately locate a parcel, since vacant lots normally do not have an address assigned. As a rule of thumb, we always tell our clients to look up the subject property on the local assessor’s website, so they can view the aerial map, overlayed with the parcel map for approximate lot lines, and accurately locate the land site. Quite often the pin feature on the map contained in the listing is inaccurate, giving the buyer a false sense of the parcel’s location, so be sure to factor properly locating the parcel, by this means or otherwise, into your due diligence process.
An APN is also the preferred identifier when speaking with Planning Departments, utility providers, surveyors, engineers, and title companies. Having the correct parcel number readily available often allows agencies to provide significantly more accurate information than using a property address alone, particularly for vacant land that has not yet been assigned a formal street address.
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Los Angeles County Assessor's Office - Utilize the APN to view parcel maps and tax status for properties in LA County
LA County Assessor's Property Inquiry & Schedule An Appointment
Los Angeles County Planning Department
Find My Zoning in LA County – Interactive Z-Net
[email protected] (general), [email protected] (best email for SCV/AV area unincorporated properties), 213-974-6411
Los Angeles County Treasurer & Tax Collector
New Property Owner – What to Know About Property Taxes & Supplemental Taxes in LA County
Property Tax Relief for Military Personnel
Los Angeles County Public Works Service Locator - Verify utility providers by address
City of Santa Clarita Planning Department
[email protected], 661-255-4330
https://planning.lacity.gov/contact/locations-hours
City of Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety
County of Ventura Resource Management Agency
[email protected], 805-654-2488
Ventura County Assessor's Property Search
Kern County Planning Department
[email protected], 661-862-8600
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One of the greatest advantages a buyer has is the opportunity to conduct thorough due diligence before becoming fully committed to a purchase. We encourage our clients to ask questions, review every disclosure carefully, consult with qualified professionals, and independently investigate any matter that may influence their ownership, intended use, future development plans, or long-term investment objectives.
Vacant land and larger acreage properties offer tremendous opportunity, but they also present unique considerations that often differ from purchasing an existing home. From zoning and utility availability to soils, access, insurance, environmental conditions, and permitting, thoughtful planning and careful investigation can help minimize surprises and ensure the property aligns with your goals.
At 35 Oaks Property Group, we believe informed buyers make confident decisions. Whether you're searching for a custom homesite, horse property, ranch, agricultural land, recreational acreage, or a long-term investment, our commitment is to provide knowledgeable guidance, honest communication, and experienced representation throughout every stage of the transaction. We are passionate about helping our clients understand both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with land ownership.
This guide is intended solely as a general educational resource and starting point for your due diligence process. Every property is unique, and no guide can address every circumstance or replace independent investigation.
35 Oaks Property Group and its affiliated real estate licensees are licensed California real estate brokers and salespersons. We do not provide legal, tax, accounting, engineering, architectural, environmental, geological, surveying, insurance, septic, water well, construction, or other professional advice. Buyers are strongly encouraged to consult with the appropriate licensed professionals and applicable government agencies regarding any matters outside the scope of real estate brokerage services.
Information contained in this guide is believed to be reliable as of the date of publication but is subject to change without notice. Laws, regulations, zoning ordinances, utility availability, permitting requirements, insurance standards, environmental conditions, and government policies may change over time. Buyers should independently verify all information that is material to their purchase and rely on their own investigations and professional advisors before making any purchasing decision.
If you're considering purchasing vacant land, acreage, ranch property, or agricultural real estate anywhere in Southern California, we'd be happy to discuss your goals, answer real estate-related questions, connect you with trusted local professionals, and help you navigate the due diligence process with confidence.
This guide was last updated in July 2026 and is reviewed periodically to reflect changes in California real estate practices, local regulations, and market conditions. Buyers should always verify current requirements directly with the appropriate government agencies, utility providers, insurance professionals, and licensed consultants applicable to the subject property.
Who you choose to represent your interests in real estate matters. The brokerage with whom you partner with guides you through the sale or acquisition of a subject property, while advocating on your behalf, and serving as a fiduciary and trusted asset advisor. With distinct standards and dynamic experience, the 35 Oaks team provides exclusive listing services for home and land sellers, and buyer representation for those seeking to purchase real property or vacant land.
