Half Moon Bay · San Mateo County Coastside Pocket

Montara

Montara is the northernmost Coastside community along Highway 1, featuring homes on flat lots near Montara State Beach and Gray Whale Cove.

Median Sale
$1,500,000
March 2026 · 5 closings

Montara Real Estate Market Snapshot

Median Sale Price
$1,500,000
-14.3% vs prior-year median
Avg. Days on Market
34
% List Price Received
106%
Months of Inventory
2.8
Homes Sold (March 2026)
5
Median price trend
2025 · $1,750,000 March 2026 · $1,500,000
List-price received
106%
90%100%120%+

As of March 2026 · Source: SAMCAR/MLSListings

Living in Montara

Montara sits at the northern edge of the San Mateo Coastside, where Highway 1 narrows between McNee Ranch State Park and the Pacific just south of the Devil's Slide Tunnel. Unlike Half Moon Bay city to the south, Montara is unincorporated San Mateo County, with land use governed by the County rather than the City of Half Moon Bay. The pocket is anchored by Montara State Beach, Gray Whale Cove, and the Devil's Slide Trail, and the housing stock is predominantly single-family on flat lots west of Highway 1 with hillside parcels east of the highway carrying ocean-view potential. For a wider view of the region, see the Half Moon Bay overview.

Buyers typically come to Montara for the lowest density of the Coastside neighborhoods within reasonable Peninsula commute range. The community has no commercial core of its own; daily errands run to Half Moon Bay, El Granada, or Pacifica. Most homes are on the Montara Water and Sanitary District system rather than private wells, while wastewater is conveyed through the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Joint Powers Authority that serves the entire Coastside (City of Half Moon Bay SAM page).

Schools

Montara falls within Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD), which covers roughly 135 square miles of the San Mateo Coastside including Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, and Montara. Farallone View Elementary, located in Montara, is one of CUSD's four elementary campuses; all Coastside students converge at Cunha Intermediate and Half Moon Bay High School (Cabrillo Unified School District). Pilarcitos High School serves as the district's alternative program for grades 10-12. CUSD elementary assignment is by residence area, but families may request any in-district school subject to space.

Lifestyle

The Montara lifestyle leans rural-coastal. Montara State Beach and Gray Whale Cove State Beach sit at the north end of the community, the Devil's Slide Trail offers a paved blufftop walk on the former Highway 1 alignment, and McNee Ranch / Montara Mountain provides hiking and mountain-biking trails into the coastal range. The Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel is a small landmark on the bluff. Restaurants and services are limited within Montara itself; residents drive south to El Granada, Princeton-by-the-Sea, and Half Moon Bay or north to Pacifica.

Commute

Montara sits along Highway 1 just south of the Tom Lantos / Devil's Slide Tunnel, which removed the historic Devil's Slide closure risk on the route to Pacifica and SFO. Driving time to mid-Peninsula employers via Highway 92 typically runs 30 to 40 minutes in good conditions, longer in fog or accident scenarios. SFO is approximately 25 to 30 minutes north via Highway 1 and Highway 380. There is no Caltrain station on the Coastside; commuters drive to Hillsdale or Millbrae for rail access. SamTrans Coastside service is limited.

Market

The Montara Market Right Now

Montara market activity sits within the broader Half Moon Bay Coastside data set rather than as its own MLS reporting cell. The calendar-year 2025 Half Moon Bay single-family median sale price was $1,750,000 across 101 closings, with the average at $1,937,881, list-to-sale ratio of 99 percent, and average days on market of 47 (SCCAOR/MLSListings San Mateo County data). The March 2026 monthly median came in at $1,500,000 across 5 closings at 106 percent of list and 34 days on market, reflecting a small-sample monthly skew toward inland inventory. Within that picture, Montara homes typically transact in the lower half of the Coastside band: flat-lot inland homes west of Highway 1 cluster in the $1.2 to $1.8 million range, while hillside parcels with ocean views and larger lots can move into the $2 million-plus segment.
Montara is unincorporated San Mateo County — land use runs through the County's Local Coastal Program, not the City of Half Moon Bay. — Montara public records
Transactions

What Buyers and Sellers Should Know About Montara

Two Coastside-wide rules drive most Montara transaction friction. First, while Montara is unincorporated, any project on a Montara parcel that touches the Coastal Zone is subject to a Coastal Development Permit under the County's Local Coastal Program, similar in spirit to Half Moon Bay's CDP requirement under Municipal Code Chapter 18.20 (Half Moon Bay Local Coastal Program). Second, sewer service runs through the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside via the Montara Water and Sanitary District, so connection capacity, lateral condition, and any private septic remediation are routine due-diligence items (City of Half Moon Bay SAM page). Documentary transfer tax on Montara closings runs at the unincorporated San Mateo County rate of $1.10 per $1,000 of consideration. NHD disclosures particularly relevant include tsunami inundation zones, coastal erosion zones for any blufftop parcel, FEMA flood hazard areas, Alquist-Priolo, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones along the chaparral edges (CA Civil Code Section 1103).
Field Notes

Market Notes by Lisa M. Lum

Recent transactions Lisa M. Lum has reviewed in Montara suggest that flat-lot inland homes in the $1.2 to $1.8 million range continue to draw multi-offer interest within 30 to 45 days of listing, while hillside ocean-view parcels above $2 million carry longer marketing windows of 60 to 90 days due to thinner buyer pools and more involved coastal-hazard disclosures. Sellers preparing Montara listings should plan extra time for septic or sewer-lateral verification, full NHD review, and any County-level Coastal Development Permit history.

Updated 2026-05-06

Frequently Asked Questions about Montara

Is Montara part of the City of Half Moon Bay?
No. Montara is unincorporated San Mateo County, not within Half Moon Bay city limits. Land use, building permits, and code enforcement go through San Mateo County Planning rather than the City of Half Moon Bay, although Montara children attend Cabrillo Unified School District schools alongside Half Moon Bay residents.
Who provides water and sewer service in Montara?
Water service is provided by the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD), a member agency of the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Joint Powers Authority. SAM provides wastewater collection and treatment for the Coastside, including Half Moon Bay, the Granada Community Services District, and MWSD (City of Half Moon Bay SAM page).
What disclosures matter most for Montara buyers and sellers?
Coastside parcels carry meaningful California state NHD exposure: tsunami inundation zones along the shoreline, FEMA flood hazard areas in low-lying pockets, Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone proximity, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in surrounding chaparral. Hillside and blufftop parcels may also carry coastal-erosion or view-corridor considerations (CA Civil Code Section 1103).
Are Montara homes on private septic systems?
Most Montara homes are on the public sewer system conveyed through Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside via the Montara Water and Sanitary District. Some older or rural-edge parcels may still be on private septic and follow San Mateo County Environmental Health rules and California state pre-transfer septic inspection requirements at title transfer.
What is the transfer tax in Montara, San Mateo County?
San Mateo County charges a base transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of consideration, paid by the seller at close. Some cities add a local supplemental tax. Montara does not impose an additional municipal transfer tax beyond the county base.
Does Montara require a sewer lateral inspection at sale?
Several San Mateo County jurisdictions require a private sewer lateral compliance certificate before close of escrow. The requirement varies by city — confirm with your transaction coordinator early in the listing process.
What disclosures are required when selling a home in Montara?
California requires Transfer Disclosure Statement, Natural Hazard Disclosure, lead-based paint (pre-1978), water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certifications. San Mateo County properties may also require sewer lateral compliance and local supplemental disclosures.
What is the difference between median and average home price in Montara?
Median price is the middle number when all sale prices are sorted — half of homes sold above, half below. It resists distortion from a few very expensive sales. Average price is the arithmetic mean and can be skewed upward by individual high-end transactions. Median is the more reliable indicator of typical Montara home pricing.

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Last updated 2026-05-06 · By Lisa M. Lum, Realtor® · Coldwell Banker Realty · DRE 02005150