Buying or selling in Ojai

In the 90 days ending September 22, 2026, 45 houses, condos and townhomes sold in Ojai, and the median sale price was $1,350,000, according to Redfin. Half sold for more and half for less.

The spread is wide. A condo near downtown, a cottage on a small lot and a house on an acre or more sell at very different prices, so the median is a starting point, not a price for any one home. Tell me the neighborhood and the kind of home you want and I will send you what has actually sold there.

It depends on the address, and the mailing address does not settle it. The City of Ojai covers only about 4.4 square miles. Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Oak View and Casitas Springs are unincorporated county land, and so are the East End, Upper Ojai and Matilija Canyon parcels I checked.

The Arbolada is split. El Paseo Road and Foothill Road up to about the 1100 block are in the city, and Foothill Road beyond that, with most of Del Norte Road and Fairview Road, is county.

It matters because the rules differ. In the city, permits, tree rules, design review and the short-term rental ban come from City Hall. Outside it, zoning and permits come from the County. Most of the valley, including Upper Ojai, is under the County's Ojai Valley Area Plan, and in Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Oak View, Casitas Springs and the East End a county advisory council reviews significant projects. Water and sewer follow district lines, not the city limit.

By the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates, about 75% of homes inside the city are detached houses, about 9% are attached single-family homes such as townhomes, about 7% are duplexes and about 10% are in buildings of three or more units. About 59% are owner-occupied.

The median home in the city was built in 1971. About 28% date from the 1970s, about 20% from the 1950s and about 17% from the 1960s. About 8% were built before 1940, and fewer than 10% in 2000 or later.

The county communities differ. About 30% of homes in Mira Monte and about 22% in Meiners Oaks are mobile homes, while the Census counts none inside the city. Parks with Ojai addresses that the County lists, such as Oak Haven on Maricopa Highway, are on county land under the County's mobile home park rent control, which for 2026 allows a rent increase of up to 2.8%.

With a home from the 1950s through the 1970s, the inspection matters. Roofs, plumbing and electrical panels may be original, and it is better to know that before you remove your contingencies.

For 2026-27 every tax rate area inside the City of Ojai has the same rate: 1.081855% of assessed value. That is the 1% base plus bonds for the Ojai Unified School District, the community college district and the Casitas Municipal Water District.

Outside the city the rate is almost the same. Most county parcels in the Ojai Unified School District are also at 1.081855%. A smaller group without the Casitas bond, including the Upper Ojai and Matilija Canyon parcels I checked, is at 1.0766%. The Oak View and Casitas Springs tax rate areas I checked, which are in the Ventura Unified School District, are at 1.081355%.

On a home assessed at one million dollars that is about $10,800 a year for 2026-27, and the gap between the highest and lowest of those rates is about $50. The bigger differences on a tax bill here are the fixed charges: the Casitas water special tax in most of the city, and the sewer charge.

Yes, one. Most parcels in the City of Ojai, and about 240 county parcels next to it, are in a Casitas Municipal Water District community facilities district. Voters in the district approved it in August 2013 to buy the Ojai water system from Golden State Water Company, and Casitas began running that system in June 2017.

The tax is set by the type of home and the size of the lot, not by the home's value. For 2026-27 the tax bills I checked charged a detached house $558.84 on a lot under 10,000 square feet, $862.70 on a lot from 10,000 to under 22,000 square feet, $1,437.84 on a lot from 22,000 square feet to under an acre, and $2,436.76 on an acre or more. A condominium was charged $473.84. Those are 90% of the maximums the district's board approved for the year, which run from $526.50 for a condominium to $2,707.52 for a house on an acre or more, and the district may charge up to the maximum.

The maximum rises 2% every year, and the bill I traced rose 2% in each of the last two years. The tax can be charged for up to 40 years starting with 2013-14, which means as late as 2052-53, and it stops sooner if the bonds are paid off. The district's rules also let an owner pay it off early.

Roughly one in five city parcels has no Casitas special tax on its 2026-27 bill. Some are homes outside the district, such as those I checked on Taormina Lane, Church Road and La Paz Drive. Others are vacant, public or association parcels, and a vacant lot inside the district starts paying once a building permit is issued. I found no other community facilities district for Ojai on the county's 2025-26 list of special charges. Send me the address and I will check the actual tax bill before you write an offer.

Water depends on the street. Casitas Municipal Water District serves most of the City of Ojai through the system it bought from Golden State Water, and it also runs water lines in Meiners Oaks, Oak View and Casitas Springs. The Meiners Oaks Water District has about 1,280 connections. The Ventura River Water District has about 2,190 connections in Casitas Springs, Live Oak Acres, Oak View, Mira Monte and part of the city. In the East End, the Senior Canyon Mutual Water Company serves its shareholders, and several smaller mutual water companies buy water from Casitas.

All of it is local water: Lake Casitas and the valley's groundwater, with no imported supply. As of October 2026, Casitas has been in a Stage 1 water supply condition since June 2023. Every Casitas meter has a water allocation. Under Stage 1 the penalty for going over it is not charged, and Casitas warns that mandatory limits may return in dry years.

Two agencies manage the two main groundwater basins, the Ojai basin and the Upper Ventura River basin, and some properties rely on their own wells. A court case over water rights across the Ventura River watershed is still open. As of early October 2026 a trial on a proposed settlement was scheduled to begin October 26, 2026. If a property has a well, ask for the well records and have the well tested during your contingency period.

In the city, E.J. Harrison and Sons picks up trash, Southern California Edison delivers electricity and The Gas Company provides gas. The city belongs to Clean Power Alliance, which buys the power Edison delivers, and residents are enrolled in its 100% Green Power rate unless they choose another. For trash service in the unincorporated valley, the city directs residents to the County.

Most are on sewer. The Ojai Valley Sanitary District was formed from the sewer systems of the City of Ojai, Meiners Oaks, Oak View and Ventura Avenue, and its charge is collected on the property tax bill. For 2026-27 the rate is $82.26 a month per service unit, which is about $987 a year.

Some are on septic. The district names the Arbolada, Siete Robles and Casitas Springs as areas where many properties still use septic tanks. Outside the district's boundaries, the County's Environmental Health Division regulates septic systems.

Hooking up later is not cheap. For 2026-27 the district's connection charges come to about $16,500 per capacity unit, before construction and any annexation fees. If a home is on septic, have the system inspected during your contingency period.

Three local items stand out. First, if the home is on district sewer, the Ojai Valley Sanitary District requires a compliance certificate for the private sewer lateral before title transfers, based on a plumber's video inspection. The buyer and seller decide between them who gets it, and whoever owns the lateral pays for any repair. If it cannot be done before closing, the district allows 180 more days with a $4,500 refundable deposit, and after closing it is the buyer's responsibility. That is a district rule, so it applies in the county areas the district serves as well as in the city.

Second, inside the city the municipal code requires two disclosures: that short-term rentals are not allowed anywhere in the city, and the number and species of protected trees on the property.

Third, since January 1, 2026 a county fire department rule requires the seller of a home in a High or Very High fire hazard zone, which covers most of the valley's neighborhoods, to give the buyer documentation that the property meets defensible space rules. The county fire department's inspection is free and typically takes 7 to 10 days, and the department recommends allowing at least two weeks before escrow closes.

The city repealed its building records report in 2014, so there is none to order. The city's transfer tax is half the county rate and is credited against it, so the total is the same $1.10 per $1,000 as the rest of the county.

Not in the city. The municipal code prohibits renting a home, or any part of one, for less than 30 days anywhere in the City of Ojai, and that includes an accessory dwelling unit. Only approved hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and timeshares are exempt. Fines start at $1,500, the city can take back the rent collected, and advertising one is also against the code.

The County has its own rental overlay zone covering most of the unincorporated valley: Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Oak View, Casitas Springs and the East End. The Upper Ojai and Matilija Canyon parcels I checked are outside it, so ask County Planning what applies there. The County has a map to check an address. Inside the overlay, short-term rentals are not permitted either, except in a home that was a designated historic landmark as of June 19, 2018. What the County does allow there is a homeshare: the home must be the owner's primary residence, the owner must be present while it is rented, the limit is two bedrooms and five guests, and the permit has to be renewed every year. A permit ends when the property is sold, so a buyer does not inherit one.

Longer rentals have rules too. Under the city's 2023 rent ordinance, rent on a covered unit cannot rise more than 4% a year, and only once in any 12 months. Units first occupied after February 1, 1995 are exempt, and so are homes that can be sold separately from any other unit, subject to state law.

Trees first. In the city you need a permit to remove an oak or sycamore eight inches or more in diameter, to prune a live limb over four inches, to take off more than 25% of the canopy, or to trench or grade inside the drip line. A removal application needs a certified arborist's report at the owner's expense.

A new two-story house, a second-story addition, or a single-story house 24 feet or taller goes to the Planning Commission for design review. Outdoor lights installed or replaced under a permit must be fully shielded. Work on a designated landmark needs a work permit, and major work goes to the Historic Preservation Commission.

Second units are treated differently. The code requires the city to approve an accessory dwelling unit that meets its standards without a hearing, and it allows a house of 2,000 square feet or more to be split into two homes. The second unit cannot be sold apart from the main house.

County land has its own versions. The County protects oaks and sycamores 9.5 inches or more around, and most of the unincorporated valley, though not the Upper Ojai or Matilija Canyon parcels I checked, is in a county dark-sky lighting zone. Before you buy a home you plan to change, talk to the planning counter for that address.

The city code has a growth management plan that capped new housing so the population would grow about half a percent a year, roughly 40 people. That cap is not in force as of October 2026. The code section says the plan was to expire on October 1, 2025, and the city's housing plan, written in 2023, says state law suspends caps like it. In 2025 the Legislature made that state law permanent. The same housing plan says the city meant to resume the cap when it could, so ask the city where it stands.

Very little gets built anyway. The city's state-assigned housing need for 2021 to 2029 is 53 homes, and the city says most recent housing has come from accessory dwelling units.

Chain businesses are limited, not banned. A business with more than five locations and standardized features, such as its menu, signs or decor, needs a use permit. A chain with at least two fast-food traits (quick service, disposable containers, payment before eating) cannot apply at all, and downtown a chain is limited to 2,000 square feet and 25 feet of street frontage. Banks, gas stations and offices are exempt.

On county land, the Ojai Valley Area Plan says the valley is at or near the limits of its air quality, roads and water. It prohibits discretionary development that would push valley roads below set service levels unless the impact is mitigated, with exceptions such as affordable housing, and it keeps Highway 33 at two lanes between Oak View and the city. It also treats a project that would emit more than 5 pounds a day of reactive organic compounds or nitrogen oxides as a significant impact on air quality. The County's SOAR measure also requires a countywide vote, through 2050, to change farm, open space or rural land to another designation.

Most of it is. On the current fire hazard maps, about 60% of the land in the City of Ojai is Very High, about 12% is High and about 11% is Moderate. The part with no zone includes the downtown core. The county communities rate higher: about 90% of Mira Monte, about 93% of Oak View and about 71% of Meiners Oaks are Very High.

The Thomas Fire is why people ask. It started on December 4, 2017, burned 281,893 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and destroyed 1,063 structures. A second fire began in Upper Ojai that night and merged with it, and the county fire department lists Ojai among the cities the fire threatened.

A seller in a High or Very High zone must give the buyer defensible space documentation, and for a home built before 2010 a home-hardening disclosure. The basic standard is 100 feet of defensible space.

Get a homeowners insurance quote during your contingency period, before you are committed to the purchase.

Parts of it are. About 10% of the land in the City of Ojai is in a FEMA special flood hazard area, mostly along San Antonio Creek, Thacher Creek, McNell Creek and Stewart Canyon Creek. The share is about 16% in Mira Monte and about 19% in Oak View, where the zones follow the Ventura River and San Antonio Creek, and about 2% in Meiners Oaks.

The County keeps five debris basins in the Ventura River watershed, including one on Stewart Canyon. If a home is in a special flood hazard area and the loan comes from a government-backed lender, flood insurance is required.

Send me the address and I will check it before you write an offer: the tax bill, the zoning, the flood zone.

The Ojai Unified School District covers the city and, by the tax rate areas I checked, Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, the East End and Upper Ojai. Its schools are Meiners Oaks Early Education School (preschool and transitional kindergarten), Mira Monte Elementary and Topa Topa Elementary (kindergarten through 6th grade), Nordhoff Junior High and High School (7th through 12th grade), Summit School (transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, not classroom based) and Legacy High School.

Casitas Springs and most of Oak View are in the Ventura Unified School District. About one in five Oak View parcels, at the north end around Alto Drive and Valley Meadow Drive, is in Ojai Unified. Ventura Unified's Sunset School in Oak View runs from transitional kindergarten through 8th grade.

District lines do not follow mailing addresses, so check the address with the district before you write an offer.

By state highway. Highway 33 runs south through Oak View and Casitas Springs to Ventura and the 101, and Highway 150 runs east to Santa Paula and west past Lake Casitas toward Carpinteria. The County's plan keeps Highway 33 at two lanes between Oak View and the city and rules out building it to freeway standards.

From downtown Ojai it is about 15 road miles to downtown Ventura, about 17 to Santa Paula, about 22 to Carpinteria, about 33 to Santa Barbara and about 83 to downtown Los Angeles.

There is no train station in the valley; the nearest are in Ventura. Gold Coast Transit's Route 16 runs every hour between downtown Ojai and Ventura, and the city runs the Ojai Trolley every day except major holidays.

Yes. For 2026 the conforming loan limit and the FHA loan limit for a single-family home in Ventura County are both $1,035,000. With your full entitlement, VA sets no loan limit: the amount depends on what your lender approves and what the home appraises for.

When a price is above the limit, a conforming or FHA buyer needs a larger down payment or a different loan. I help veterans and active-duty buyers with VA purchases, and my Veterans page explains how.

Very few. As of October 2026 I found no for-sale new-home community on the city's planning pages. What the city lists is a handful of applications, mostly affordable housing: 50 units on Bryant Street, 14 units with commercial space at 510 East Ojai Avenue, 15 units at 304 South Montgomery Street and 9 units at 107 North Ventura Street.

The city's housing plan says most new housing in recent years has come from accessory dwelling units, more than 120 of them in its last planning period.

If you are looking at a vacant lot instead, check the water source, sewer or septic, the tree rules and the fire zone before you buy.

It depends on price and condition more than on the city. Across Ventura County, my own 49 listings since 2022 sold in a median of 11 days on the market, at a median of 100% of the asking price.

Before you list, I walk the home, show you what has actually sold nearby, and tell you what is worth fixing and what is not. Here it also pays to start the sewer lateral video and the fire department's defensible space inspection early, so neither one holds up the closing.

I'm Jason Walters, and my office is in Camarillo, on Village Commons Boulevard. I work across Ventura County, and that includes the Ojai Valley. I have 22 years in real estate, the last 17 in Ventura County.

You work with me directly, from pricing strategy to closing day.