Bay Area city index · Separate rules, official sources

Selling a house in the Bay Area? Check home-sale requirements by city.

Choose the city where the property is located to review certificates, inspections, disclosures, sewer-lateral records, published timing, and agency fees that may affect a sale. Bay Sale Ready organizes the official sources and questions without deciding what applies to a specific property or transaction.

Choose a city How sources are reviewed

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Choose the property city

Choose your city to check home-sale questions.

Coverage is intentionally different by city. A city receives more topic guides only when an official source publishes a clear transaction trigger, document, fee, deadline, or record path.

Berkeley

BESO + City of Berkeley sewer lateral

Review questions about building type, BESO records, and Berkeley's PSL program, then verify with the City.

Open Berkeley Guide

Hayward

Permit records before a home sale

Confirm City jurisdiction, review available e-Permits records, and find the official path for missing documents.

Open Hayward Guide

Oakland

Sidewalk + EBMUD sewer lateral + 3R records

Separate the City sidewalk certificate, EBMUD PSL certificate, and 3R permit-history research paths.

Open Oakland Guide

San Francisco

3R Report + RECO energy + water conservation

Keep the City-record 3R separate from Chapter 12 RECO energy and the coordinated but distinct Chapter 12A water path.

Open San Francisco Guide

San José

Street-tree disclosure before transfer

Review the source wording for timing and find the official City contact for the City-provided form.

Open San José Guide

Bay Area city comparison

Which home-sale topics does this guide cover in each city?

This is a source-coverage comparison, not a conclusion that every listed topic applies to every property. “Record research” means the reviewed sources provide a way to investigate records but do not establish a general time-of-sale requirement.

Bay Area home-sale topics and official starting sources by city
City	Seller question → guide	Official starting points
Berkeley	Berkeley BESO requirements when selling a houseHome Energy Score or energy assessment plus the applicable City-approved BESO form, certificate, exemption, or deferralSale-triggered topic to verify · City of Berkeley · BESO Berkeley sewer lateral certificate when selling a houseCity of Berkeley Sewer Lateral Certificate or City-approved transfer extensionSale-triggered topic to verify · City of Berkeley · Public Works	Time-of-Sale Energy Requirements for Small Residential Buildings Time-of-Sale Energy Requirements for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings BESO Administrative Regulations, Version 5.0 Private Sewer Lateral
Hayward	How to check Hayward permits before selling a houseAvailable City permit, inspection, and property records; this is not a required seller reportRecord research · City of Hayward · Permit Center	Hayward e-Permits portal
Oakland	Oakland sidewalk certificate when selling a houseSidewalk Compliance Certificate, City-issued exemption certification, or Provisional CertificateSale-triggered topic to verify · City of Oakland · OakDOT EBMUD sewer lateral certificate for an Oakland home saleEBMUD Compliance Certificate, Time Extension Certificate, or Exemption CertificateSale-triggered topic to verify · EBMUD Regional PSL Program Oakland 3R Report cost and turnaroundResidential Building Record (3-R Report)Record research · City of Oakland · Planning & Building	Sidewalk Certification FAQ Private sewer laterals Report of Residential Record (3R Report)
San Francisco	Prepare a San Francisco 3R requestDBI Report of Residential Building Record (3R)Sale-triggered topic to verify · San Francisco Department of Building Inspection San Francisco RECO energy rules and water conservation at home saleEnergy and water inspection form(s) and certificate(s) of complianceSale-triggered topic to verify · San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, Environment Department, and Public Utilities Commission	San Francisco Housing Code Section 351 Application for Report of Residential Building Record · July 12, 2026 Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance Residential Water Conservation
San José	San José street-tree disclosure when selling a houseCurrent City-provided street-tree disclosure formSale-triggered topic to verify · City of San José · Department of Transportation	Municipal Code Title 13; search for Sections 13.28.400 and 13.28.410

What the site does

A source-linked research aid.

Organizes the path

Topic → questions → document → responsible agency → official source.

Shows provenance

Each published topic carries stable claim identifiers, official source links, and a last-reviewed date.

Stops short of a decision

No property address is requested and no question-list output is an exemption, deadline, certificate, or determination of compliance.

Site-wide source review checkpoint: July 27, 2026. 62 registered sources were in that completed cycle; individual source records may be newer. Information may have changed since our last review. Verify current requirements and status directly with the responsible agency before relying on it.