Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
California · Wine Country · North Bay · #459 Most Populous County in the US
Napa County, California
The Napa Valley - California's most celebrated wine country and one of the world's premier viticultural regions - from Napa city's downtown revival and the Oxbow Public Market to the French Laundry in Yountville, the hot springs and spas of Calistoga, and the wineries of Stags Leap, Rutherford, and Oakville that have defined American fine wine for 50 years. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Napa County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Napa County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Napa County OES – (707) 253-4421 | countyofnapa.org
Alert System: Napa County Alert; CA Alert; NOAA Weather Radio; PG&E PSPS alerts
Shelter Info: Multiple locations; Napa Valley Exposition; contact OES; Red Cross
FEMA Region: Region 9
Notes: North Bay wine country county; Napa is county seat; wildfire risk (extreme – 2017 Atlas Fire, 2020 Glass Fire devastated portions of the Napa Valley wine country; 2017 Tubbs Fire started in Napa County; ongoing extreme fire risk in the hills surrounding the valley); earthquake risk (2014 South Napa earthquake magnitude 6.0 – most destructive Bay Area earthquake since Loma Prieta; caused $362 million in damage to Napa’s historic downtown); flood risk (Napa River – 2006 Napa River flood control project reduced but did not eliminate flooding); landslide risk on hillsides
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Napa County Public Works – (707) 259-8611
Transit: Vine Transit (NVTA) – (707) 251-2800 | ridethevine.com; routes throughout Napa Valley; SMART connection at Sonoma/Napa border; primarily auto-dependent
Airport: Napa County Airport (APC – general aviation); San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Rosa for commercial flights
Notes: Hwy 29 (the main Napa Valley highway – lined with famous wineries from Napa city to Calistoga; extremely congested on weekends); Silverado Trail (parallel scenic winery route east side of valley); Hwy 121 connects to Sonoma County; Hwy 128 connects through Carneros to Sonoma and to the Anderson Valley; Hwy 12 at the south connects to Sonoma; the Napa Valley’s winery tourism drives significant traffic; CalTrains connects to BART at the south end
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Napa County Planning, Building, and Environmental Services – (707) 253-4416 | countyofnapa.org
Services: County permits; Napa, St. Helena, Calistoga, Yountville, American Canyon have separate permits
Notes: Post-Glass Fire rebuilding (hundreds of homes destroyed in the St. Helena and Calistoga areas); winery facility construction and expansion (heavily regulated under Measure P – winery development limitations protecting agricultural land); wine cave development; Napa’s downtown earthquake damage repair; American Canyon growing as more affordable Napa alternative
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Napa County Veterans Services – (707) 253-4421
VA Medical: VA San Francisco; VA Martinez (Contra Costa – accessible); Mare Island VA (former Vallejo facility)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment; CalVet coordination
Notes: Bay Area VA facilities accessible; Napa has a significant veteran community; Veterans Home of California Yountville – the largest veterans home in the US (over 1,000 residents); the Veterans Home at Yountville is one of the most significant veterans’ facilities in California, providing skilled nursing, independent living, and domiciliary care to California’s veterans in a beautiful Napa Valley setting; the Home’s vulnerability to fire (surrounded by wildland) requires constant emergency planning
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Napa County Library – (707) 253-4230 | countyofnapa.org/library
Branches: Napa (main), American Canyon, Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville (at the Veterans Home)
Services: Books, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi, wine industry collections, genealogy, children’s programs
Notes: Library system includes a branch at the Veterans Home of California serving the veteran residents; wine and viticulture collections are outstanding – Napa County Library’s wine-related reference materials are among the best in the state; Yountville’s branch serves a unique population of aging veterans; St. Helena branch serves the wine country community
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
County Parks: Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District – (707) 253-4385; Skyline Wilderness Park; Moore Creek Park; Alston Park; Lake Hennessey
State Parks: Robert Louis Stevenson State Park (Mount St. Helena – the setting for RLS’s “The Silverado Squatters”; highest peak in the area with extraordinary views)
Key Attractions: Napa Valley Wine Train (vintage train dining experience through the vineyards); Napa Valley wineries (Stag’s Leap, Opus One, Robert Mondavi, Beaulieu Vineyard, Caymus, Domaine Carneros, Cakebread, and hundreds more – the finest concentration of world-class wineries in the Western Hemisphere); Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena – a national center of culinary education in a spectacular historic stone winery); Castello di Amorosa (Calistoga – elaborate Italian castle winery); hot springs (Calistoga – famous for its mud baths and hot springs; Old Faithful Geyser of California); Napa Valley Vintners association; Yountville (the dining capital of Napa Valley – Thomas Keller’s French Laundry is here)
Notes: Napa Valley is one of the world’s great wine destinations; the concentration of excellent wineries, restaurants (Thomas Keller’s French Laundry is arguably the most famous restaurant in the US), and scenery makes it one of California’s premier tourism destinations; Calistoga’s hot springs and mud baths are a California spa tradition; the Veterans Home of California Yountville is a remarkable institution in an extraordinary setting; Robert Louis Stevenson hiked Mount St. Helena and was inspired by the Napa landscape; the Glass Fire’s destruction of some iconic wineries and homes was a profound loss for the community
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Napa County GIS – countyofnapa.org/gis | (707) 253-4416; USGS earthquake monitoring (2014 South Napa quake monitoring continues); CalFire fire hazard maps; FEMA flood maps (Napa River)
Notes: Active GIS; post-Glass Fire damage mapping and rebuilding tracking; 2014 earthquake damage mapping led to building assessment programs; Napa River flood mapping; vineyard mapping; fire hazard severity zone mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Napa County Animal Shelter – (707) 253-4382; Napa Humane Society
Notes: Wild turkeys have become extremely common throughout the Napa Valley – they roam downtown Napa, vineyards, and suburban neighborhoods; coyote management in wine country; mountain lion encounters in the hills; Napa Humane is active and well-funded reflecting community wealth; earthquake and fire disasters have occasionally required animal evacuation coordination
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Napa County Public Works – (707) 259-8611; City of Napa Garbage Service; Napa Recycling and Waste Services
Environmental: California Coastal Commission (for coastal areas); California SWRCB; SF Bay RWQCB; Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District; Napa River restoration; USDA NRCS (vineyard erosion and water quality); wine industry water use and wastewater management
Notes: The Napa River restoration project (completed 2006) was one of California’s most ambitious urban river restoration projects – straightened reaches were re-meandered, levees removed, and wetlands restored; this Living River approach has reduced flood damage significantly in Napa city; vineyard erosion is a significant Napa Valley environmental concern – winter rain on hillside vineyards can send enormous quantities of sediment into the Napa River; the Napa County Resource Conservation District works with vintners on erosion control; wine production uses enormous quantities of water (for washing, irrigation in dry years) and produces wastewater with high organic loads; winery wastewater management is regulated by the RWQCB; the 2014 earthquake (6.0) and subsequent wildfires demonstrate that Napa’s infrastructure faces multiple hazards simultaneously; climate change is affecting vineyard viability – smoke taint from wildfires can ruin entire vintages, and warming temperatures are shifting grape growing conditions
About Napa County
Napa County is California’s North Bay wine country county and the 459th most populous in the United States, covering 788 square miles of the Napa Valley, its flanking mountain ranges (Vaca Mountains to the east, Mayacamas to the west), and the tidal marshlands of San Pablo Bay.
The Napa Valley is the most economically significant wine-producing region in the United States – a 35-mile long valley producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and other varietals that command among the world’s highest wine prices. The 1976 Paris Tasting (the “Judgment of Paris”), in which California wines blind-tasted by French experts outscored French Grand Cru Bordeaux and Burgundy, established Napa Valley’s global prestige and transformed the American wine industry. Today the valley contains over 400 wineries and produces wine commanding $50–$1,000+ per bottle at the high end.
Napa (the county seat, population ~79,000) is the valley’s urban center – a city that has undergone dramatic downtown transformation since the 2014 South Napa earthquake (6.0 magnitude, the largest Bay Area earthquake since 1989) damaged historic buildings and prompted comprehensive downtown reconstruction. The Oxbow Public Market, the Napa River Promenade, and new hotels and restaurants have made Napa’s downtown a genuine destination.
Yountville (population ~3,000) punches extraordinarily above its weight as a culinary destination – The French Laundry (Chef Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star restaurant, arguably the most difficult reservation in America) anchors a concentration of fine dining restaurants that makes Yountville arguably the highest restaurant-per-capita destination in the United States.
St. Helena and Rutherford are the valley’s heart – home to some of the most famous winery estates in the world, including Inglenook, Beaulieu Vineyard, Staglin Family Vineyard, and dozens of other iconic producers.
Calistoga anchors the valley’s northern end – a geothermal resort town famous for its mud baths and hot springs, positioned at the foot of Mount St. Helena.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
California’s Proposition 13 caps annual assessed value increases at 2% until a change of ownership triggers reassessment. Williamson Act contracts are critically important for Napa County vineyard land – enrolled vineyard acreage is assessed at agricultural productivity value rather than market value, dramatically reducing tax burden in exchange for a commitment to agricultural use.
The appeal process: File with the Napa County Assessment Appeals Board at 1195 3rd Street, Suite 201, Napa, CA 94559, phone 707-253-4357. General filing period: July 2 through November 30. California has no estate tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Napa County Assessment Appeals Board: July 2–November 30. Vineyard land Williamson Act essential planning consideration. Napa Valley residential premium among California’s most sustained. No CA estate tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Napa County Assessment Appeals Board: July 2–November 30. Vineyard land Williamson Act essential planning consideration. Napa Valley residential premium among California's most sustained. No CA estate tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Superior Court (Probate): The Napa County Superior Court at 825 Brown Street, Napa, CA 94559, phone 707-299-1100, handles probate, estate administration, guardianships, and all civil and criminal matters.
County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor: The Napa County Clerk-Recorder at 900 Coombs Street maintains real property records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Napa County Health and Human Services, Area Agency on Aging at 2261 Elm Street, Napa, CA 94559, phone 707-253-4237, serves the county’s senior population. Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Napa County - from Napa and Yountville to St. Helena, Calistoga, and the wine country valley communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK-RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses)
900 Coombs St., Napa, CA 94559
(707) 253-4246
County Clerk
(707) 253-4151
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Napa County Superior Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Napa County Historical Society, Napa, CA
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Napa County Superior Court – Historic Courthouse 825 Brown Street, Napa, CA 94559
Step 1: figure out which path applies
California recently increased its small-estate thresholds substantially, so check this first – more estates now qualify to skip full probate than in past years.
Small Estate Affidavit (personal property) – for estates with personal property valued at $208,850 or less (for deaths on or after April 1, 2025; holds through March 31, 2028). No court filing needed – present the signed affidavit directly to the bank or institution holding the property. Must wait at least 40 days after the death, and no probate proceeding can already be pending.
Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property, Primary Residence – for a decedent’s primary California residence valued at $750,000 or less (Judicial Council Form DE-310). Requires a 40-day wait, notice to heirs, and a probate referee appraisal.
Affidavit for Real Property of Small Value – for other (non-primary-residence) California real property valued at $69,625 or less (Form DE-305). Requires a 6-month wait.
Formal Probate – required when the estate exceeds these thresholds. California typically uses the Independent Administration of Estates Act (IAEA), letting the personal representative handle most matters without a court hearing for each step.
California is a community property state – a surviving spouse already owns their half of community property, and can often use a simplified Spousal Property Petition (Form DE-221) instead.
If using the small estate affidavit (personal property)
Wait at least 40 days after the death.
Confirm total qualifying California personal property (excluding trust assets, joint tenancy, POD/TOD accounts, and beneficiary-designated accounts) is $208,850 or less, using date-of-death values.
Complete the affidavit under Probate Code § 13100.
Present it with a certified death certificate directly to the bank or institution – no court filing required. Collecting property this way makes you personally liable for the decedent’s unsecured debts up to the value received (Prob. Code § 13109).
IF USING THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE PETITION OR SMALL REAL PROPERTY AFFIDAVIT
Confirm the property qualifies and the applicable waiting period has passed (40 days for the primary-residence petition; 6 months for the small real property affidavit).
File the petition (Form DE-310) or affidavit (Form DE-305) with the Napa County Superior Court.
A probate referee appraises the property; heirs receive notice.
Once approved, the property transfers without full probate administration.
If formal probate is required
Deliver the original will (if any) to the court clerk within 30 days of learning of the death (Prob. Code § 8200).
File a Petition for Probate (Form DE-111) to admit the will and request appointment as personal representative.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (Form DE-150) or Letters of Administration.
If Independent Administration authority is granted, the personal representative can act on most matters without separate court hearings.
Notice to creditors and an inventory/appraisal (with a probate referee) follow, along with payment of debts and taxes.
The estate closes with a final petition for distribution.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit / real property affidavits: no court filing fee for the personal-property affidavit; filing fees apply to the DE-310 primary-residence petition and DE-305 small real property affidavit.
Formal probate filing fee: several hundred dollars, varying somewhat by county.
Personal representative and attorney compensation: statutory fee schedule based on estate size (Prob. Code §§ 10800–10810) – a percentage that declines as the estate grows.
No California state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1535 Airport Blvd., Napa, CA 94558
(707) 253-4321
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CA Voter Registration
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(707) 253-4211
Medi-Cal
(800) 300-1506
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Napa County Health and Human Services – (707) 253-4567 | countyofnapa.org
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI/HIV testing, behavioral health, environmental health, vital records, restaurant inspections; wine industry occupational health; fire recovery health services
Hospital: Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) – (707) 252-4411; Veterans Home of California Yountville medical facilities (for residents)
Notes: Queen of the Valley is Napa County’s primary hospital; the earthquake (2014) damaged the hospital but it was repaired; wildfire smoke public health responses are increasingly frequent; behavioral health and substance use services; Veterans Home provides its own healthcare for its residents; wine industry cellar workers’ health (cold, damp conditions; chemical exposures); agricultural worker health in the vineyard
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Recommended for California
Ownwell
Property tax appeal service. Contingency fee - no savings, no charge.
