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California · North Bay / Sacramento Metro · San Francisco Bay Area Adjacent · #128 Most Populous County in the US
Solano County, California
The connector county between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento - Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, and Benicia straddle two of California's great megaregions. Travis Air Force Base, the largest air mobility wing in the Air Force, anchors the county's federal presence. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Solano County residents.
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Solano County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; Solano County Fairgrounds (Vallejo); contact OES
FEMA Region: Region 9
Notes: Bay Area/Sacramento corridor county; Fairfield is county seat; Travis Air Force Base (one of the largest Air Force bases in the US – airlift mission; Air Mobility Command; C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft); wildfire risk (eastern hills and Suisun Marsh area; 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned significantly in Solano County); earthquake risk (Vacaville-Concord fault zone; Green Valley Fault); Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee risk (eastern county); flooding; Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay influence; rapidly growing corridor between Bay Area and Sacramento
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Solano County Transportation Authority – (707) 424-6075
Transit: SolTrans (Vallejo and Benicia transit) – (707) 648-4666; FAST (Fairfield and Suisun Transit); BART (ends at Pittsburg/Bay Point and Antioch – eastern Contra Costa; Solano has no BART but Soltrans connects to Curtola Ferry Terminal and BART); San Francisco Bay Ferry (Vallejo to San Francisco – 75-minute ferry ride); Amtrak Capitol Corridor (Fairfield-Vacaville, Davis, Sacramento stations); Greyhound
Airport: Travis AFB airfield (military only); Sacramento International (SMF) 40 miles east; Oakland International (OAK) 35 miles west
Notes: I-80 runs east-west through Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo (the main Sacramento-to-Bay Area freeway – extremely heavy commuter and truck traffic); I-680 connects to Benicia and Contra Costa County; SR-37 (Vallejo to Novato along the North Bay shoreline); Travis AFB generates significant traffic on I-80 near Fairfield; Bay Area to Sacramento commuter traffic on I-80 is one of California’s most congested corridors; the Vallejo ferry provides a car-free alternative to the Bay Bridge
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Solano County Resource Management – (707) 784-6765 | solanocounty.com
Services: County permits; Vallejo (active), Fairfield (active), Vacaville, Benicia, Dixon, Rio Vista, Suisun City have separate permits
Notes: Solano County is growing as a Bay Area spillover county; Vacaville and Fairfield have significant residential growth; Travis AFB generates military construction through federal channels; Vallejo has been undergoing revitalization (the city filed for bankruptcy in 2008 – the largest US city to do so at that time – and has been recovering); emerging California Forever project (a controversial planned city in eastern Solano County – Silicon Valley tech investors buying land for a new city in Solano’s agricultural land)
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Solano County Veterans Services – (707) 784-6580
VA Medical: VA Martinez (Contra Costa County CBOC – accessible via I-680); VA San Francisco; Travis AFB medical facilities (for active duty); multiple Solano VA coordination points
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare; Travis AFB creates enormous veteran and active-duty community in Solano County
Notes: Travis AFB is one of the largest military installations in California – thousands of active-duty personnel and their families; huge veteran community throughout the county; VA Martinez is the primary VA outpatient facility; active VSO chapters; county veteran services are well-developed given the military population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Solano County Library – (707) 784-1500 | solanolibrary.com; 10 branches; Vallejo City Library (separate)
Branches: Benicia, Blue Rock Springs (Vallejo area), Dixon, Fairfield (main), Green Valley, North Fairfield/Cordelia, Suisun City, Vacaville, Rio Vista
Services: Books, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi, genealogy, North Bay history, children’s programs; Spanish-language materials; military community resources
Notes: Library system serves a diverse growing county; military community resources at Fairfield branch (near Travis AFB); Rio Vista branch serves the Sacramento River Delta community; bilingual Spanish materials important given significant Hispanic population
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
State Parks: Benicia State Recreation Area (Carquinez Strait); Suisun Marsh (one of the largest estuarine marshes in the western US – extraordinary waterfowl habitat); Jepson Prairie Preserve (Nature Conservancy – California’s finest vernal pool complex; rare endemic wildflowers bloom in spring; pristine native bunchgrass prairie – one of the rarest ecosystems in California); Lake Solano County Park
County/City: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo – theme and wildlife park; on the site of the former Marine World Africa USA); Benicia historic district (first state capital of California in 1853; beautifully preserved Gold Rush and Victorian era buildings; state capital for 13 months – the State Capitol building is the most intact surviving early California government building)
Notable: Travis AFB history and Air Mobility Command Museum; Suisun City waterfront revitalization; California’s wine country accessible via SR-12 (Suisun Valley AVA – small wine appellation with excellent wines largely unknown outside Solano County)
Notes: Benicia is often overlooked but is one of California’s most historically significant towns – it was California’s state capital from February 1853 to February 1854; the original state capitol building is a perfectly preserved Greek Revival structure (now a state historic park); the downtown Victorian commercial district is beautifully intact; Jepson Prairie’s vernal pool wildflower display (in early spring) is extraordinarily rare – California has lost 95%+ of its vernal pool grasslands; Suisun Marsh (one of the largest brackish water estuaries in the western US) supports enormous waterfowl populations and is part of the Pacific Flyway; the California Forever (Flannery Associates) proposed new city in eastern Solano County has generated significant controversy about agricultural land conversion, water supply, and Silicon Valley tech influence on rural California
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Solano County GIS – solanocounty.com/gis; Travis AFB restricted mapping; USGS earthquake hazard maps; Suisun Marsh habitat maps; California Forever development application maps
Notes: County GIS; Travis AFB mapping coordination; Suisun Marsh habitat and hydrology mapping; Delta levee mapping (eastern county); California Forever project mapping (controversial new city proposal)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Solano County Animal Control – (707) 784-1356; Vacaville Animal Services; Fairfield Animal Control
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, owner surrenders, spay/neuter; wildlife management (waterfowl in Suisun Marsh; tule elk; mountain lions; coyotes)
Notes: Suisun Marsh wildlife management (waterfowl hunting is a significant cultural and economic activity in the marsh; California Waterfowl Association active); tule elk herd in the Cache Creek area at Solano-Napa County boundary; Jepson Prairie wildlife (rare endemic plants and animals)
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Solano County Waste Management Authority – (707) 438-0510; city collection programs; Recology provides many services
Recycling: CalRecycle compliance; growing programs reflecting Bay Area influence
Environmental: California Coastal Commission (Bay shoreline); SF Bay RWQCB; DWR (Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta); USACE (Suisun Marsh and waterway management); Suisun Marsh Preservation Agreement (managing the marsh under state law); California Forever environmental review
Notes: The California Forever (Flannery Associates) proposal to build a new city of 50,000+ people on agricultural land in eastern Solano County is one of the most significant and controversial land use proposals in recent California history; the project (backed by Silicon Valley investors including Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Patrick and John Collison, and others) would require voter approval of an initiative to change Solano’s general plan; opponents cite water supply concerns, agricultural land loss, and distrust of the project’s backers; Suisun Marsh’s environmental management is complex – the marsh is managed under a unique public-private partnership (Suisun Resource Conservation District) that allows managed duck hunting while protecting overall marsh ecology; Travis AFB’s PFAS contamination from historical firefighting foam is a significant groundwater concern – the Air Force is implementing remediation and providing alternative water supplies to affected communities; Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee failure could affect eastern Solano County’s water supply and agricultural land
About Solano County
Solano County occupies one of California’s most strategically placed geographic positions – it sits between San Francisco Bay to the south and Sacramento to the northeast, bisected by Interstate 80 and the I-680/I-780 corridors, and serves as both a bedroom community for Bay Area workers priced out of the Bay proper and as an independent economic zone anchored by federal and military installations. The county is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metropolitan statistical area, though economically it straddles the Bay Area and Sacramento markets.
Travis Air Force Base, located between Fairfield and Vacaville, is the largest air mobility wing in the Air Force and one of the most strategically significant military air bases in the United States – it serves as the primary gateway for military air transport to the Pacific and remains operationally critical for logistics to U.S. forces throughout the Indo-Pacific. Travis’s workforce, including active-duty military, civilian employees, and contractors, is one of the largest single employers in Solano County.
Vallejo – historically a Navy town built around the Mare Island Naval Shipyard (decommissioned 1996) – is Solano County’s largest city and has experienced one of the more dramatic post-military-closure economic transformations in California. Once a thriving industrial city, Vallejo filed for bankruptcy in 2008 (the largest US city bankruptcy at the time) and has slowly rebuilt. Its waterfront, proximity to Bay Area ferry service (the Vallejo Ferry connects to San Francisco), and affordable housing (by Bay Area standards) have attracted new residents and investment. Fairfield is the county seat and home to the Jelly Belly Candy Company factory and visitor center. Vacaville and Benicia (the former California state capital in 1853) round out the county’s significant communities.
County government is a five-member Board of Supervisors. Solano County operates separately elected offices for the Assessor/Recorder, Auditor-Controller, Clerk-Recorder, District Attorney, Sheriff-Marshal, and Treasurer-Tax Collector.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
California property taxes are governed by Proposition 13 (1978), which fundamentally restructures the relationship between market value and taxable value in a way unlike almost any other state in the nation.
How Prop 13 works in Solano County: When you purchase property, the purchase price becomes your base year value. The Solano County Assessor then increases your assessed value by no more than 2% per year (or the California Consumer Price Index, whichever is less) going forward – regardless of what the actual market value does. If you bought in 2015 at $400,000, your 2025 assessed value is approximately $486,000 (after 10 years of 2% compounding) – even if the property’s market value is $650,000. Long-term owners in appreciating areas pay taxes on values far below market, while new buyers immediately reset to current market price.
The Supplemental Assessment: When you purchase a property, you will receive a supplemental tax bill (in addition to the regular annual bill) reflecting the difference between the prior owner’s assessed value and your new base year value. This often arrives 3-6 months after closing and surprises many new buyers who assumed they had accounted for property taxes. Plan for this bill.
Prop 19 – Parent-to-Child Transfers (since February 2021): California’s Prop 19 significantly changed the rules for property tax transfers between parents and children. Before Prop 19, children could inherit any California property and keep the parent’s low Prop 13 base year value indefinitely. Under Prop 19, that benefit is now limited: the child must occupy the inherited property as their primary residence within one year, and the transfer benefit is capped – if the market value exceeds the parent’s assessed value by more than $1 million, the excess above $1M is added to the assessed value. Investment properties, vacation homes, and rental properties now fully reassess to market value at transfer. This affects a significant number of Solano County estate plans.
Decline in Value (Prop 8) Appeal: If your property’s current market value has fallen below your current assessed value – common during market downturns – you can request a temporary reduction under Proposition 8 (1978). File with the Solano County Assessment Appeals Board (675 Texas St., Suite 6700, Fairfield, 707-784-6310). The filing window is July 2 through November 30 each year (or within 3 years of the assessment date for other assessment types). The board reviews comparable sales as of the lien date (January 1). If market recovers, the county will restore the assessed value – but only up to the original Prop 13 base year amount plus allowable increases.
California has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. The federal estate tax applies above approximately $13.9 million (2025).
OWNWELL CTA: Solano County’s Decline in Value window is July 2–November 30. Prop 19 has materially changed parent-to-child property tax transfer rules since 2021 – many Solano County family estates need review. Supplemental tax bills after purchase catch buyers off guard. Ownwell manages Prop 8 appeals with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Solano County's Decline in Value window is July 2–November 30. Prop 19 has materially changed parent-to-child property tax transfer rules since 2021 - many Solano County family estates need review. Supplemental tax bills after purchase catch buyers off guard. Ownwell manages Prop 8 appeals with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Solano County Superior Court at 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield (707-435-3880) handles all civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. The Solano County Clerk-Recorder (675 Texas St., Suite 4400, Fairfield, 707-784-6294) maintains all land records – deeds, mortgages, and recorded documents – searchable online at solanocounty.com. The Assessor/Recorder handles property records; the Clerk-Recorder handles vital records and land documents.
California probate for estates with real property or assets over $184,500 (2025 threshold, adjusted periodically) requires formal court probate. California’s simplified small estate affidavit ($184,500 or less) and Spousal Property Petition (for transfers to surviving spouse) avoid full probate. California community property rules mean property acquired during marriage is owned equally by both spouses and receives a full stepped-up basis at the first spouse’s death.
Travis AFB military estate planning: Solano County’s large active-duty and veteran Travis AFB community has access to free legal assistance at the base legal office for wills, powers of attorney, and basic estate planning. SGLI, TSP, and SBP beneficiary designations are critical to keep current.
Prop 19 trust planning: Many Solano County families set up irrevocable trusts pre-Prop 19 specifically to pass property to children while preserving Prop 13 base values. Those trusts need review now – Prop 19 changed the rules for transfers occurring after February 16, 2021, even from pre-existing trusts in some circumstances. An estate planning attorney familiar with California property tax exclusions is essential.
Senior Services: The Solano County Health and Social Services – Aging and Adult Services (707-784-8960) coordinates senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, HICAP Medicare counseling (California’s SHIP program), caregiver support, Adult Protective Services, and connections to California Medi-Cal long-term care programs.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK-RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses)
675 Texas St., Suite 4700, Fairfield, CA 94533
(707) 784-6294
County Clerk
(707) 784-6675
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Solano County Superior Court, including the Vallejo branch (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Solano County Genealogical Society, Fairfield/Vallejo area, 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
Solano County Superior Court – Hall of Justice 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533 (707) 207-7341 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
A branch court also serves Vallejo (321 Tuolumne Street, Vallejo, CA 94590, (707) 553-5441).
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 Solano 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
530 Union Ave., Fairfield, CA 94533
(707) 784-7050
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) 784-8950
Medi-Cal
(800) 300-1506
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Solano County Public Health – (707) 784-8600 | solanocounty.com/health
Hospital: NorthBay Medical Center (Fairfield) – (707) 429-4500; NorthBay VacaValley Hospital (Vacaville); Kaiser Permanente (Vallejo and Fairfield); Sutter Solano Medical Center (Vallejo); Travis AFB David Grant Medical Center (military)
Notes: David Grant Medical Center at Travis AFB is a major military hospital providing medical care to active duty, retirees, and their families; NorthBay Health is the primary civilian health system; behavioral health demand is significant; Vallejo’s poverty creates health disparities; Bay Area housing costs push lower-income residents to Solano creating healthcare access challenges
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