Los Osos
An unincorporated community on the south shore of Morro Bay, about 12 miles west of San Luis Obispo, between the estuary and Montaña de Oro State Park. For more than 35 years almost no new homes could be built here. That freeze ended in late 2024, and new homes are now allotted each year under a growth cap.
Home market
Sales for September 2026; homes for sale as of October 18, 2026. Community-wide figures from Redfin, all home types.
Monthly figures for a small community swing with just a few sales, so compare several months before drawing conclusions. Countywide trends are on the market data page; local loan limits and a payment calculator are on Loans & rates.
What's being built: 2 projects
Projects confirmed in official records (the County, LAFCO or the State's CEQA database, CEQAnet) or, where the official report isn't online, local news coverage of the public vote. Each links to its source.
| Project | What it is | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Osos Community Plan | The County's plan for land use, growth and coastal development in Los Osos. The Board of Supervisors accepted the Coastal Commission's changes in October 2024, lifting the building freeze that began in 1988. | Certified; Board action Oct. 29, 2024 | County: certified plan New Times report |
| Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan | A 25-year plan covering about 3,644 acres inside the Los Osos Urban Reserve Line. New building that disturbs habitat pays a mitigation fee per square foot instead of getting its own federal permit. | Approved by Board of Supervisors 4-1, Dec. 10, 2024 | New Times report |
Los Osos has no large subdivisions in the pipeline; new homes come one lot at a time through the yearly allocation. County Planning & Building lists the Community Plan and the Habitat Conservation Plan among its active planning projects. See: Los Osos Community Plan, as certified (County).
Building here
Los Osos has no city government, so the County of San Luis Obispo sets the rules. These local limits matter if you plan to build or buy a vacant lot:
- New homes in Los Osos need a yearly allocation under the County Growth Management Ordinance. For 2026 the Board of Supervisors set a 0.4% growth rate (Dec. 16, 2025): 25 new homes community-wide, 19 of them in the sewer service area (12 single-family, 7 multi-family), handed out to lots in waitlist order in batches on March 1 and May 1, 2026. (County letter, Dec. 24, 2025)
- The Coastal Commission capped growth in Los Osos at 1% a year (up to 50 homes). The Board sets the rate each year within that cap. (New Times report)
Public schools
Los Osos is part of San Luis Coastal Unified, the same district as the City of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.
Los Osos is served by San Luis Coastal Unified School District. Schools in or serving Los Osos:
- Baywood Elementary School
- Monarch Grove Elementary School
- Los Osos Middle School
- Morro Bay High School (in Morro Bay)
School assignment depends on your exact address; confirm boundaries with the district. School list from the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education and the district.
Walkability
Walk Score counts about 26 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Los Osos, mostly along Los Osos Valley Road and in Baywood Park. Most errands need a car. (Walk Score)
Other towns
Arroyo Grande
$966,040 median · 105 for sale
Open →Atascadero
$854,593 median · 93 for sale
Open →Grover Beach
$737,149 median · 47 for sale
Open →Morro Bay
$949,548 median · 53 for sale
Open →Paso Robles
$809,614 median · 333 for sale
Open →Pismo Beach
$1,329,367 median · 47 for sale
Open →Cambria
$924,560 median · 128 for sale
Open →Nipomo
$770,383 median · 76 for sale
Open →Santa Margarita
$800,000 median · 67 for sale
Open →Templeton
$864,588 median · 58 for sale
Open →San Luis Obispo
Six City areas with every City-tracked project
Open →Sources
- County of San Luis Obispo: Los Osos Community Plan
- Los Osos Community Plan, as certified (County)
- Redfin: Los Osos housing market (retrieved October 18, 2026)
- County: certified plan: Los Osos Community Plan
- New Times report: Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan
- County letter, Dec. 24, 2025
- San Luis Coastal Unified School District
- Walk Score: Los Osos
Project details and stages change; contact the County of San Luis Obispo Planning & Building for the latest on a specific project. Market data are estimates from Redfin.