Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in Antioch: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in Antioch looks like

Antioch has one of the larger rental markets in East Contra Costa County. It includes:

• Older duplexes, fourplexes and small buildings in and around Rivertown
• 1970s and 1980s garden apartment complexes along A Street, Delta Fair Boulevard, Lone Tree Way and Hillcrest Avenue
• Many single-family rentals
• Newer projects planned near the Hillcrest eBART station

Antioch has its own rent stabilization, just cause and rental inspection rules, so it is not a state-law-only city like most of its neighbors. For financing, see financing 2-4 unit properties and apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Section 9-5.301 defines the residential districts. Lot and density figures come from the height and area table.

R-25 and R-35 set minimum densities, so a low-density project there will not conform. Antioch also has objective design standards for multifamily projects in Article 7, and a residential growth management article. Its land use table allows multifamily by right up to 35 units per acre and four stories where listed, and 35 to 50 units per acre with a use permit.

Downtown housing. The 2018 Downtown Specific Plan requires one covered parking space per unit for new residential. Existing buildings are exempt from new parking unless they expand or need a use permit.

ADUs and SB 9. State ADU and SB 9 law applies on single-family lots. We did not open Antioch’s local ADU or SB 9 provisions, so confirm the standards with Planning. Antioch’s rent stabilization chapter does not list ADUs among its exemptions. Ask the city how it treats them. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: Antioch rent stabilization

Antioch is on the Attorney General’s list of cities with local rent caps. Units outside the local program still follow the state cap for the San Francisco Area region: 6.3% from August 1, 2025, and 8.8% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. See our AB 1482 guide.

Chapter 11-3. Rent stabilization was adopted by Ordinance 2219-C-S in October 2022 and amended in June 2023. Its main rules:

• Cap. Increases are limited to the lesser of 3% or 60% of the Bay Area CPI change, once every 12 months.
• Base date. The cap applies to increases on or after August 23, 2022. A cut in housing services counts as a rent increase.
• Exemptions. Following Costa-Hawkins, units with a certificate of occupancy after February 1, 1995 and separately alienable units, such as most condos and many single-family homes, are exempt. So are mobile home spaces, transient units and rooms in the landlord’s own home.
• Notices. Landlords must give written notice of the program at the start of a tenancy and with every increase, in the language of the lease.
• Registration. All covered units must be registered and the rent program fee paid, at amounts the City Council sets.
• Petitions. Tenants can petition for a rent reduction, and landlords for a fair return increase, before a hearing officer.
• Enforcement. An increase is ineffective if the landlord has not substantially complied, or has failed to keep the unit habitable. Civil damages are the greater of actual damages or three times the overcharge or $1,000.

Antioch just cause and rental rules

Just cause, Chapter 11-6. Adopted by Ordinance 2240-C-S in August 2024, tenant eviction protections apply from the first day of a tenancy, not after 12 months as under state law. Its main rules:

• Grounds. At-fault grounds include nonpayment, uncured breach after a three-day cure notice, nuisance and criminal activity. No-fault grounds are owner or family move-in, demolition or substantial remodel, a government order, and Ellis Act withdrawal.
• Relocation. No-fault evictions require two months’ rent in relocation pay. A household with a senior, disabled person, child under 18 or lower-income member gets a third month.
• Filing. Landlords must file a copy of every termination notice and proof of service with the city within five days.
• Move-ins. Owner move-in requires 60 days’ notice and occupancy for at least two years. A tenant of five or more years who is elderly, disabled or low-income cannot be displaced unless the incoming occupant is similarly situated.

Chapters 11-4 and 11-5 add retaliation and harassment protections. See our just cause eviction guide.

Rental inspection, Chapter 5-20. The rental dwelling unit maintenance and inspection program covers single-family, multifamily and condo rentals. Owners must return the city’s registration packet within 30 days. New buildings with more than four units are exempt for five years after their first certificate of occupancy, unless complaints are filed. Single-family rentals get no such grace period.

Business license. Under Section 3-1.217, residential landlords pay a per-unit tax instead of the gross receipts tax: $250 per single-family unit and $150 per multifamily unit, including duplexes and condos. It adjusts with CPI.

Building and closing-cost issues

Many Antioch complexes are 1970s and 1980s wood frame with exterior stairs and balconies. Buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies need SB 721 inspections, and the city’s rental inspection program can also surface repair items. A seismic retrofit review is worthwhile, though we did not verify a mandatory city soft-story program. The County Clerk-Recorder lists no added Antioch transfer tax. The city’s own $0.275 per $500 tax under Chapter 3-6 is administered by the Recorder, so confirm the total with escrow.

Underwriting an Antioch multifamily purchase

1. Get the certificate of occupancy date for each building to see whether rent stabilization covers it.
2. Confirm every covered unit is registered, fees are paid and program notices went out with each increase.
3. Model increases at the lesser of 3% or 60% of CPI for covered units.
4. Ask for all termination notices filed with the city and price relocation of up to three months’ rent for any planned no-fault move-out.
5. Confirm rental inspection registration and any open inspection items, and get estoppel certificates.
6. Add the $150 per-unit license tax and reassessed property tax to your rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Antioch Municipal Code Chapter 11-3, Rent Stabilization (GoCodebook)
2. Chapter 11-6, Tenant Eviction Protections
3. Chapter 5-20, Rental Dwelling Unit Inspection Program, Article 2
4. §9-5.301 Districts, Article 6, Article 7 and Article 38
5. Downtown Specific Plan (2018) and Hillcrest Station Area Specific Plan (2009)
6. Chapter 3-1, Article 2, Business License Taxes and Chapter 3-6, Transfer Tax
7. California Attorney General, Rent Caps and Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder

Note: The rent program fee is set by City Council resolution and was not posted in the code. Confirm it with the city.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

Related: Antioch real estate guide · Commercial real estate in Antioch · Multifamily investing guide · Investor services