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

What multifamily in Broadmoor looks like

Broadmoor is an unincorporated pocket of San Mateo County inside Daly City, and its rental stock is mostly older single-family homes, duplexes, fourplexes and small apartment buildings. The County’s own multifamily guide lists Broadmoor among the unincorporated areas with a meaningful share of older small buildings. Since April 2026, a set of Broadmoor parcels has also been rezoned for much denser housing. For two to four units, read financing 2-4 unit properties; for five or more, see apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Broadmoor follows the County’s Title 8 Zoning and Development Code, not Daly City’s code.

City or County. Because Broadmoor sits inside Daly City, a buyer can easily confuse the two. The County describes the area as unincorporated Daly City in its rezoning filing, and the difference changes who issues permits, which zoning tables apply and which local rules govern the building. Confirm on the County’s parcel records before relying on any Daly City standard.

R-3. The County’s R-3 chapter allows multiple-family dwellings, dwelling groups and dormitories, with unit density set by the residential density combining district mapped with it. Check the S-number on the County map before counting units.

The 2026 rezoning. Under the County’s Housing Element Rezoning Program, the Board adopted the new districts on April 21, 2026, effective 30 days later.

• Density. The CEQA notice of exemption, posted April 22, 2026, describes densities of 70 to 150 units an acre across about 26 acres in Broadmoor, unincorporated Colma and the Harbor Industrial Area.
• Approvals. Projects get objective standards and ministerial permitting.
• Effect on value. A Broadmoor duplex or small building on a rezoned parcel can carry redevelopment value well beyond its rent roll.

The County posts a Broadmoor parcel list; we did not review it, so confirm the parcel.

ADUs. The County’s ADU page puts inland ADU rules in Chapter 8.392 and sets four-foot side and rear setbacks. ADUs carry no owner-occupancy requirement, though a JADU without its own bathroom needs a recorded owner-occupancy restriction. SB 9 can apply to qualifying R-1 lots. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: state law only

The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, places San Mateo County in the San Francisco Area, allowing covered units up to 8.8% for increases from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The only local rent stabilization it lists in San Mateo County is East Palo Alto’s, and Daly City’s rules do not reach unincorporated Broadmoor. The County’s mobile home rent limits apply only to spaces in unincorporated mobile home parks. Broadmoor apartments and duplexes therefore follow AB 1482 for covered units, with its just-cause rules. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Broadmoor rental property rules

• Police district parcel tax. Broadmoor is served by the Broadmoor Police Protection District, which levies a supplemental parcel tax that can rise up to 5% a year. San Mateo LAFCo ran a special study in 2023 and adopted a municipal service review on May 15, 2024, after concerns about the district’s finances. The district’s commission repealed a resolution toward Chapter 9 bankruptcy on January 9, 2024, and has considered, but not acted on, a measure to raise the tax faster. Budget for this tax as a per-parcel expense.
• Hotel tax. Short-term rental operators in unincorporated areas register for transient occupancy tax with the County’s contractor, HdL.
• Transfer tax. Only the County’s documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 applies.
• Permits. Unit additions, ADUs and repairs go through County Planning and Building, not Daly City.

Older buildings and seismic

Broadmoor’s older wood-frame duplexes and small apartment buildings, often with units over garages, merit a seismic retrofit review. Buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies or walkways need SB 721 balcony inspections. Older sewer laterals and electrical systems are common replacement items; have them inspected before closing.

Underwriting a Broadmoor multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the parcel is unincorporated Broadmoor and identify its County district and S-number.
2. Check the 2026 parcel list for R-3-M-D or TS-MU zoning and redevelopment potential.
3. Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.8% for covered units.
4. Add the police district parcel tax and its possible annual increases to expenses.
5. Collect leases and estoppel certificates.
6. Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, seismic and SB 721 costs in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. San Mateo County Planning, zoning regulations
2. Title 8, Chapter 8.28 R-3
3. San Mateo County Planning, new zoning districts
4. San Mateo County, Housing Element Rezoning Program
5. CEQAnet, Housing Element Rezoning Program Phase I, SCH 2026041010
6. San Mateo County Planning, ADUs
7. San Mateo LAFCo, Broadmoor PPD special study and municipal service review
8. San Mateo County, transient occupancy tax
9. San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax
10. California Attorney General, rent caps

Note: We did not review the Broadmoor parcel list, Chapters 8.29 and 8.116, the MSR’s findings or the parcel tax amount. R-3, ADU and County mobile home rules draw on facts verified for our San Mateo County guide.

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

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