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

What multifamily in Colma looks like

Colma has very little housing for its size, because cemeteries and golf courses cover most of the town. What exists is concentrated in a few residential pockets: older homes and small multi-unit buildings in the R zone, the single-family Sterling Park neighborhood, and town-supported senior housing on public land. Just outside the town line, unincorporated Colma is a County neighborhood of older homes and small apartment buildings with its own zoning. For two to four units, read financing 2-4 unit properties; for larger buildings, see apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Inside the town, Subchapter 5.03 of the Colma Municipal Code sets the zones.

R zone. Under Section 5.03.081, R permits single-family homes, manufactured homes, group homes, ADUs and multiple dwellings of up to six units, as long as density stays within the General Plan. The low-density limit is 13 units an acre, and Section 5.03.082 allows medium density of 13 to 30.

• Lots and height. Lots must average 33.33 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Buildings may reach 36 feet, with a 15-foot front setback to the house and 19 feet to the garage.
• Parking. Under state law, no minimum parking applies within half a mile of high-quality transit, which reaches parts of Colma near the Colma BART station.

R-S Sterling Park. Added by Ordinance 536 in 1998, R-S keeps the Sterling Park neighborhood single-family, with a 27-foot height limit. Churches, schools and commercial or light industrial uses are prohibited, though state-mandated housing types such as supportive and transitional housing and single-room occupancy units are permitted.

ADUs. Colma’s ADU sections (5.03.100 through 5.03.107), updated by Ordinance 2026-829 on January 28, 2026, make ADUs a ministerial building permit.

• Timing. The town must act within 45 days of a complete application, or it is deemed approved.
• Parking. No replacement parking is required when a garage is converted.
• Rental terms. ADUs must be rented for more than 30 days.
• Fees. No impact fees under 750 square feet, and a 50% permit fee cut for certain pre-approved plans and deed-restricted units.
• JADUs. Junior ADUs are capped at 500 square feet.

See our ADU investment guide. SB 9 can apply to qualifying single-family lots such as those in R-S; see our SB 9 lot split guide.

Unincorporated Colma. On April 21, 2026, the County adopted new zoning districts for parts of unincorporated Colma, Broadmoor and the Harbor Industrial Area: Planned Colma High Density, Transit-Supportive Mixed-Use and a multiple-family mixed-density residential district. A County parcel near the BART station may now allow considerably more units than its old zoning; confirm with County Planning.

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, with covered units allowed up to 8.8% for increases from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. It lists East Palo Alto as the only San Mateo County city with rent stabilization, so Colma rentals follow AB 1482’s cap and just-cause rules for covered units. In unincorporated Colma, County mobile home rent rules apply only to mobile home parks. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Colma rental property rules

• No short stays in ADUs. ADUs must be rented for more than 30 days. We did not find a separate town short-term rental chapter in the code contents we viewed.
• Transfer tax. Only the County’s documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 appears to apply; the County names only the City of San Mateo as adding a tax, and we found no town transfer tax.
• Open space. New R zone units need 100 square feet of private open space each, which limits how many units fit on a small lot.
• Zoning map. The town’s zoning map is the April 2008 General Plan land use map, so check it alongside any later rezoning.

Older buildings, BART access and seismic

Colma’s residential pockets include older wood-frame homes and small buildings, which merit a seismic retrofit review. Any building of three or more units with elevated balconies or walkways needs SB 721 balcony inspections. Proximity to the Colma BART station is the main reason parking rules are relaxed and the main driver of the County’s 2026 rezoning nearby.

Underwriting a Colma multifamily purchase

1. Confirm town or County; unincorporated Colma follows County Title 8 and its 2026 districts.
2. In the R zone, check that the unit count fits the six-unit building limit and the General Plan density.
3. Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.8% for covered units.
4. Confirm whether the property is within half a mile of BART for parking relief on added units.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll 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. Colma Municipal Code, Subchapter 5.03, Zoning Ordinance (GoCodebook)
2. San Mateo County Planning, new zoning districts
3. San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax
4. California Attorney General, rent caps

Note: Colma’s published zoning tables are garbled, so confirm standards with the town. We did not identify which parcels carry R or PD zoning or review the town’s Housing Element sites. That the transit radius reaches parts of Colma near BART is our reading, not a town determination.

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

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