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

What multifamily in Freeport looks like

Freeport is a small Delta river town on Freeport Boulevard just south of Sacramento, so its rental stock is small and old: single-family homes rented out, the occasional duplex, houses with second units, and living quarters above or behind commercial buildings on the boulevard. Buyers looking for apartment complexes generally find them on the city side of the line, under different rules. For small properties, see financing 2-4 unit properties; for larger buildings, apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Jurisdiction first. Freeport is unincorporated and follows the County Zoning Code. A parcel just north, inside the City of Sacramento, would instead fall under city zoning and the city’s own rent rules, so confirm which side of the line a property is on.

The NPA overlay. Freeport has its own Town of Freeport Neighborhood Preservation Area, adopted in 1983 to protect the town’s river town atmosphere. It matters for investors in one specific way: building or modifying a one- or two-family residence on an existing parcel is exempt from the NPA’s development plan review. A duplex project skips that step; anything larger, any change of use and any exterior change to a mixed-use building goes through the planning director, with a referral to the Delta Citizens Municipal Advisory Council, before permits issue.

ADUs and SB 9. The County’s ADU standards guide, dated October 22, 2026, says its local ADU ordinance was repealed and state law now governs; confirm current rules with Sacramento County Planning. See our ADU investment guide. SB 9 applies only to qualifying single-family lots in urbanized areas or urban clusters, not farm land, so confirm a Freeport lot qualifies and check flood rules. See our SB 9 lot split guide.

Design and trees. Even exempt projects should note the NPA’s tree rule: removing a tree needs the planning director’s prior approval, and grading is restricted where significant trees could be damaged.

Rent rules: state law in the town, city rules across the line

Unincorporated Freeport has no local rent ordinance. The Attorney General’s rent cap page places Sacramento County in All Other Counties, with caps of 7.7% for increases from August 1, 2025 and 8.6% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, and lists the City of Sacramento as the county’s only local ordinance. A building inside city limits would follow that city ordinance instead. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Freeport rental property rules

• County rental registration. All residential rentals in the unincorporated County must be registered under the Rental Housing Inspection Program, at $16 per unit per year, usually on the first County utility bill of the year. Owners can self-certify after a County-approved course, subject to random audits; otherwise routine inspections come with at least 14 days’ notice.
• Short-term rentals. The County’s STR permit rules require a permit, business license and TOT registration, an owner or long-term renter living on site at least six months a year, and a 29-day annual cap per guest party. JADUs and guest houses cannot be rented short term. The Freeport NPA is not one of the Delta areas where STR can be a primary use.
• Transfer tax. The County Clerk-Recorder charges $0.55 per $500; the City of Sacramento’s added 0.275% applies only inside city limits.

Levees, flood and older buildings

Levees. The levee along the river from Freeport south to Courtland, roughly nine miles, is maintained by the state’s Maintenance Area 9, according to the County’s Hood flood study page. The County’s Delta Protection Element calls for new structures to be set back from levees and does not list Freeport among its Primary Zone towns; confirm the parcel’s zone status on the Delta Protection Commission’s map.

Flood. Low-lying parcels may carry the County’s F flood combining district, with elevation requirements for new habitable buildings. Price flood insurance before you write an offer.

Building condition. Older wood-frame houses and mixed-use buildings deserve a seismic retrofit review, and any building of three or more units with elevated decks needs SB 721 balcony inspections. Confirm sewer or septic service and water supply for every unit.

Underwriting a Freeport multifamily purchase

1. Confirm County or City of Sacramento jurisdiction; it changes the rent rules and the transfer tax.
2. Read the base zone and confirm whether the parcel sits inside the NPA boundary.
3. Check that each unit was permitted and is registered with the County inspection program.
4. Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.6% for covered units.
5. Collect leases and estoppel certificates.
6. Add flood insurance, reassessed taxes and the $16 per unit fee to our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Sacramento County, Town of Freeport NPA
2. Sacramento County Zoning Code, Chapter 2
3. Sacramento County General Plan, Delta Protection Element
4. Sacramento County Water Resources, Hood Feasibility Study
5. Sacramento County Code Enforcement, Rental Housing Inspection Program
6. County Planning, short-term rental permits
7. California Attorney General, Rent Caps (updated July 16, 2026)
8. County Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: The NPA boundary is a map image we could not read. We did not confirm the zoning of specific parcels, Freeport’s Delta zone status or its water and sewer providers.

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

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