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

What multifamily in Kentfield looks like

Kentfield has very little existing multifamily. It is a community of single-family homes, larger estate lots in Kent Woodlands, the College of Marin campus and a few small apartment and condominium buildings near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the creek. Duplexes, ADUs and upstairs units in older mixed-use buildings make up much of the rest of the rental market. That is changing on paper: the county’s Housing Element puts more planned units in Kentfield than in most unincorporated Marin communities. For loan options, see financing 2-4 unit properties and apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Kentfield is unincorporated, so the residential rules are in county Chapter 22.10. The single-family districts that cover most of Kentfield (R1, RE, RSP and the B combining lot-size variants) do not allow two-family or multifamily dwellings. Two or more units are possible in these districts:

The Housing Overlay. The county’s central Marin sites list assigns 225 units to 23 Kentfield parcels: 130 lower-income, 92 moderate and 3 above moderate. The larger pieces are the College of Marin parking lots (81 lower-income units across five parcels), the Sloat Garden Center (31), the Sir Francis Drake commercial frontage (about 98 across 14 parcels) and St. Sebastian Church (14, limited to 1.4 acres). Under Section 22.14.090, re-enacted by Ordinance 3782 in January 2023, housing on these sites is approved ministerially if it meets the Form Based Code. For an investor, this means new apartment supply in Kentfield is most likely to come as new construction on these sites, not resales.

ADUs and SB 9. County ADUs and JADUs are permitted in every residential district. See our ADU investment guide. SB 9 may let an R1 owner add a second unit or split a lot, but hillside, fire and flood constraints in Kentfield often limit it; confirm with county planning and see our SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: state law plus county ordinances

Rent cap. No local rent cap applies in Kentfield. The Attorney General’s rent cap page puts the AB 1482 cap for the San Francisco area, including Marin, at 8.8% for increases from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. See our AB 1482 guide.

County just cause. Marin’s Chapter 5.100, adopted December 18, 2018 as Ordinance 3705, applies to properties with at least three units on one legal lot in unincorporated Marin. Permitted ADUs and JADUs are not counted, so a home with two permitted ADUs is generally outside it, but an unpermitted unit is counted. For a no-fault termination to be valid, the owner must hold a rental business license, have any required health permit, have registered the unit in the county rental registry, have given the Notice of Tenant Rights and send a copy of the notice to the CDA director within 10 days. See our just cause eviction guide.

Mediation. Kentfield is covered by the county’s mandatory mediation program under Chapter 5.95. Increases above 5% in 12 months can go to mediation if the tenant asks within 10 calendar days, and the Notice of Tenant Rights must go out with every new lease, renewal and increase notice.

Source of income. The county’s Renting in Marin page states that landlords cannot discriminate against tenants using vouchers or other government assistance.

Kentfield rental property rules

• Business license. Every unincorporated rental needs a county business license, $15 per dwelling unit per year, renewed by July 31.
• Multi-unit health permit and inspections. Properties with three or more non-owner-occupied units generally need an Environmental Health permit and fall under the county’s multi-unit inspection program.
• Short-term rentals. Kentfield has no township cap, so a county STR license comes from the countywide pool of 1,200. Some ADUs built after January 1, 2020 cannot get one.

Sewer laterals, flood and fire

Sewer. The Ross Valley Sanitary District serves Kentfield. A Certificate of Compliance is required when a property is sold, with 90 days after closing to get it, and for remodels over $75,000 or added bathrooms. Video-inspect the lateral during escrow.

Flood. Low-lying Kentfield parcels near Corte Madera Creek are in Flood Control Zone 9, formed in 1965 and active in flood risk projects after the 2005 Ross Valley floods. Check FEMA mapping and flood insurance cost.

Fire. The Kentfield Fire Protection District serves 3.8 square miles including Kent Woodlands. Hillside rentals should have current defensible-space work.

Older buildings. Kentfield’s few apartment buildings are mostly older wood-frame construction. Consider a seismic retrofit review, and order SB 721 inspections for buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies or stairs.

Underwriting a Kentfield multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the zoning and whether the parcel is an HOD site, since that changes land value.
2. Count units under the county just cause rule, excluding only permitted ADUs and JADUs.
3. Verify the business license, rental registry entries, health permit and tenant rights notices for every unit.
4. Model increases at or below AB 1482, and flag any over 5% for mediation.
5. Get the RVSD lateral status, flood zone, SB 721 report and estoppel certificates.
6. Build reassessed taxes, flood insurance and repairs into our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Marin County Code (GoCodebook): Ch. 22.10, Ch. 22.14 incl. § 22.14.090 and Table 2-12
2. Marin County, Central Marin housing element sites
3. Marin County renter pages: Renting in Marin, Just Cause, Mandatory Mediation
4. Marin County: business license, multi-unit inspection, STR license
5. Ross Valley Sanitary District, compliance
6. Marin Flood District, Zone 9
7. Marin LAFCo, Kentfield Fire Protection District
8. California Attorney General, Rent Caps

Note: Unit counts are from the county inventory and are not approved projects. We did not open the zoning map, the community plan text or the county SB 9 provisions.

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

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