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

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What multifamily in Martinez looks like

Martinez has one of the older housing stocks in central Contra Costa County. Rental buildings are concentrated in and around downtown, along Alhambra Avenue and near the Amtrak station. Typical inventory includes:

Victorian and early 1900s homes on small downtown lots, some split into two or more units
Duplexes and small walk-up buildings in the R-3.5 and R-2.5 districts
1960s to 1980s apartment complexes in R-1.5 areas
Newer townhouse and condominium projects near the waterfront
Mobile home parks under the city’s Title 18 rules

Buyers often start with a duplex, triplex or fourplex. See financing 2-4 unit properties and, for larger buildings, apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Martinez’s residential districts are named by the minimum lot area each unit needs. Standards come from Chapter 22.12, amended most recently by Ordinance 1488 on June 24, 2026.

District	Site area per unit	What it allows
R-1.5	1,500 sq ft (1,250 with special consideration)	Multifamily up to 24 units per building. 5,000 sq ft minimum site
R-2.5	2,500 sq ft	Multifamily up to 8 units per building. 3,500 sq ft minimum site
R-3.5	3,500 sq ft	Up to 2 units per building (duplexes). 4,000 sq ft minimum site
R-6.0 to R-100.0, RR	One unit per site	Single-family plus ADUs. 2 stories or 25 ft
D Downtown overlay	With a use permit: 1,250 (R-1.5), 1,500 (R-2.5), 2,500 (R-3.5)	Higher density on 4,000 to 6,000 sq ft downtown lots. 2 stories/25 ft, or 2.5 stories/30 ft in R-1.5 and R-2.5
DS Downtown Shoreline	2,100 sq ft, down to 1,250 by use permit	Duplexes, townhouses and multifamily by right
NC, CC, SC commercial	1,250 to 1,500 sq ft	Upper-floor units permitted. 25 to 35 units per acre within half a mile of Amtrak

Slopes. The per-unit figures apply on land at 10% slope or less. Steeper land is adjusted under the hillside chapter, so a hillside R-1.5 lot may support fewer units than its area suggests.

Small infill sites. On sites up to 9,999 sq ft in R-1.5, R-2.5 or R-3.5 that adjoin existing multifamily, a multifamily building can be approved by conditional use permit. That approval takes a two-thirds Planning Commission vote.

Downtown overlay parking. With a use permit and three findings, the Planning Commission can accept one covered space per unit on a downtown overlay lot. That can make small downtown infill projects work.

Shoreline condos. New multifamily in DS must be processed with a subdivision map so units can be sold individually.

Inclusionary. Chapter 22.82, adopted by Ordinance 1480 in December 2025, applies to projects of 11 or more units. At least 15% must be affordable. Rental inclusionary units must average 80% of area median income or less and stay restricted for 55 years. The in-lieu fee is at least $100,000 per required unit. Projects deemed complete or approved before January 1, 2026 are exempt.

ADUs and SB 9. ADUs are permitted in residential districts under Chapter 22.43. Martinez has separate objective standards for SB 9 subdivisions in Chapter 22.51A. We did not review the text of either chapter. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: state law plus local anti-harassment rules

Martinez is not on the California Attorney General’s list of cities with local rent caps. In Contra Costa County, only Antioch, Concord and Richmond appear. Covered Martinez units follow the Tenant Protection Act cap for the San Francisco Area: 6.3% for August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, and 8.8% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. State just cause rules apply after 12 months of tenancy. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Tenant Anti-Harassment Protections, Chapter 22.85. The city adopted Chapter 22.85 by Ordinance 1484 on June 3, 2026. It does not cap rents, but it changes how a landlord can operate:

Prohibited conduct. Bad-faith acts against a tenant are barred. Examples include cutting services, failing to make required repairs on time, improper entries and repeated buyout offers. Asking about immigration status is also barred.
Retaliation. A landlord action within 180 days after a tenant asserts rights is presumed retaliatory.
City notice. Landlords must give tenants a city-prepared notice at the start of each tenancy. Existing tenants had to receive it within 30 days of the effective date.
Penalties. Damages are the greater of three times actual damages or $1,000 per violation. Up to $5,000 more applies for elderly, disabled or terminally ill tenants, plus attorney’s fees.
Eviction defense. A violation is a complete defense to an eviction case.

Martinez rental property rules

Mobile home parks. Title 18 covers permits, site requirements, utilities, occupancy, maintenance and fire protection in parks. We did not find a city space-rent ordinance in that title’s chapter list, so confirm with the city whether any local space rent rules apply. Mobile home parks are exempt from the inclusionary chapter.

Short-term rentals. We did not verify a Martinez short-term rental ordinance. The city’s code includes a transient occupancy tax chapter in Title 3, so short stays are taxed. Check permit rules with Planning before you underwrite one.

Business license. Title 5 covers business taxes, which can apply to rental operators. We did not verify the rates.

Older buildings and utilities

Downtown Martinez has many pre-1940 wood-frame buildings, and many apartment buildings date from the 1960s to 1980s. A seismic retrofit review is worth doing for buildings over open parking. We did not find a mandatory Martinez soft-story program. Buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies or stairways need SB 721 inspections. Parts of downtown sit near Alhambra Creek and the shoreline, so check flood zone status on each parcel. The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges $0.55 per $500 in county transfer tax. Martinez’s Chapter 3.12 sets a city tax of $0.275 per $500, which the Recorder administers. The Recorder lists no added Martinez tax, so the city amount appears to be credited within the county total. Confirm with escrow.

Underwriting a Martinez multifamily purchase

Confirm the R district and any downtown or shoreline overlay, then check unit count against the site area per unit.
Check slope before counting on extra units in a hillside R-1.5 or R-2.5 lot.
Confirm each unit’s AB 1482 status and model increases at no more than the state cap.
Ask the seller for proof the Chapter 22.85 notice went to every tenant, and review repair and entry logs.
Get estoppel certificates and copies of any buyout offers or termination notices.
Add reassessed property tax, transfer tax, SB 721 work and seismic items to your rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Does Martinez have rent control?

No local rent cap appears on the Attorney General’s list. State AB 1482 limits apply to covered units.

What is Martinez’s tenant anti-harassment law?

Chapter 22.85, adopted in June 2026. It bars bad-faith landlord conduct, presumes retaliation within 180 days and allows damages of at least $1,000 per violation.

Where can I build a duplex?

Duplexes are allowed in R-3.5, and larger buildings in R-2.5 and R-1.5. The Downtown Shoreline district also allows them by right.

How many units can an R-2.5 lot hold?

One unit per 2,500 sq ft of lot area on land under 10% slope, with up to eight units per building.

When does inclusionary housing apply?

To projects of 11 or more units, at 15% of the total.

Can I reduce parking downtown?

On downtown overlay lots, the Planning Commission can approve one covered space per unit with a use permit and findings.

Does Martinez charge a city transfer tax?

Chapter 3.12 sets a city tax of $0.275 per $500, collected by the County Recorder. The Recorder lists no added Martinez tax beyond the county’s $0.55 per $500, but confirm with escrow.

Sources & notes

Martinez Municipal Code Title 22 (GoCodebook, October 2026 edition): 22.12, 22.13, 22.16, 22.23, 22.82, 22.85
Martinez Title 18, Mobile Home Parks (chapter list)
California Attorney General, Rent Caps
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: The ADU and SB 9 chapters, short-term rental rules and business license rates were not reviewed. Chapter 22.85’s coverage exemptions were not shown in the online text.

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

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