Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in Moss Landing: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in Moss Landing looks like

Moss Landing is a small harbor community, and income property there is scarce and unusual. Typical examples are apartments above shops on Moss Landing Road, a house with a second unit or caretaker unit, small duplex or fourplex lots in the residential pockets nearby, and manufactured homes. There are no large apartment complexes. Many buyers combine a commercial ground floor with one or two rentals upstairs. For financing, see financing 2-4 unit properties and, for mixed-use buildings, apartment building loans.

Everything here is in the Coastal Zone and unincorporated. Monterey County’s Title 20 coastal zoning applies, and most new units need a coastal development permit.

Where the zoning allows it

Housing is possible in a few Title 20 districts. Standards are from the MLC chapter, the MDR(CZ) chapter and the HI chapter.

What this means in practice. On Moss Landing Road, the most a typical lot can add is a modest number of upstairs units, since 4 units per acre on a small lot often means one. Second-story units also have to meet the road’s design rules for porches, false fronts and wood siding. In MDR(CZ), the map suffix controls. A duplex on a vacant lot is the easy case. Anything up to four units needs a coastal development permit. Projects with more than five units need trash enclosures and a recreation area of at least 3% of the lot.

Triggers for a full coastal permit. In all these districts, any project on slopes of 25% or more (the North County threshold), within 100 feet of sensitive habitat, or involving a land division needs a coastal development permit, whatever the use. Around Elkhorn Slough, habitat setbacks often decide how much can be built.

ADUs and SB 9. State law allows ADUs on residential lots, but in the Coastal Zone they still go through the County’s coastal permit process. SB 9 applies only to qualifying single-family lots in urbanized areas and does not override the Coastal Act. Confirm eligibility with the County. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: state law only

There is no local rent ordinance for unincorporated Monterey County. The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, places Monterey County in All Other Counties. Covered units may rise by up to 8.6% for increases from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Salinas’s rent stabilization does not reach Moss Landing. Many units here are single-family homes or ADUs owned by individuals, which can be exempt from AB 1482 when the required notice is given. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Moss Landing rental property rules

• Short-term rentals. Under the County’s short-term rental page, renting for 30 days or less in the Coastal Zone needs a discretionary permit through a coastal "similar use" path, which the County estimates at about $12,000. Approval is not guaranteed. Operators must register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector for transient occupancy tax and post the certificate. Paying TOT does not make an unpermitted rental legal.
• Bed and breakfasts need a coastal development permit in both MLC and MDR(CZ).
• Harbor property. Some waterfront buildings are on land leased from the Moss Landing Harbor District. Confirm whether housing is allowed under the lease.

Flooding, water and the plan update

Low-lying parcels near the harbor and slough face flood, tsunami and sea-level-rise exposure. The County’s Moss Landing Community Plan update includes draft climate-hazard regulations, discussed at an April 15, 2025 community meeting. Draft North County coastal rules were open for comment through June 30, 2025. A revised EIR notice went out in December 2024. Those drafts could change what can be rebuilt near the water, so read them before you buy.

Check water and wastewater service for each parcel. The MLC chapter treats a water system of 14 or fewer connections as an administrative permit matter, and a larger system as a conditional use in MDR(CZ). Ask the seller which system serves the property and get its records. Older wood-frame buildings near the water deserve a seismic retrofit review. Buildings of three or more units with elevated decks need SB 721 balcony inspections.

Underwriting a Moss Landing multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the Title 20 district, density suffix and whether each existing unit has County permits.
2. Check for sensitive habitat within 100 feet and the Coastal Commission appeal area.
3. Classify each unit under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.6% for covered units.
4. Confirm the water system, sewer or septic, and flood zone, and read the draft climate-hazard rules.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll, any Harbor District lease and estoppel certificates.
6. Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, flood insurance and deck inspections in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Monterey County Title 20, Chapter 20.20, MLC District
2. Title 20, Chapter 20.12, MDR District
3. Title 20, Chapter 20.28, HI District
4. County HCD, Moss Landing Community Plan Update
5. County HCD, Short-Term Rentals
6. Moss Landing Harbor District
7. California Attorney General, Rent Caps

Note: We did not review the HDR(CZ) chapter, the County ADU rules, which parcels are mapped MDR or HDR, or the water and sewer providers for specific parcels. SB 9 eligibility in Moss Landing was not confirmed.

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

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