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

What multifamily in Pacifica looks like

Pacifica’s rental housing is a mix of duplexes, garden apartments, small walk-ups, condominiums, homes with ADUs and mobile home spaces. Much of the town lies in the Coastal Zone, and for buildings near coastal bluffs the city’s hazard rules can matter as much as the rent roll. In 2025 the city added new higher-density districts to meet its Housing Element. For two to four units, see financing 2-4 unit properties; for five or more, apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

The Pacifica Municipal Code lists these districts that allow two or more homes. We reviewed the new higher-density article in detail; check the others’ density and height in the code.

The 2025 rezoning. Ordinance 902-C.S., effective September 24, 2025, created the R-30 to R-60 and MU districts in Article 54. Their stated purpose is to promote multifamily rental and missing-middle housing. On sites the 2023–2031 Housing Element counts toward its lower-income shortfall, qualifying projects that meet objective standards and the rezoning EIR’s mitigation measures get ministerial approval.

ADUs. ADUs and JADUs follow Article 4.5. In C-1 they are listed as a permitted use but need a use permit before they are established. See our ADU investment guide.

SB 9. State lot split and two-unit rules apply to qualifying single-family lots, and coastal permits still apply in the Coastal Zone. See our SB 9 lot split guide.

Inclusionary and conversions. Pacifica has a below-market-rate inclusionary program (Article 47), a density bonus program (Article 41) and condominium conversion rules (Article 24.5). We did not review their requirements.

Rent rules: state law, plus mobile home rent stabilization

Apartments. The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, puts San Mateo County in the San Francisco area, with increases on covered units capped at 8.8% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Pacifica is not on the AG’s list of cities with local apartment rent ordinances. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Mobile home parks. Pacifica’s mobile home rent stabilization, Ordinance 579-C.S., effective October 23, 1991, covers mobile home tenancies in the city.

• Annual increase. Space rent may rise each September 1 by 75% of the change in the Bay Area CPI, with no increase if the index falls. Unused increases can be banked.
• Vacancy reset. When a home on a space is sold voluntarily, the rent may reset without limit, then returns to the annual formula. Owners must tell a prospective buyer the new rent within 10 days of a written request.
• Larger increases. Increases above the formula require a fair return petition decided by a city hearing officer.
• Registration. Parks register each September 1, and owners may pass through no more than half of the city’s per-space fee.
• Exemptions. Parks of four or fewer spaces, resident-owned parks and subsidized tenancies are exempt.

Pacifica rental property rules

Short-term rentals. The city’s short-term rental article, effective September 10, 2025, caps permits at 150 citywide.

• Residency. The operator must live on site more than six months a year.
• Apartments. In multi-family buildings, only hosted rentals are allowed.
• Unhosted limits. Unhosted rentals elsewhere are limited to 60 nights a year with a two-night minimum.
• ADUs. ADUs and JADUs cannot be short-term rentals.
• Other duties. Operators need a business license, a transient occupancy registration, a 24-hour local contact, a noise monitor and one off-street space per bedroom.

An apartment investor should underwrite long-term rents only.

Transfer tax. Pacifica levies its own real property transfer tax of 27.5 cents per $500, administered by the County Recorder. The County documentary transfer tax is 55 cents per $500. Confirm the combined charge with escrow.

Coastal bluffs, permits and older buildings

Coastal permits. The city’s Coastal Zone combining district requires a coastal development permit for development, which includes changes in the intensity of use. Exemptions for small additions do not apply within 50 feet of a bluff, in landslide areas or on steep slopes. A geologist must confirm that a site’s developable area can withstand a 100-year hazard event. Buildings near the bluffs may also depend on seawalls or revetments, and work on those needs review. Ask for geotechnical reports and any shoreline protection permits before buying a bluff-side building.

Older buildings. Older wood-frame apartments with tuck-under parking warrant a seismic retrofit review, and three-plus-unit buildings with elevated balconies, which face coastal fog and salt air, need SB 721 inspections.

Underwriting a Pacifica multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the district, including whether the parcel was rezoned in 2025, and whether it is in the Coastal Zone.
2. For bluff-area buildings, get a geotechnical opinion and review shoreline protection history.
3. Classify units under AB 1482 and model covered increases at or below 8.8%.
4. For a mobile home park, apply the 75%-of-CPI formula and vacancy-reset rules.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
6. Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, city and County transfer tax, and coastal insurance in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Pacifica Municipal Code, table of contents (GoCodebook)
2. Pacifica Article 54, Higher Density Residential and Mixed-Use Districts
3. Pacifica Article 10, C-1
4. Pacifica Title 9, Chapter 1, Article 2, Mobile Home Rent Stabilization
5. Pacifica Article 49, Short-Term Rentals
6. Pacifica Article 43, Coastal Zone Combining District
7. Pacifica Title 3, Chapter 5, Real Property Transfer Taxes
8. California Attorney General, rent caps
9. San Mateo County ACRE, documentary transfer tax

Note: We did not review the R-2 through R-5 articles, Articles 47 (BMR), 41, 24.5, 44 or 67, or which parcels were rezoned in 2025.

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

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