Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in Pleasant Hill: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in Pleasant Hill looks like

Pleasant Hill grew mostly in the 1950s through the 1970s, and its rental stock reflects that:

• Garden-style apartment complexes from the 1960s and 1970s
• Duplexes and small fourplexes on side streets
• Newer podium apartments downtown, such as the 210-unit Cleaveland project
• Townhouse and condominium complexes rented by individual owners
• Single-family homes with added ADUs

Many investors begin with a duplex or fourplex. See financing 2-4 unit properties and, for larger complexes, apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Pleasant Hill’s residential districts are set out in Chapter 18.15, adopted by Ordinance 978 on November 17, 2025. The city has five multifamily districts, named by density.

Standards that shape unit count. Multifamily projects need at least 200 sq ft of usable open space per unit. Lots must be at least 70 feet wide in MFVL and MFL, and 80 feet in MFM and higher. Buildings over 35 feet next to a single-family district need stepbacks or larger setbacks. A 5-foot landscaped strip is required where a multifamily lot adjoins single-family zoning.

Duplexes in single-family zones. Two-unit buildings are permitted in the R districts only if they meet the two-unit project rules (Section 18.15.180) or the urban lot split rules (Section 18.15.190). These are the city’s SB 9 provisions. Three or four units on a single-family lot need a use permit. See our SB 9 lot split guide.

Mixed-use districts. The mixed-use districts allow 1.3 to 100 units per acre over ground-floor commercial. Outside housing opportunity sites, part of the floor area must be commercial, from 10% to 25% by corridor.

Housing opportunity sites. Section 18.15.010 notes that certain lower-income housing sites must allow by-right multifamily where at least 20% of units are affordable, at 20 or more units per acre and at least 16 units per site.

ADUs. ADUs and JADUs are listed for every residential district under Section 18.15.050. We did not review its standards. See our ADU investment guide.

Rent rules: state law only

Pleasant Hill does not appear on the California Attorney General’s rent cap chart. In Contra Costa County, only Antioch, Concord and Richmond have local caps there. We found no rent, tenant protection or rental housing chapter in Pleasant Hill’s Title 6 or Title 9 chapter lists.

Covered units follow the Tenant Protection Act. For the San Francisco area, which includes Contra Costa County, the cap is 6.3% for August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, and 8.8% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Statewide just cause rules apply after 12 months of tenancy. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Pleasant Hill rental property rules

• No rental registry or inspection program found. We found none in the code chapter lists. Confirm with the city before closing.
• Short-term rentals. We found no short-term rental chapter. The city levies a transient occupancy tax. Check Planning before you underwrite short stays.
• Business license. Title 5 includes a business license chapter. We did not verify whether or how it applies to landlords.
• Historic overlays. An H or CR overlay under Chapter 18.40 requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior work.

Older complexes, balconies and creeks

Pleasant Hill’s 1960s and 1970s complexes often have exterior stairways, wood walkways and tuck-under parking. Buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies need SB 721 inspections. We did not find a mandatory Pleasant Hill soft-story program, but a seismic retrofit review is worth doing for buildings over open parking. The city’s creek setback chapter can limit additions on parcels along local creeks.

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges $0.55 per $500 in transfer tax. Pleasant Hill’s Chapter 5.35 sets a city tax by resolution, and the Recorder lists no added city amount, so confirm with escrow.

Underwriting a Pleasant Hill multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the parcel is in the city, then pull its district under the November 2025 code.
2. Check unit count against the district’s density range, lot width and 200 sq ft open space rule.
3. Classify each unit under AB 1482 and model increases at no more than the state cap.
4. Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
5. Order SB 721 and seismic reviews for older complexes.
6. Add reassessed property tax and transfer tax to your rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Pleasant Hill Municipal Code Title 18 (GoCodebook, October 2026 edition): Chapters 18.15, 18.20, 18.40, 18.70
2. Pleasant Hill Titles 5, 6 and 9 (chapter lists and Chapter 5.35)
3. CEQAnet, Downtown Cleaveland Multifamily Specific Plan (SCH 2019070457)
4. California Attorney General, Rent Caps
5. Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: Single-family height and lot standards, ADU standards, parking ratios and business license rules were not reviewed.

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

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