Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in San Ramon: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in San Ramon looks like

San Ramon was mostly built from the 1970s on, so its rental stock is newer than in older Bay Area cities. Typical inventory:

• Large professionally managed apartment communities from the 1980s onward
• Townhouse and condominium complexes, many rented by individual owners
• Newer mid-rise housing near City Center and on former office land at Bishop Ranch
• Duplexes and townhouses in medium-density areas
• Single-family homes with ADUs

Small 2-4 unit buildings are less common here than in west county. See financing 2-4 unit properties and apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

San Ramon’s residential zones were last amended by Ordinance 534, effective November 13, 2025.

Heights in RM through RVH are 40 or 50 feet. The online table does not make clear which applies to which zone, so confirm with Planning. RH and RVH are minimum-density zones, so a buyer cannot plan large single-family lots there.

Other uses. Single-room occupancy buildings need a use permit in RH and RVH. Mobile home parks need a use permit in every residential zone.

Senior housing overlay. The -SH overlay can be added to any residential or mixed-use zone for projects of at least 35 senior units, and gives guidance for densities above General Plan levels.

Office-to-housing. DMU-N adds housing to the Bishop Ranch office setting. In September 2024 the city approved splitting the 7.63-acre Bishop Ranch 12 parcel at 1 Annabel Lane, which is zoned DMU-N. The North Camino Ramon Specific Plan has been amended for the City Village and Iron Horse Village projects since 2021.

Crow Canyon area. The Crow Canyon Specific Plan update, approved November 24, 2020, covers about 134 acres and more than 90 parcels between the Danville city limit, I-680 and Crow Canyon Road. It aims for a walkable mixed-use district with homes alongside the existing light industrial and service businesses, so parcels there follow the plan’s own land use map.

ADUs and SB 9. ADUs are permitted in every residential zone under Section D4-39. The residential chapter does not mention SB 9, but state law applies to qualifying RS lots. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide. A density bonus chapter implements state law.

Rent rules: state law only

San Ramon does not appear on the California Attorney General’s rent cap chart. We found no rent, tenant protection or rental housing chapter in the city’s municipal code index. Covered units follow the Tenant Protection Act cap for the San Francisco area: 6.3% from August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, and 8.8% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. State just cause rules apply after 12 months of tenancy.

Under state law, AB 1482’s cap does not apply to housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the past 15 years. That rolling exemption makes building age a key underwriting input here. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

San Ramon rental property rules

• No rental registry or inspection program found. Confirm with the city.
• Short-term rentals. We found no short-term rental chapter. The city has a transient occupancy tax and a transient registration chapter. Check with Planning before renting short-term.
• HOA rules. Many San Ramon condos and townhouses sit in associations whose CC&Rs limit rentals. Get the CC&Rs before buying a unit to rent. Master associations on large planned communities can add separate assessments and leasing rules on top of the unit’s own HOA.
• Property maintenance. The city’s nuisance and property maintenance chapter applies to rentals.

Hillsides, creeks and balconies

San Ramon has steep areas on both sides of the valley. The hillside, creek and ridgeline chapter can limit new units or additions on sloped and creekside parcels. Buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies, decks or stairs need SB 721 inspections. Most of the stock is post-1980 wood frame, but get an engineer’s view on podium and tuck-under buildings; see our seismic retrofit guide. We found no city soft-story mandate.

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges $0.55 per $500 in transfer tax. We found no San Ramon city transfer tax.

Underwriting a San Ramon multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the zone, or the specific plan land use map if the zoning map shows none.
2. Check the certificate of occupancy date for the AB 1482 15-year exemption.
3. For condos and townhouses, review CC&R rental limits and HOA dues.
4. Model increases at the state cap for covered units.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
6. Add SB 721 work, HOA or master association assessments and reassessed property tax to your rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. San Ramon Title D, Zoning (GoCodebook): Division D2 Chapters II, III and VI
2. San Ramon municipal code index
3. CEQAnet: Bishop Ranch 12 (SCH 2024090816) and North Camino Ramon Specific Plan (SCH 2010092014)
4. California Attorney General, Rent Caps
5. Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: Residential heights by zone, ADU standards in D4-39 and short-term rental rules were not verified.

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

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