Sacramento County Condos for Sale

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Sacramento County’s condos and townhomes are spread across the City of Sacramento and the suburban cities and unincorporated communities around it, often near SacRT light rail, US 50 and I-80. Two things decide most deals: the HOA disclosure package the seller must deliver under Civil Code 4525, and whether your lender will approve the project as well as you. Then check jurisdiction, because the City of Sacramento and the unincorporated county have different transfer tax, rent and short-term rental rules.

At a glance

Where to look in Sacramento County

The county has seven cities and large unincorporated communities, and the jurisdiction field on the parcel record, not the mailing address, tells you whose rules apply. Our Sacramento County real estate page gives the overview, and the Sacramento County where-to-live guide compares places by water provider, light rail and rent rules.

• City of Sacramento. The widest range of attached housing in the county, from older in-town buildings to newer townhome communities. See Sacramento real estate and our city-level Sacramento condo and townhome ownership costs guide, which goes deeper on dues, tax-bill lines and records for city units. SacRT runs 43 miles of light rail with 53 stations, much of it radiating from downtown.
• East along US 50. Rancho Cordova real estate and Folsom real estate both include townhome communities, and SacRT’s Gold Line runs through Rancho Cordova to Historic Folsom.
• South along SR 99. Elk Grove real estate has townhomes within its subdivisions. There’s no light rail there today.
• North and northeast. Citrus Heights real estate has established condo complexes. The unincorporated communities next door, including Carmichael real estate and Fair Oaks real estate, follow county rules for permits and rentals.

Comparing a condo with a small detached home? Our attached vs detached ownership budget lays out the cost lines side by side, and the parcel services and ownership budget explains what to request about water, sewer and direct levies.

What to check before you buy

The HOA package

Civil Code 4525 lists what a resale seller must provide: the CC&Rs, bylaws and rules; the annual budget report and reserve disclosures; a statement of assessments, including any approved special assessment; notices of violations or construction defects; rental restrictions; the most recent balcony inspection report; and, on request, a year of board minutes. Our HOA documents guide explains how to read each item, especially the reserve study and the Assessment and Reserve Funding Disclosure Summary.

Lender approval for the project

FHA insures loans in FHA-approved projects, and in some unapproved projects through Single-Unit Approval (HUD). VA-backed purchase loans need a VA-approved project (VA). Conventional lenders apply Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac project standards; pending HOA litigation, high investor or single-entity ownership, or unfunded critical repairs can put a project out of reach. Get the lender’s project review done before your loan contingency deadline. Our buying a condo in California guide covers each program.

Balconies, decks and stairways

Civil Code 5551, the SB 326 rule, requires condo associations to have a licensed engineer or architect inspect a random sample of wood-supported balconies, decks, stairways, walkways and railings more than six feet above ground. The first inspection was due by January 1, 2025, and they repeat at least every nine years, or within six years of the certificate of occupancy for buildings permitted on or after January 1, 2020. Read the report’s sample size and any repair notes, and match them against reserves. Apartment buildings are covered separately; see SB 721 balcony inspections.

Tax-bill lines

Mello-Roos special taxes, assessments and other district charges show up in the direct levy section of the county tax bill (Sacramento County Finance). Two similar complexes can carry different levies, so compare the actual bills, and plan for a supplemental tax bill after closing.

Master insurance, flood and your own policy

The association’s master policy covers what the CC&Rs assign to the association; your own unit policy, usually an HO-6, covers interior finishes, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments as the CC&Rs leave them to you. Civil Code 5300 requires the budget report to summarize the association’s property, liability, earthquake, flood and fidelity coverage, with limits and deductibles.

Flood coverage deserves a separate check here. The county publishes flood zone information for looking up a property’s zone. If the complex is in a mapped flood zone, check whether the master policy includes flood coverage and what it leaves to owners, and ask your lender whether it requires flood coverage for your loan. Our flood insurance guide explains the options. Bind your own policy during escrow; see homeowners insurance during escrow.

Renting out a Sacramento County condo

Start with the HOA. Under Civil Code 4741, an association can’t prohibit rentals or cap them below 25% of units, but it may ban rentals of 30 days or less. The 4525 package must include any rental restriction.

City of Sacramento short-term rentals. Every operator of a stay of 30 days or less needs a short-term rental permit under City Code 5.114, plus a business tax registration, and must collect 12% transient occupancy tax. A primary residence can be rented under the permit; a non-primary residence is limited to 90 days a year, after which it can only be rented with a 31-day minimum until the next calendar year. The city also lists a short-term rental property owner consent form among its required forms (City of Sacramento Revenue).

Unincorporated county short-term rentals. The county requires a permit, business license and TOT registration in one application. The owner, or a long-term renter with the owner’s consent, must live on site at least six months a year; each rental party is limited to 29 days a year; an applicant may run only one short-term rental; and TOT is 12% (Sacramento County Planning). The county’s handout is informational, and the adopted ordinance controls.

Long-term rentals. The City of Sacramento’s Tenant Protection Program caps annual increases at 5% plus CPI, with a maximum of 8.6% effective July 1, 2026, and requires annual unit registration. The city updates the figure each July, so check the current number. Buying a unit with a tenant in place? Read buying a tenant-occupied property.

Transfer tax. The county charges $0.55 per $500 of value (Clerk/Recorder FAQ), and the City of Sacramento adds 0.275%, collected at recording. See California transfer tax.

Questions people ask

Where are condos in Sacramento County?

Throughout the City of Sacramento and in townhome and condo communities in Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights and the unincorporated communities around them, often near light rail or the freeways.

Can my HOA stop me from renting my condo?

It can ban stays of 30 days or less, but Civil Code 4741 bars it from prohibiting longer rentals or capping them below 25% of units.

Can I Airbnb a condo in the City of Sacramento?

Only with a city permit, business tax registration and 12% TOT, and only if the HOA allows short stays. If it isn’t your primary residence, you’re limited to 90 short-term days a year.

How do I know if a Sacramento condo is FHA-approved?

Search HUD’s FHA-approved condominium list and read the FHA/VA statement in the HOA budget report. Your lender confirms the current status.

Does the HOA’s master policy cover flood?

Only if the association bought flood coverage. The budget report’s insurance summary must say, under Civil Code 5300. Check the county’s flood zone information and ask your lender what it requires.

Is there a city transfer tax on Sacramento condos?

Inside the City of Sacramento, yes: 0.275% on top of the county’s $0.55 per $500. Confirm with escrow whether another city charges one.

What is the SB 326 balcony inspection?

A Civil Code 5551 requirement that condo associations have wood-supported balconies, decks and stairways inspected at least every nine years. The latest report comes with the seller’s disclosures.

Sources & notes

1. California Civil Code 4525, 4741, 5300 and 5551
2. HUD, Condominium Mortgage Insurance and FHA-approved condominium search
3. VA, Purchase Loan
4. City of Sacramento, Short Term Vacation Rentals
5. Sacramento County Planning, Short-term rental permits handout
6. City of Sacramento, Tenant Protection Program
7. Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder, Documentary transfer tax FAQ and City of Sacramento additional transfer tax
8. Sacramento County Finance, Property tax FAQs and Sacramento County Water Resources, Flood zone information
9. SacRT, About us

Statute text was read on a public mirror of the official code; links go to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Short-term rental rules for Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Galt and Isleton weren’t verified; check with each city. The rent cap figure is the city’s July 2026 number. No prices, inventory or market figures are given here.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Updated November 2026. Primary sources are linked in this guide.

Related: Sacramento County real estate · Where to live in Sacramento County · Buying a condo in California · Buy in Sacramento County