Commercial Real Estate in Citrus Heights: Zones, Sunrise MarketPlace and the Auburn Boulevard Corridor

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

Citrus Heights is almost entirely built out, so commercial property here is about reinvestment: older shopping centers along the city’s arterials, the Sunrise MarketPlace district and the Sunrise Tomorrow plan area, corridor sites on Auburn Boulevard, office buildings, auto uses and a small amount of industrial and office park land. Many of the most important sites sit in a special planning area or overlay with its own rules. Confirm the zone and any SPA for a parcel with the City of Citrus Heights before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Citrus Heights is an incorporated city with its own zoning code, Chapter 106 of the Municipal Code. The city’s zones, overlays and SPAs control inside city limits. Neighboring Antelope, Orangevale, Fair Oaks and Carmichael are unincorporated County land, and parcels on the edge of the city should be checked against the boundary.

Three layers can apply: a base commercial or industrial district, an overlay such as the Corridor or Sunrise MarketPlace overlay, and, for many larger sites, a special planning area that replaces the base standards.

Citrus Heights zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Standards below come from Chapter 106.26. Heights in the first four zones are 24 feet and two stories within 50 feet of a residential zone, and 50 feet and four stories elsewhere.

District	Intended uses	Notes
BP Business and Professional Office	Offices and compatible uses; housing and mixed use possible	FAR 0.50. 25 ft front. Up to 20 units per net acre
LC Limited Commercial	Small ground-floor retail and offices, homes above	FAR 0.60. Up to 20 units per net acre
SC Shopping Center	Retail and services in unified centers with parking	FAR 0.60. Up to 40 units per net acre in mixed use
GC General Commercial	Heavier commercial uses; housing may be allowed	FAR 0.60. Up to 40 units per net acre. Light manufacturing permitted
AC Auto Commercial	Grouped auto sales and service	Vehicle sales permitted. 40 ft, 24 ft within 100 ft of homes
CR Commercial Recreation	Recreation-oriented commerce	FAR 0.10. Lodging at one unit per 500 sq ft of site. 50 ft front
MP Industrial/Office Park	Clean indoor industry, R&D, corporate offices	FAR 0.50. 50 ft height. 50 ft setbacks next to homes. No housing
SPA Special Planning Area	Site-specific rules set by each adopting ordinance	See below

Use highlights. Multi-unit housing is permitted by zoning clearance in BP, LC, SC and GC, a significant redevelopment option for underused centers. Drive-through retail and service need a Use Permit in LC, SC and GC and are not allowed in BP, AC, CR or MP. Auto sales are permitted in AC and need a Minor Use Permit in GC. Service stations need a Use Permit wherever allowed. The use table has been amended repeatedly, most recently by Ordinance 2025-003 on June 11, 2025.

Sunrise MarketPlace, Sunrise Tomorrow and the corridors

Sunrise MarketPlace overlay. The SMP overlay, adopted by Ordinance 2022-011 on November 10, 2022, covers the Sunrise MarketPlace commercial district. It prohibits new service stations, vehicle services, mini-storage and ambulance or taxi dispatch. Existing uses may continue, but expansions need a Use Permit and design review, driveway consolidation, priority for walking and biking, and a health risk assessment where a use generates emissions.

Sunrise Tomorrow. The Sunrise Tomorrow SPA (Section 106.50.135, Ordinance 2021-006, December 9, 2021) implements the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan. Uses, densities, intensities and permits all come from that plan, which aims for a mix of commercial and residential uses, redevelopment of aging buildings and more open space.

Auburn Boulevard. The Auburn Boulevard Corridor SPA ties uses and standards to The Boulevard Plan, which supports mixed commercial and residential redevelopment of aging buildings along the corridor.

Antelope Crossing. The Antelope Crossing SPA near Antelope Road and Interstate 80, adopted by Ordinance 2015-004 on May 28, 2015, allows SC uses plus mixed use and housing, capped at 118 homes for the area and a 0.6 FAR, and permits a freeway-oriented sign by Use Permit.

Other SPAs. Stock Ranch follows its own Guide for Development with mixed uses and oak and creek protection. The San Juan SPA allows mini-storage with a caretaker unit by CUP plus BP uses, and the Auburn Oaks Court SPA limits a 300-foot strip along the freeway to SC uses.

Corridor overlay and other city rules

Corridor (COR) overlay. Applied to residential parcels fronting major corridors, the COR overlay allows a mix of housing and light business or professional office with conditional use and design review approval. Retail over 1,000 square feet, automotive uses and eating and drinking uses are prohibited. It is a path for small offices on arterial frontage, not for retail.

Short-term rentals. The city licenses short-term rentals under Chapter 22, Article IV; confirm current terms if a mixed-use building includes them.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The County Clerk-Recorder collects the County documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500, less assumed loans, and its FAQ names only the City of Sacramento as adding a separate city tax. Citrus Heights has a real property transfer tax article in Chapter 86, adopted by Ordinance 97-05 on January 2, 1997, at $0.275 per $500 and administered by the County Clerk-Recorder; read with the County FAQ, the city share appears to sit within the County’s rate, but confirm the total on the escrow estimate. Businesses in the city are licensed under the city’s general business license provisions, not the County’s. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment, and properties in the Sunrise MarketPlace business improvement district may carry an assessment.

Due diligence that matters in Citrus Heights

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the base zone, any COR or SMP overlay and any SPA from the city zoning map.
In the Sunrise MarketPlace overlay, confirm whether an auto, fuel or storage use is legally existing before you buy it; expansions need a Use Permit.
For Sunrise Tomorrow and Auburn Boulevard sites, read the specific plan or Boulevard Plan, not just the base zone.
Check the 24-foot height line within 50 feet of residential zones on any expansion.
For a drive-through pad, budget time for a Use Permit.
Ask whether the property pays a Sunrise MarketPlace district assessment.

Questions people ask

Can I add apartments to a Citrus Heights shopping center?

Multi-unit housing is permitted in SC and GC, up to 40 units per net acre, subject to the code’s standards and any SPA.

Are new gas stations allowed in Sunrise MarketPlace?

Not in the Sunrise MarketPlace overlay, which prohibits new service stations and vehicle services.

Does a drive-through need a permit?

Yes. Drive-through retail and service need a Use Permit in LC, SC and GC and are not allowed in BP, AC, CR or MP.

How tall can a commercial building be?

Up to 50 feet and four stories in BP, LC, SC and GC, dropping to 24 feet and two stories within 50 feet of residential zones.

What governs the Sunrise Tomorrow area?

The Sunrise Tomorrow SPA, which defers to the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan for uses and standards.

Can I open an office on a residential street frontage?

Possibly, if the parcel has the Corridor overlay, with conditional use and design review approval and no retail over 1,000 square feet.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Citrus Heights?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Citrus Heights.

Sources & notes

Note: We did not review the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan, The Boulevard Plan or the Stock Ranch Guide for Development, and the GoCodebook use table rendering is hard to parse in places; confirm uses with city planning staff.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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