Commercial Real Estate in Courtland: The Courtland SPA, River Road Storefronts and Delta Primary Zone Rules

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

Courtland is a small river town on the east bank of the Sacramento River, and its commercial property is a short list: storefronts and mixed-use buildings along Riverside Avenue and River Road, a single industrial parcel on Highway 160, waterway parcels between the highway and the river, and farm-based businesses on the orchard land around town. Almost every use is shaped by one document, the County’s Courtland Special Planning Area, and by the town’s place inside the Delta’s Primary Zone. Confirm the subarea and permit path for any parcel with Sacramento County Planning before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Courtland is unincorporated, so Sacramento County is the land use authority. The Courtland Special Planning Area (Section 504-500 of the County Zoning Code) covers the town itself: about 54 acres and nearly 150 parcels, separated from the river by a levee and River Road. The town was founded in 1870 as a shipping point for fruit growers, and the SPA was written to keep that historic form while giving owners more flexibility than general County standards. It was adopted January 18, 2008, and amended March 1, 2017 and again June 11, 2026.

Outside the SPA, the base districts of the County Zoning Code apply. Above both sits the state’s Delta framework. The County’s Delta Protection Element, adopted May 28, 2014 and amended September 26, 2017, names Courtland among the unincorporated river towns in the Primary Zone, the area where the Delta Protection Commission’s resource management plan governs. Counties must send proposed general plan amendments to match that plan within 180 days of its adoption or amendment. Projects are also reviewed by the Courtland Town Association, the Delta Citizens Municipal Advisory Council and the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society, according to the SPA.

Courtland zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

The SPA divides the town into eight subareas, shown on its Exhibit 1:

River Road, Riverside Avenue and farm-based business

What the Commercial subarea allows. Under Section 504-510 and Table 2, the Commercial subarea takes the County’s General Commercial use list, minus a list of uses the town does not want. Residential use is allowed only as part of a mixed-use building, which suits the two-story storefront pattern.

What is prohibited everywhere. The SPA bars drive-through restaurants, theaters, free-standing liquor stores, gun shops, pawn shops, tattoo shops, massage parlors, pool halls and bars that do not serve food, among others. A buyer underwriting a convenience store, bar or quick-service tenant should read that list first.

Wine and beer. Small wineries and craft breweries are permitted in several subareas, while larger wineries generally need a use permit. Off-site tasting rooms are allowed in the Commercial subarea, subject to footnotes that limit outdoor event hours and cap the tasting area at one-third of the space.

Lodging. Bed and breakfast inns need a Conditional Use Permit in the Agricultural subarea and a Zoning Administrator use permit in the other residential and commercial subareas; they are permitted outright in the Industrial subarea. The County’s short-term rental page lists the Courtland SPA among only three places in the County where short-term rental can be the primary use in certain zones. Inside the SPA, single-family and duplex vacation rentals need a Vacation Rental Permit in the agricultural and RD-5/RD-10 subareas.

Delta, levee and historic-town rules

Flood and levees. The SPA notes that the residential blocks sit about 20 feet below River Road, behind the levee, and treats flood protection as an issue for each project rather than setting a single standard. The Delta Protection Element asks that new structures be set back from levees and from land needed for future levee work (DP-7), and supports funding to bring levees around the unincorporated towns to 200-year protection (DP-53).

Density ceiling. Policy DP-50 says better flood protection does not open the door to residential designations or densities beyond those in place on January 1, 1992. DP-4 steers new non-farm housing into the existing towns. Courtland can grow inside its footprint, not past it.

Raised floors. Because of groundwater and levee conditions, residential buildings may exceed County height limits to allow raised first floors with partial basements, but not more than two floors.

Wells and septic. New wells must carry a sanitary seal to the clay layer at roughly 120 feet, and sites on individual wells or septic need Environmental Management sign-off before a building permit. Those rules matter for any restaurant or tasting room conversion.

Design and signs. New buildings should read as an early 20th-century rural Delta town. Signs must be flat or projecting, not backlit, at up to 2 square feet per foot of frontage; window signs are capped at 25% of the glass or 6 square feet, whichever is greater. Cyclone fencing is prohibited, and commercial front-setback fencing is not allowed.

Demolition. Removing a listed historic building, or any building from before 1950 until a survey is done, needs review by the Town Association and Historical Society and approval from the Planning Director.

Parking. County ratios are a guide only. The County may accept lower standards based on existing uses, on-street parking and parking agreements, which helps on small historic lots.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The County documentary transfer tax is $0.55 per $500 of value, less assumed loans, per the Clerk-Recorder, which notes that only the City of Sacramento adds a city tax. Courtland, being unincorporated, pays the County rate alone. Businesses located in the unincorporated County need a County General Business License under the Department of Finance’s business license FAQ. Lodging pays the County’s 12% transient occupancy tax plus tourism district assessments. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Courtland

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Confirm the SPA subarea from Exhibit 1. Commercial, Industrial and Waterway parcels carry different use lists.
• Check the prohibited-use list in Section 504-510 against the intended tenant.
• For a tasting room, confirm the one-third tasting area cap and outdoor event hours.
• Review flood zone status, levee setback and any reclamation district assessments.
• For any building from before 1950, confirm historic status before planning demolition or major exterior change.
• Confirm water and wastewater: well seal standards, septic capacity and Environmental Management approval.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Sacramento County, Courtland Special Planning Area (504-500)
2. Sacramento County General Plan, Delta Protection Element
3. Sacramento County Zoning Code, Chapter 2
4. County Planning, short-term rental permits
5. County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax
6. County Department of Finance, business license FAQ

Note: We did not review the SPA’s Exhibit 1 map, Table 2 footnotes in full, or the County floodplain ordinance; the SPA’s June 2026 amendment may have changed details. Confirm with County Planning.

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

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