Commercial Real Estate in El Cerrito: San Pablo Avenue, Transit-Oriented Zoning and the City Transfer Tax

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

El Cerrito’s commercial property runs along San Pablo Avenue, from the El Cerrito Plaza area near the Albany line north past the Del Norte BART station toward Richmond. The corridor holds shopping centers, auto and service businesses, offices and a growing number of mixed-use buildings. Most of it is governed by the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, whose terms override the zoning code where they conflict, so confirm which document controls a parcel with the City of El Cerrito before you commit.

Who controls the parcel

El Cerrito is an incorporated city. Its Planning Division applies Title 19 of the municipal code and the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. A few edges to know:

Richmond. The specific plan was prepared with Richmond, according to its state CEQA filing. Parcels near the north end of the corridor may be in Richmond, which has its own zoning and a separate transfer tax. See our Richmond commercial guide.
Kensington and unincorporated pockets. The hills east of town include unincorporated Kensington, zoned by Contra Costa County. See our Kensington guide.
Albany. El Cerrito Plaza sits beside the Albany line in Alameda County. See our Albany guide.

El Cerrito zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Title 19 sets three commercial and mixed-use base districts in Chapter 19.07, most recently amended by Ordinance 2026-01 on April 7, 2026. We found no separate industrial district.

District	Intended uses	Notes
CN Neighborhood Commercial	Small pedestrian shops and services for daily needs; housing and offices upstairs encouraged	35 ft; FAR 1.0; retail over 5,000 sq ft needs a CUP; ground-floor offices under 3,000 sq ft
CC Community Commercial	Shopping centers, corridor retail, institutions; limited and general industry by CUP	35 ft, 50 ft with a CUP; FAR 2.0, or 3.0 with incentives
TOM Transit-Oriented Mixed Use	Ground-floor retail near BART and along San Pablo, with offices, housing and live/work above	50 ft, up to 65 ft by CUP in the Del Norte and Plaza areas; two-story minimum
SPASPD San Pablo Avenue Special Plan District	Uses and standards set by the specific plan	Plan prevails over the code in a conflict
-PD Planned Development	Custom standards for large sites	Chapter 19.14

In Chapter 19.07, a use not listed in the use table is prohibited. Hotels, bars and theaters need a conditional use permit in CC and TOM and are not allowed in CN. Indoor and outdoor storage are limited to CC with a CUP.

The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan

The Council adopted the plan on September 22, 2014, by Resolution 2014-52, and wrote it into the code through Ordinance 2014-07 that October. Its draft EIR studied:

206 acres from south of MacDonald Avenue in Richmond to south of Carlson Boulevard
Growth of 1,706 housing units and 243,112 square feet of commercial space
A form-based code to guide building design

For investors, the key point is that the plan, not the base district table, sets most heights, frontages and use rules on the corridor. Ask the city which plan zone a parcel falls in and what ground-floor uses it requires.

Transit, height and ground-floor rules

BART density floors. Within 300 feet of a BART station, TOM requires at least 35 housing units per acre for residential projects. A low-rise commercial redevelopment near El Cerrito Plaza or Del Norte stations may not fit the code.
Ground floors. In CN and TOM, multifamily housing cannot go on the ground floor along San Pablo, Stockton or Fairmount Avenues without a CUP. Ground-floor offices in TOM are limited along the street.
Mixed-use bonus. Residential density in a mixed-use project is counted on top of the commercial FAR, which helps feasibility on deeper lots.
Midtown. In the Midtown node, TOM heights can rise only to 45 feet with a CUP.
Lodging tax. Hotels and short-term rentals pay El Cerrito’s 10% transient occupancy tax.
Cannabis. Chapter 19.07’s use table does not list cannabis, so confirm its status with the city before leasing.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

El Cerrito is one of only two cities whose transfer tax the Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder collects. Buyers and sellers pay:

County documentary transfer tax: $0.55 per $500.
El Cerrito real property transfer tax: $12 per $1,000 of value under Chapter 4.64, adopted by Ordinance 2018-03 in November 2018. The buyer and seller are jointly liable and may split it.
Rebate. Section 4.64.080 rebates up to one-third of the city tax for seismic upgrades, rooftop solar, EV charging, efficiency or stormwater work finished within a year before or after the transfer.

The city’s business license tax is mostly a flat annual amount set in the master fee schedule, adjusted each year for Bay Area inflation. Landlords renting apartments, duplexes or houses must hold one too. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally resets the assessed value.

Due diligence that matters in El Cerrito

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the parcel is in El Cerrito, not Richmond, Albany or unincorporated county land.
Identify the base district and the specific plan zone, and which one controls.
Check every tenant’s use against the use table; unlisted uses are prohibited.
Budget the city transfer tax and plan rebate-eligible seismic or solar work around closing.
Confirm business licenses for operating tenants and for any residential units above.
For sites near BART, test any project against the 35-unit-per-acre floor.

Questions people ask

Does El Cerrito have its own transfer tax?

Yes. The city charges $12 per $1,000 on top of the county’s $0.55 per $500.

Can I get part of the transfer tax back?

Up to one-third of the city tax can be rebated for qualifying seismic, solar, EV charging, efficiency or stormwater work within a year of the sale.

How tall can buildings be on San Pablo Avenue?

Generally 50 feet in TOM, and up to 65 feet with a use permit near the Del Norte and Plaza BART areas. The specific plan may set different limits.

Is industrial use allowed in El Cerrito?

Only in the CC district, and only with a conditional use permit.

Can I put offices on the ground floor?

In CN, ground-floor offices are limited to under 3,000 square feet, and TOM limits street-level offices. Check the specific plan zone.

What is the hotel tax?

El Cerrito’s transient occupancy tax is 10% of rent.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in El Cerrito?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in El Cerrito.

Sources & notes

El Cerrito Municipal Code via GoCodebook: Title 19, Chapter 19.07, Chapter 19.15, § 4.28.030, Chapter 4.32, Chapter 4.64
CEQAnet, San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan draft EIR, SCH 2014042025 (June 2014)
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, City of El Cerrito transfer tax and countywide DTT

Note: The city’s specific plan web page could not be retrieved, so plan zone names, heights and any plan amendments since 2014 were not verified. Business license dollar amounts were not posted.

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

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