Commercial Real Estate in Roseville: Commercial Zones, Downtown Code and Industrial Districts

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

Roseville’s commercial property spans regional shopping and auto-oriented corridors, neighborhood and community centers, business and office parks, industrial districts, and the historic downtown around Old Town and Vernon Street. The city’s zoning code sorts these into nine commercial zones and four industrial zones, with a separate Downtown Code and specific plans layered on top in many areas. Confirm the zone, any overlay and the governing specific plan for each parcel with the City of Roseville Planning Division before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Roseville is an incorporated city in Placer County, and its Title 19 zoning code, adopted in its current form by Ordinance 5428 in 2014, governs inside city limits. Land outside the city is under Placer County’s zoning; see our Placer County commercial guide.

Three layers often apply together:

• Base zone. Chapter 19.12 for commercial land and Chapter 19.14 for industrial land.
• Specific plans and overlays. The commercial chapter requires compliance with any applicable specific plan, and the CMU and MMU zones are always paired with a Development Standards (DS) or Special Area (SA) overlay under Chapter 19.18. The code also has a chapter for commercial corridor specific plans (19.33), which we did not review.
• Downtown Code. Inside the Downtown Specific Plan area, the Downtown Code prevails over the rest of the municipal code where they conflict.

Roseville zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Heights apply unless a Design Review Permit or specific plan modifies them.

Uses in the commercial zones

The use table in Section 19.12.020 has been amended repeatedly since 2014, most recently by Ordinance 7086 on July 15, 2026. Key points:

• Restaurants. Convenience and full-service restaurants are permitted in all seven non-downtown commercial zones. Drive-through fast food is permitted in CC, GC, HC and RC but needs a use permit near residential zoning.
• Retail and offices. Retail sales are permitted in CC, GC, HC, RC and CMU. Personal services are permitted everywhere, and professional offices are permitted in every zone except HC.
• Lodging. Hotels and other lodging are permitted in CC, GC, HC, RC and CMU, but not in BP or NC.
• Bars and nightclubs. Bars are permitted in CC, GC, RC and CMU. Nightclubs need a use permit in those zones under Chapter 19.49.
• Automotive. Auto repair is permitted in GC, HC, RC and CMU, and needs a use permit in CC. Auto sales and car washes are permitted in GC, RC and CMU. Body shops need a use permit.
• Adult businesses. These are limited to GC, RC and CMU under Chapter 19.32.

Housing on commercial land. Multifamily is permitted in CMU and, on specific plan sites with unit allocations, by right in RC at a minimum of 25 units per acre. In NC and CC it needs a use permit, or an administrative permit when a nonprofit is involved. That makes mixed-use redevelopment of older centers a real option in some zones.

Corner sites. Nothing over 36 inches above curb height may sit in the commercial clear-vision triangle at corners, a common issue for signs and landscaping on pad sites.

Downtown, Old Town and industrial land

Downtown Specific Plan. Chapter 19.31 describes a 176-acre plan area covering historic Old Town, Vernon Street, and Royer and Saugstad Parks. The Downtown Code, adopted by reference, sets permitted and conditional uses by zone, along with:

• setbacks, height, parking and floor area
• buffers, landscaping and downtown signs
• incentives and parcel-specific considerations

The HD Old Town Historic zone is also subject to historic district design guidelines in the Downtown Code. Get the Downtown Code from the Planning Division before underwriting a downtown building.

Industrial zones. Under Chapter 19.14, last amended by Ordinance 6954 on June 18, 2025:

• Permitted in all four zones. Light manufacturing, light wholesale and distribution, professional offices and microbreweries.
• M1 limits. General industrial and heavy distribution need a use permit in M1 and are permitted in M2 and MMU.
• Retail. Retail is permitted only in MP and MMU.
• Caretaker housing. Needs an administrative permit in M1 and M2.

MP is meant for uses with no appreciable emissions, odor or noise, so it can sit near homes. That also limits what an industrial tenant can do there.

Short-term rentals. Chapter 4.25 allows them in residential or commercial zones only in a permitted single-family home that is the operator’s primary residence. They are capped at 182 days a year and six guests, and events are barred, so hotels carry the city’s visitor lodging.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Roseville’s real property transfer tax is 27.5 cents per $500 of consideration over $100, excluding remaining liens, and the county administers it. The Placer County Clerk-Recorder’s transfer tax FAQ gives a rate of 55 cents per $500, due at recording and not applied to assumed loans. The County answer does not explain how city taxes combine with it, so confirm the total on the escrow estimate.

The city also has chapters on transient occupancy tax (4.24), utility users tax (4.32) and business licenses (6.04); confirm current rates with the city. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Roseville

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Confirm the zone, any DS or SA overlay and the governing specific plan.
• For drive-throughs and fuel sales, check distance to residential zoning, which can trigger a use permit.
• Downtown, read the Downtown Code for the parcel’s zone and any parcel-specific provisions.
• For nightclubs or adult uses, confirm the specific-use chapter requirements.
• For industrial tenants, match the operation to MP, M1 or M2 and check outdoor storage limits.
• Ask for city utility service and fee details, since Roseville runs its own utilities under Title 14.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Roseville Title 19 index (GoCodebook)
2. Roseville Chapter 19.12, Commercial Zones
3. Roseville Chapter 19.14, Industrial and Manufacturing Zones
4. Roseville Chapter 19.31, Downtown Specific Plan Downtown Code
5. Roseville Chapter 4.25, Short-Term Rentals
6. Roseville Chapter 4.28, Real Property Transfer Tax
7. Placer County Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax FAQ

Note: We did not review the Downtown Code itself, Chapter 19.33 or individual specific plans, the overlay chapter, or the TOT, utility users tax and business license chapters. The CMU drive-through cell is blank in the published table; confirm with the city.

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

Related: Roseville real estate guide · Multifamily property in Roseville · Commercial real estate services