Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in Calistoga: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in Calistoga looks like

Calistoga is a small town, and its income property is a short list: duplexes and pairs of cottages on R-2 lots, small apartment buildings in the R-3 blocks near downtown, units over Lincoln Avenue storefronts, homes with ADUs, and mobile home parks. Because the city bans short-term rentals and rations new units through an annual allocation, the existing long-term rental stock carries most of the market. For financing, see financing 2-4 unit properties and apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Calistoga’s residential chapters were rewritten by Ordinance 699 in 2014 and amended several times since, most recently by Ordinance 780 on December 9, 2025.

District	Two units	Multifamily	Key standards
R-2 Two-Family	One duplex or two houses on a lot of 9,000 sq ft or more, by right	Not listed, so not allowed	25 ft. 40% coverage. 20 ft front and rear yards. Plus one ADU and one JADU per house
R-3 Multifamily/Office	—	Permitted without a use permit	9,000–10,000 sq ft lots. 25 ft. 40% coverage. 300 sq ft open space per unit
DC Downtown Commercial	—	Above the first floor, by use permit	30 ft. Residential floor area excluded from FAR
CC Community Commercial	—	By use permit; by right on three listed lower-income sites with 20% lower-income units	30 ft. 60% coverage
MHP Mobile Home Park	—	Mobile home parks by use permit	Average of 8 units per net acre. 15-acre minimum site. 3,500 sq ft per space

R-3. The R-3 purpose is to add diverse and more affordable housing near downtown services. The chapter itself sets no maximum density; minimum density is set elsewhere in the code. One Housing Element site, identified by assessor number, allows multifamily by right with at least 20% affordable units.

ADUs. Under Chapter 17.37, revised by Ordinance 770 in 2024:

Size. ADUs may reach 850 square feet for a studio or one-bedroom and 1,000 square feet for larger units.
Multifamily lots. At least one ADU, and up to 25% of the existing unit count, may be carved from non-livable space in a multifamily building, and up to two detached ADUs may be added.
Rentals. ADUs must be rented for 30 days or more.
Fees. Impact fees do not apply to ADUs under 750 square feet.

See our ADU investment guide.

SB 9. State two-unit and lot split rules apply to qualifying single-family lots. Confirm the city’s standards and how growth allocations treat the new units. See our SB 9 lot split guide.

Inclusionary rules. Chapter 17.08 covers rental projects of five or more units. They must make 20% of units affordable to moderate-income households or 10% to low-income households, restricted for at least 55 years. Projects owing ten or more affordable units must make 10% of them three-bedroom.

Rent rules: state law, plus mobile home rent stabilization

Rent caps. The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, places Napa County in All Other Counties. Covered units may rise up to 7.7% for increases from August 1, 2025, and 8.6% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. No Napa County city appears on the AG’s chart of local apartment rent ordinances. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Mobile home parks. Calistoga has its own mobile home park rent stabilization chapter, dating from Ordinance 513 in 1995 and last amended in 2007. It covers every park in the city.

Annual increases. Space rents may rise once a year by the lesser of the Bay Area CPI change or 6%, with 90 days’ written notice.
Challenges. Larger increases can be challenged by a petition signed by 51% of affected homeowners and go to binding arbitration.
No resale increases. Rent may not be raised because a home is sold in place.
Fees. Owners register and pay a per-space fee by July 31.
Exemptions. Spaces under qualifying leases longer than 12 months, and spaces first rented after January 1, 1990, are exempt.

Calistoga rental property rules

No short-term rentals. Chapter 17.34, adopted by Ordinance 778 on November 18, 2025, bars renting any dwelling for 30 days or less anywhere in the city. Booking platforms may not facilitate such stays. Fines for public-safety infractions start at $1,500 and rise to $5,000 for repeat violations within a year. The R-2 and R-3 chapters also prohibit transient occupancy of dwellings.
Housing conversion. Downtown and in CC, converting or demolishing existing housing is prohibited unless replacement housing is provided or a fee is paid.
Transfer tax. The city’s transfer tax is $0.275 per $500, administered by the County Recorder. The County’s transfer tax page gives a combined $0.55 per $500 with half going to the city. Confirm the total on the escrow estimate.

Growth allocations, water and older buildings

New units generally need an allocation under the city’s growth management system. The system holds growth to 1.35% a year, set from state population estimates, and awards units each fall. ADUs are exempt from the allocation process but count toward the rate. Deed-restricted affordable, mixed-use and infill projects are favored. Allocations expire if building permits are not pulled within 24 months.

The city provides water and sewer, and connection fees can apply to new detached units. Older wood-frame buildings near downtown warrant a seismic retrofit review, and buildings of three or more units with elevated decks need SB 721 balcony inspections. Check flood exposure under the city’s floodplain rules for parcels near the Napa River.

Underwriting a Calistoga multifamily purchase

Confirm the zone. Three units on an R-2 lot exceed the duplex limit and may be nonconforming.
Underwrite long-term rents only; short stays are banned citywide.
Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.6% for covered units. For a mobile home park, apply the CPI-or-6% limit.
For added units, confirm the growth allocation path and any inclusionary obligation at five or more units.
Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, city utility charges and insurance in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Can I rent a Calistoga unit on Airbnb?

No. Chapter 17.34 prohibits rentals of 30 days or less in any dwelling, and ADUs must be rented for at least 30 days.

Where can I build a duplex?

In R-2, on a lot of at least 9,000 square feet, by right.

Are apartments allowed by right?

Yes, in R-3. Downtown, units above the first floor need a use permit.

Is there rent control in Calistoga?

Not for apartments, which follow AB 1482. Mobile home spaces are under the city’s rent stabilization chapter, limited to the lesser of CPI or 6% a year.

How many ADUs can I add to an apartment lot?

Up to 25% of the existing unit count in non-livable space, and up to two detached ADUs.

Do new units need a growth allocation?

Generally yes. ADUs are exempt from the process but count toward the 1.35% growth rate.

Sources & notes

Note: We did not review the minimum density section (17.03.110), current in-lieu fee resolutions or the mobile home park space fee.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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