Multifamily and Duplex Properties for Sale in Citrus Heights: Zoning and Rent Rules

What multifamily in Citrus Heights looks like

Citrus Heights’ income property is mostly existing stock: duplexes on corner and interior lots, small apartment buildings and garden complexes on medium- and high-density parcels, townhome projects, mobile home parks, and single-family homes with ADUs. New supply comes mainly from infill and from housing on commercial land, which the city’s code allows in several commercial zones. For two to four units, read financing 2-4 unit properties; for five or more, apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Citrus Heights is a city with its own zoning code. Chapter 106.24 sets out the residential districts and their allowed uses in Table 2-2; the residential tables were most recently amended by Ordinance 2026-004 on June 10, 2026.

Conversions. Condominium conversions need a Use Permit in the RD-5 through RD-30 districts. The city also has a separate article on mobile home park conversions.

ADUs and SB 9. ADUs are permitted in every residential district under Section 106.42.015. SB 9 applies to qualifying single-family lots. See our ADU investment guide and SB 9 lot split guide.

Special planning areas with housing. Several SPAs set their own densities:

• Antelope Crossing (Ordinance 2015-004) allows housing and mixed use with SC uses, capped at 118 homes for the area.
• Auburn Oaks Court allows RD-20 uses at up to 20 units per acre, but keeps a 300-foot strip along the freeway for SC uses unless noise and air impacts are otherwise mitigated.
• Greenback Woods and Oak Avenue–Wachtel Way allow up to 20 units per acre with lower densities on parts of each site.
• Sunrise Tomorrow (Ordinance 2021-006) and Auburn Boulevard Corridor defer to their specific plans for residential density.

Rent rules: state law only

The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, places Sacramento County in All Other Counties: 7.7% for increases from August 1, 2025 and 8.6% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The AG’s chart of local rent ordinances lists only the City of Sacramento in this county, so Citrus Heights follows state law. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Citrus Heights rental property rules

The city’s own inspection program. Citrus Heights runs its own Rental Housing Inspection Program, separate from the County’s. The city’s RHIP registration form says operating rental housing without registering is unlawful.

• Annual registration. One form per rental property, renewed each year, with changes in owner, agent or contact details reported within 30 days.
• Fees. Owners pay an annual registration fee and a Housing Stock Fee.
• Inspections. A property manager must be authorized to accept city notices and be present for inspections.
• Exemptions. The Code Enforcement director decides exemptions, which can include buildings built within the last five years and units inspected by other agencies such as SHRA.
• Accuracy. City code section 50-247 makes knowingly false or incomplete registration unlawful.

Short-term rentals. Under Chapter 22, Article IV, adopted by Ordinance 2022-003 on April 14, 2022 and amended in 2025:

• License. A short-term rental business license is required before hosting, renewed yearly, and it ends when the property is sold.
• Ineligible units. ADUs built after January 1, 2020, inclusionary units and other income-restricted units cannot be short-term rentals.
• Occupancy. From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., two guests per bedroom plus two more.
• Taxes. Hosts must remit the city’s transient occupancy tax, and unpaid tax can lead to revocation.

Transfer tax. The city’s real property transfer tax, adopted January 2, 1997, is $0.275 per $500 and is administered by the County Clerk-Recorder. The Clerk-Recorder’s FAQ names only the City of Sacramento as adding a city tax to the County’s $0.55 per $500, which suggests the city share sits within the County rate. Confirm with escrow.

Older complexes, freeway parcels and inspections

Older buildings may predate current codes, so expect RHIP inspection items and consider a seismic retrofit review on older wood-frame buildings. Three-plus unit buildings with elevated balconies or stairs need SB 721 balcony inspections. Several SPAs near Interstate 80 restrict housing close to the freeway for noise and air quality, and some creekside SPAs protect native trees and floodplains, which can limit added units.

Underwriting a Citrus Heights multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the district and whether a duplex sits on a corner lot (permitted) or interior lot (Use Permit) in RD-5 or RD-7.
2. Check whether an SPA sets a lower density for the site.
3. Confirm city RHIP registration, fees and any open Code Enforcement cases.
4. Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.6% for covered units.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
6. Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, RHIP and Housing Stock fees and insurance in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Citrus Heights Chapter 106.24, Residential Zoning Districts (GoCodebook)
2. Citrus Heights Chapter 106.26, Commercial and Industrial Zoning Districts
3. Citrus Heights Chapter 106.50, Special Planning Areas
4. City of Citrus Heights, RHIP registration form
5. Citrus Heights Chapter 22, Article IV, Short-Term Rentals
6. Citrus Heights Chapter 86, Article II, Transfer Tax
7. California Attorney General, rent caps (updated July 16, 2026)
8. County Clerk-Recorder, documentary transfer tax

Note: Residential densities by district were not shown in the code text we reviewed; they are set with the General Plan. We did not review the RHIP fee resolution or the mobile home park conversion article.

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

Related: Citrus Heights real estate guide · Commercial real estate in Citrus Heights · Multifamily investing guide · Investor services