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

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What multifamily in Montara looks like

Montara is a coastal village of mostly single-family homes, and its income property reflects that. Buyers usually find a house with a legal second unit, a pair of cottages on one lot, an older duplex, or an apartment over a commercial space; purpose-built apartment buildings are rare. The village is unincorporated, so San Mateo County and its Local Coastal Program set the rules, and the Montara Water and Sanitary District decides whether a new unit can be served. For two to four units, read financing 2-4 unit properties; for anything larger, see apartment building loans.

What sets Montara apart in 2026 is timing. Almost any plan to add a unit, an ADU included, runs into the urban Midcoast building permit cap, which has nearly run out for 2026 and 2027.

Where the zoning allows it

The County’s districts are listed in Chapter 8.08 of Title 8. Confirm each parcel’s district on the County zoning map; we did not verify which districts are mapped on individual Montara streets.

District	Two or more units	Key standards
S-17 Midcoast with single-family zoning	One house plus ADU/JADU; SB 9 where it applies	5,000 sq ft sites, 50 ft average width. 28 ft height. Floor area 0.53 of lot on 5,000–11,698 sq ft lots, capped at 6,200 sq ft
R-3 Multiple-Family	Multifamily dwellings and dwelling groups	Density set by the S combining district on the map
C-1 Neighborhood Business	Units above the first floor by use permit	Residential floor area may not exceed commercial floor area unless the extra is affordable
PAD Planned Agricultural	Farm labor housing; affordable multifamily on non-prime land	Planned Agricultural Permit. 28 ft for residential buildings in the Midcoast LCP Update area

The rural additions. Policy 1.14 of the County’s LCP policies treats Montara’s First, Second, Hotel and Wienke Additions as rural residential areas, not urban ones. A lot there should not be underwritten on urban density assumptions without the County’s confirmation.

S-17 details. Coverage is 50% for buildings 16 feet or lower and 35% above that. Low impervious surfaces are limited to 10% of the lot and no more than 1,170 square feet for homes. On slopes of 30% or more, the Design Review Committee can allow 33 feet over part of a house.

ADUs. The County puts Coastal Zone ADU rules in Chapter 8.396 and allows ADUs in every Coastal Zone residential district, according to its ADU page. The LCP adds a special ADU parking map for Moss Beach and Montara (Map 3.1, linked from the LCP page); check whether a lot falls inside it. See our ADU investment guide.

SB 9. State two-unit and lot split rules can reach qualifying single-family lots, but Coastal Act review still applies and any new unit counts toward the cap. See our SB 9 lot split guide.

Rent rules: state law only

The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, puts San Mateo County in the San Francisco area, where covered units may rise up to 8.8% for increases from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Montara has no local apartment rent ordinance; the County’s rent rules cover mobile home spaces in unincorporated parks, not apartments or houses. Read our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide to classify each unit.

Montara rental property rules

The Midcoast cap. LCP Policy 1.23 limits the urban Midcoast, which Policy 1.4 says includes Montara, to 40 new housing units a year. It counts single-family, multifamily, mixed-use, caretaker, affordable and second units, and a unit counts when its building permit issues. The County’s cap and waitlist page says 102 units, 71 of them affordable, were permitted in 2025, leaving 18 permits for 2026 and 2027 combined. The County says it cannot accept new residential building permit applications until January 1, 2028 or until an LCP amendment providing relief is approved. It encourages ADU and JADU owners to submit a Formal CDX now to hold a waitlist place.

The November 2026 hearing. The Coastal Commission has set a November 4, 2026 hearing on amendment LCP-2-SMC-26-0048-1 to revise the cap’s calculation. Whether it is approved, and when any change takes effect, was not known at review; the Commission may also extend its deadline.

Short-term rentals. Since June 2017 the County has allowed Coastal Zone short-term rentals only with a permit and only in legal residences on R-1 or R-3 parcels. Stays are capped at 180 nights a year, ADUs cannot be rented short term, a local contact must live within 20 miles, and transient occupancy tax applies.

Transfer tax. The County collects documentary transfer tax at 55 cents per $500; there is no city tax in unincorporated Montara.

Water, sewer and coastal building issues

The Montara Water and Sanitary District runs nine active wells and five treatment plants and serves about 6,012 people. Its long connection moratorium was repealed after it gained permission in 2013 to serve new connections, and connections are coordinated with County Planning and Building inside urban zones. LCP Policy 1.19 limits new private wells in the MWSD area and requires a recorded commitment to connect later, so a well-served duplex is a question to ask early.

Sewage goes by intertie pipeline to a treatment plant in Half Moon Bay. Older wood-frame homes on coastal bluffs and slopes warrant a seismic retrofit review, and buildings of three or more units with elevated decks need SB 721 balcony inspections. Site grading is generally not allowed from October 15 to April 15 without erosion controls.

Underwriting a Montara multifamily purchase

Confirm the district, any S combining district and whether the lot is in a rural residential addition.
Verify every existing unit was permitted; an unpermitted second unit cannot be legalized quickly while the cap is exhausted.
Classify units under AB 1482 and model increases at or below 8.8% for covered units.
Do not count new ADU or SB 9 income until a building permit can issue under the cap.
Get MWSD connection records, and collect leases and estoppel certificates.
Rebuild expenses with reassessed taxes, district charges and coastal insurance in our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Can I add an ADU in Montara right now?

ADUs are allowed in Coastal Zone residential districts, but they count toward the Midcoast cap. The County is not accepting new residential building permit applications until 2028 or an LCP change, so join the waitlist through a Formal CDX.

Is there rent control in Montara?

No local apartment rent control. AB 1482 applies to covered units, at up to 8.8% from August 1, 2026.

Can I rent my Montara ADU on Airbnb?

No. The County’s Coastal Zone rules bar short-term rental of ADUs. A main house in R-1 or R-3 may qualify for a permit, capped at 180 nights a year.

Who provides water to Montara?

The Montara Water and Sanitary District, from wells and treatment plants it operates.

Are apartments allowed above shops?

In C-1, by use permit, above the first floor and no larger than the commercial area unless the extra space is affordable.

What happens at the November 4, 2026 Coastal Commission hearing?

The Commission is scheduled to consider a County amendment to recalculate the cap. Check the County’s page for the outcome before relying on new permits.

Sources & notes

Note: Parcel-level zoning in Montara and the outcome of the November 4, 2026 Coastal Commission hearing were not confirmed.

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

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