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

What multifamily in Woodland looks like

Woodland’s rental stock includes duplexes and small multi-unit houses in the older neighborhoods around downtown, mid-century fourplexes and garden apartments along the arterials, mobile home parks, and newer apartment communities on the city’s south and east sides, including the Spring Lake area. The 2024 zoning code added housing to downtown and to the East Street, West Main and other corridor zones, so mixed-use apartments are now possible on many older commercial sites. Woodland also has its own mobile home space rent control. For two to four units, read financing 2-4 unit properties; for larger buildings, see apartment building loans.

Where the zoning allows it

Chapter 17.24, adopted by Ordinance 1722 on June 18, 2024 and amended by Ordinance 1743 in October 2025, sets these residential zones:

Neighborhood Preservation. N-P protects older neighborhoods, generally built before 1940, that already mix housing types; duplexes are permitted there but larger multi-unit buildings are not.

Density ranges. The R-M and R-H ranges start at 8.1 and 20 units per acre, and duplexes are not listed in either zone, so ask the city whether a small project on a large R-H lot fits the range.

Ground floors. In some corridor zones, ground-floor housing facing Main Street or County Road 102 is not allowed. On Kentucky Avenue, housing is limited to the south side unless part of a specific plan.

ADUs and SB 9. ADUs are regulated in every residential zone by Section 17.84.030. SB 9 applies in single-family zones. See our SB 9 lot split guide and ADU investment guide. Inside the Spring Lake and Southeast Area specific plans, the plan controls housing types and density.

Rent rules: state cap for apartments, local control for mobile home spaces

Apartments and houses. The Attorney General’s rent cap page, updated July 16, 2026, lists no local apartment rent stabilization in Yolo County and places it under All Other Counties: covered units may rise up to 7.7% for increases from August 1, 2025 and up to 8.6% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. State just cause rules apply to covered tenancies. See our AB 1482 guide and just cause eviction guide.

Mobile home spaces. Chapter 5.36 regulates space rent in any park with two or more rented sites.

• Base rent. The ceiling starts from space rent in effect on January 1, 1996.
• Annual increase. The permissive adjustment is the lesser of 3% or 75% of the prior year’s western urban CPI increase, no more than once in 12 months.
• Vacancy control. A change of resident does not reset rent above the allowable increase.
• Process. Annual applications go to the Manufactured Home Fair Practices Commission by March 1, with hearings by April 30 and increases effective no earlier than July 1. Owners can also seek a fair-return adjustment.
• Capital improvements. Necessary repairs can count as operating expenses; new amenities need written consent from a majority of spaces. Reserves are capped at 5% of gross income.
• Exemptions and suspension. Qualifying long-term leases under Civil Code 798.17, resident-owned parks and deed-restricted affordable spaces are exempt. The chapter is suspended if park vacancies exceed 5%.

Woodland rental property rules

• Transfer tax. The city’s $0.275-per-$500 share is credited against the county tax under Yolo County Section 3-2.13. The combined standard rate is $0.55 per $500 of taxable value, subject to exemptions and the recorded transaction. Confirm the calculation with escrow.
• Short stays. Stays of 30 days or less pay the city’s 10% transient occupancy tax.
• Affordable housing. Chapter 15.16 covers affordable housing requirements; we did not verify whether it applies to rental projects of a given size.
• Registration. We found no citywide rental registration chapter in the code index.

Older buildings, flood and balconies

Pre-1940 buildings in the N-P neighborhoods and mid-century apartments may need foundation, electrical and seismic retrofit review. Parts of Woodland lie near Cache Creek and other mapped flood areas, so check the FEMA flood zone for every address. Budget SB 721 balcony inspections for buildings of three or more units with elevated balconies or walkways.

Underwriting a Woodland multifamily purchase

1. Confirm the current zone under the 2024 code, and whether a specific plan governs the parcel.
2. Check unit count against the density band; extra units may be legal nonconforming.
3. Classify units under AB 1482 and model covered increases at or below 8.6%.
4. For a mobile home park, model space rent at the lesser of 3% or 75% of CPI and review past Commission decisions.
5. Collect leases, the rent roll and estoppel certificates.
6. Add both transfer taxes and reassessed property taxes to our rental property analysis.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. California Attorney General, Rent Caps
2. Woodland Municipal Code, Chapter 17.24, Residential Zones (GoCodebook)
3. Chapter 17.32, Mixed-Use Zones and Chapter 17.28, Downtown Zones
4. Chapter 5.36, Manufactured Home Space Rent Control
5. Chapter 3.16, Real Property Transfer Tax
6. Chapter 3.12, Transient Occupancy Tax
7. Yolo County Code Section 3-2.04

Note: We did not read Section 17.84.030 (ADUs), Section 17.84.240, Chapter 15.16, residential height standards or the specific plans. Housing stock descriptions and flood notes are general, not from a source.

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

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