Pomona | Three or More Homes

Pomona Three or More Homes: Development Plan Tiers, Inclusionary Rules, Rent Rules and SB 79

In Pomona's RND districts a triplex, fourplex or small apartment building is a permitted use, with no homes-per-acre cap in the code. What limits a project is the shape the form module allows, the review step that starts at 4 homes, the inclusionary rule that starts at 3, and, on land with old rentals, the City's rent and relocation rules. This page takes each in turn, then covers the state density bonus and SB 79. The Pomona overview gives the short version.

Homes Are a Permitted Use

The Pomona use table has one row for homes, "Dwelling Unit," and marks it P, permitted, in the R1 use module used by RND1 to RND4, NED3, NED5, UND2 and TOD3, and in the RX1 module of RND5. Section 200.B describes the RND districts as a place for "single-unit homes, cottage courts, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and other small multifamily development." The code has no separate duplex or triplex use; a building with three homes is three dwelling units.

The limits that decide how many homes fit come from the form module. In RND1 the House Medium 1 module allows a building up to 60 feet wide and 2.5 stories or 32 feet tall, with 45 percent building coverage and 75 percent impervious coverage. RND3 uses Low-Rise Medium 1, which allows a building up to 150 feet wide and 150 feet deep at the same 2.5 stories, with 65 percent building coverage. The parking, setbacks and height page lists every module.

One rule applies only from 4 homes. Each house module requires "Outdoor amenity space" of 15 percent of the lot for "4+ dwelling units," and none for 1 to 3. Low-Rise Medium 1 to 3 require 15 percent and the mid-rise modules 20 percent for any project, while Low-Rise Medium 4 requires none. Section 380.A says no amenity space is required "Where the calculation of outdoor amenity space requires less than 400 square feet," so at 15 percent a lot of 2,666 square feet or less needs none, by VanPlex arithmetic. Private balconies of at least 50 square feet and 6 feet deep count, but "No more than 50 percent" of the required space may be private.

Which Review Applies

A Development Plan is Pomona's design review for larger projects. Its findings cover consistency with the General Plan, compatibility with neighbors "with particular attention to privacy, views," quality of design, and consistency with the code's standards. Ordinance No. 4365 replaced the old trigger, which turned on the district, with two tiers that took effect on July 15, 2026.

Sources: Pomona Zoning and Development Code, Sec. 1100.A and 1160.F as amended in 2026 and Sec. 1170.C; FY 2026-27 Master Fee Schedule, Planning items 12 and 13.

The 2026 table defines Tier 1 as "New construction of 4 to 29 housing units. Includes establishing housing units within existing structures," and Tier 2 as "New construction of 30 or more housing units," or non-residential construction over 10,000 square feet. "Any Tier 1 Development Plan with a proposed map action is considered a Tier 2 Development Plan." A fourplex sold as condominiums therefore goes to the Planning Commission, because it needs a parcel map.

Below 4 homes, the code names no Development Plan, and Section 1170.C requires a Ministerial Permit for permitted uses "with the exception of Dwelling Unit." For 1 to 3 homes on an RND lot the code names no planning approval beyond meeting its written standards; confirm with the Planning Division what it checks at plan review. A historic district lot still needs a certificate of appropriateness; see the historic districts page.

The 2026 amendments also made some affordable projects by right. Section 540.A now permits "on a by-right basis" housing developments "with 20 percent or more affordable to lower income households on nonvacant sites as identified in Appendix C of the City of Pomona Fifth Cycle Housing Element, certified on September 30, 2022."

The Inclusionary Rule Starts at Three Homes

Inclusionary housing is a rule that a share of new homes be sold or rented at prices set for moderate- or lower-income households. Pomona's rule is in Chapter 74, Article VIII of the City Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 4295 in 2021. Section 74-381 says "A residential development that includes three or more dwelling units shall provide for the construction of inclusionary units." Section 74-421 exempts "Residential developments of two or fewer housing units" and additions or remodels that add fewer than three homes.

Source: Pomona City Code Sec. 74-381 and Sec. 74-401, Supplement 31.

The in-lieu fee is a payment instead of building the units. Section 74-401 allows it for any for-sale project, for "Rental residential developments of 30 or fewer dwelling units," and for larger rentals only on a Council finding of "extreme hardship." The fee is charged per square foot of saleable or leasable area on a schedule the Council adopts by resolution, and it is paid "at the time that the first building permit is obtained." A fractional unit is always paid as a fee unless the developer rounds up. The FY 2026-27 Master Fee Schedule read for this guide does not list the in-lieu rates, so ask the Housing Division for the schedule in force. No building permit issues until an affordable housing agreement is recorded or the fee is paid. Density bonus units do not count when the City figures the required number.

For a triplex the arithmetic is small: 13 percent of 3 homes is 0.39 of a unit, by VanPlex arithmetic, so a three-home rental pays the fee for that fraction under Section 74-381(d) unless the owner provides a whole unit.

Parking for Multiple Homes

Section 610.C sets one table for all residential uses: "1st 3 dwelling units" need "none," and "4th+ dwelling units" need "1 per 1 du after 3rd du." A fourplex needs 1 space and a tenplex 7. Residential projects may replace up to 10 percent of the required spaces with secure bicycle parking, at 4 bicycle spaces for each car space, and up to 10 percent with ride-share drop-off spaces at 3 car spaces each. Parking may not be placed between the building and the street in the N1, N2 and MU1 frontage modules. Within one-half mile of public transit the AB 2097 Overlay District applies, and state law bars any minimum.

Replacing Older Rentals

Many lots with room for more homes already hold rentals. Pomona's Rent Stabilization and Eviction Control Ordinance of 2025, Ordinance No. 4359, is Division 4 of Chapter 30 of the City Code. It "applies to all rental units within the city," except listed exemptions such as units with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995, owner-occupied houses renting up to two units or bedrooms, and units sold separately such as single-family houses and condominiums. A landlord claiming an exemption must file a notice with the City.

• Rent cap. An increase may not exceed "five percent of the highest monthly rent" in the prior 12 months, and only one increase is allowed in any 12 month period. Rent resets without limit when a unit is vacant at a new tenancy.
• Just cause. A covered tenancy may end only for a listed reason. Demolition, permanent removal from rental use under state law, and major work that costs at least eight times the monthly rent times the units affected and makes the unit uninhabitable for 30 days are "no-fault" causes.
• Relocation pay. A no-fault termination requires relocation assistance under Section 30-577, in the amounts below until the Council sets others by resolution. Half is due within seven calendar days of the notice and half within seven calendar days after the tenant leaves.

Source: Pomona City Code Sec. 30-577(b), Ordinance No. 4359 (November 17, 2025). The highest applicable amount is paid when more than one applies.

The reduced amount applies only when the building has four or fewer rental units, the landlord has paid no relocation assistance to a tenant in the building in the previous three years, the landlord owns no more than four units and one house on a separate lot in the city, and any relative moving in owns no residential property in the city. Division 4 is headed "Urgency Rent Control Measures" in the Municode table of contents, while its first section says it enacts the "Rent Stabilization and Eviction Control Ordinance of 2025"; the section text controls. Separately, any building 50 years old or older needs a historic eligibility review before a demolition permit; see the historic districts page.

State Density Bonus

The state density bonus law, Government Code 65915, lets a "housing development" of "five or more residential units" that includes affordable homes build more homes than local rules allow, with incentives and "waivers or reductions of development standards." The Pomona code has no density bonus chapter, so the statute applies directly, and the FY 2026-27 Master Fee Schedule adds a "Density Bonus Review" fee of $4,500. A density bonus is a percentage increase "above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density." Pomona's code prints no homes-per-acre maximum for its districts, so ask the Planning Division what base it uses and which form standards it would waive. See the duplex to fourplex guide for the state rules.

SB 79 Near Rail Stations

SB 79 allows taller and denser homes within one-half mile of qualifying rail and bus stops in an "urban transit county." HCD's SB 79 advisory says the upzoning provisions "will take effect on July 1, 2026, in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Diego Counties." Pomona is in Los Angeles County. The advisory's rail table lists "LA Metro Rail (A, C, E, K Lines)" as light rail and Metrolink as commuter rail. A Tier 1 stop is served by heavy rail or very high frequency commuter rail; a Tier 2 stop by light rail, high-frequency commuter rail or qualifying bus service, and the commuter rail tiers depend on train counts.

The Pomona code names no rail stations, and this guide did not check which Pomona stops meet a tier. Its Transit Oriented Districts already allow 4 to 6 stories. The SB 79 page explains the state heights and densities, and the City's own TOD rules are on the zoning districts page.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Pomona overview, the California rent and tenant rules page and the SB 79 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)