Cities | Sacramento
Sacramento Missing Middle Housing: Multi-Unit Homes by Right
Sacramento lets owners build duplexes and multi-unit buildings by right on lots zoned for single-family homes. "By right" means the use is allowed in the zone without a rezoning or a use permit. The city also replaced the cap on units per acre with a cap on building floor area. This page covers Ordinance 2024-0027, its building standards, the review process, and how it compares with SB 9 (2021) and the other state laws. For how Sacramento compares with other cities around the world, see VanPlex's Sacramento policy page.
Sacramento in six facts
- Sacramento Ordinance 2024-0027 was adopted unanimously on September 17, 2024 and took effect October 17, 2024. Source: Ordinance 2024-0027
- The ordinance permits duplexes and multi-unit dwellings by right in the R-1, R-1A, R-1B and R-2 zones, outside specified airport safety and noise zones. Source: Ordinance 2024-0027
- Missing middle projects in Sacramento have no maximum density and no maximum lot coverage, and a maximum height of 35 feet. Source: Ordinance 2024-0027
- The city says its sliding floor area ratio scale limits building area, the unit counts on the scale are minimums, and ADUs do not count toward the maximum floor area. Source: City of Sacramento, Missing Middle Housing
- The city says that "With few exceptions, no onsite parking is required by the City code." Source: City of Sacramento, Missing Middle Housing
- The US Census Bureau estimates the population of the City of Sacramento at 536,449 on July 1, 2025. Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025
Start With State Law
The state laws set the minimum here as everywhere in California. SB 9 (2021) allows two primary homes on a lot in a single-family zone, a split into two lots, or both. ADU law sets the accessory dwelling units (ADUs), second smaller homes on the lot, that every city must approve. SB 684 and SB 1123 allow up to 10 lots with 10 homes. And Sacramento County is one of the seven counties where SB 79 took effect July 1, 2026, for buildings of five or more homes near qualifying transit.
Sacramento's own ordinance goes further than SB 9 on the same lots. SB 9 allows two primary homes per lot and needs a lot split to reach four. The Sacramento ordinance sets no maximum number of units in the R-1, R-1A, R-1B and R-2 zones, so an owner can plan a triplex or fourplex on one lot and let the building standards decide the count. SB 9 still matters where its 4-foot side and rear setbacks or its 60-day decision deadline help a project. Three 2026 state laws start January 1, 2027: AB 956 (two detached ADUs), AB 2601 (SB 9 homes and lot splits processed together) and AB 1751 (for-sale townhome projects).
Sacramento in Numbers
The US Census Bureau estimates 536,449 people in the City of Sacramento on July 1, 2025. The California Department of Finance's E-5 estimate for January 1, 2026 counts 539,765 people and 216,076 housing units, of which 19,203 are in buildings of two to four units. The two agencies use different dates and methods.
Ordinance 2024-0027
The City Council passed Ordinance 2024-0027 for publication on September 10, 2024, published it September 13, 2024, and adopted it on September 17, 2024. It took effect October 17, 2024. The vote was 9 to 0: "Ayes: Members Guerra, Jennings, Kaplan, Maple, Talamantes, Thao, Valenzuela, Vang, and Mayor Steinberg Noes: None."
The core rule is short: "The following uses are permitted by right in the R-1, R-1A, R-1B, or R-2 zones ... A. Dwelling, duplex; and B. Dwelling, multi-unit." Lots inside specified airport safety and noise zones are left out. The city's Missing Middle Housing page calls Sacramento "the first in the State to allow multi-unit housing in every neighborhood." That is the city's own description.
The ordinance also covers small single homes. It applies to "Development of a single-unit dwelling on a lot that is between 1,200 and 2,899 square feet," and an owner may choose its standards for a single home on a larger lot. The ordinance is an interim ordinance. On October 5, 2026, the city's page still described it as the active rules for missing middle housing, so check the page for a permanent replacement before you file.
Building Standards
| Standard | Missing middle rule |
|---|---|
| Zones | R-1, R-1A, R-1B and R-2, outside specified airport safety and noise zones |
| Uses permitted by right | Duplex and multi-unit dwelling |
| Maximum height | 35 feet |
| Density | Minimum set in the General Plan; no maximum |
| Lot coverage | No maximum |
| Building size | Floor area ratio from the General Plan sliding scale (Figure LUP-5) |
| Minimum lot size | 1,200 sq ft |
| Lot width and depth | At least 16 ft wide (31 ft on a corner); at most 160 ft deep |
| Interior side setback | 5 ft; 3 ft on interior lots under 52 ft wide or corner lots under 62 ft wide |
| Rear setback | 15 ft; 4 ft on lots under 2,900 sq ft or backing onto a public alley |
| Common open space (2 or more units) | 125 sq ft per unit or 400 sq ft, whichever is greater, where the maximum FAR is under 2; 75 sq ft per unit or 400 sq ft where it is 2 or more |
| Parking | "With few exceptions, no onsite parking is required by the City code." |
Sources: Ordinance 2024-0027, Sections 1, 3, 5 and 6, and the city's Missing Middle Housing page.
Setbacks are the required gaps between a building and the property lines. The ordinance cuts them on small lots: the rear setback drops from 15 feet to 4 feet "If the lot is less than 2,900 square feet, or if the rear lot line abuts a public alley." Common open space works out as follows where the maximum floor area ratio is under 2: a triplex needs 400 square feet (three times 125 is 375, which is less than 400), and a fourplex needs 500 square feet (four times 125).
Floor Area Ratio Replaces Units per Acre
Floor area ratio (FAR) is a building's total floor area divided by the lot area. Ordinance 2024-0027 explains the switch: "Under the 2040 General Plan, floor area ratio (FAR) has replaced maximum density limits as the standard used to regulate development intensity." The General Plan's sliding FAR scale, Figure LUP-5, gives more building area to projects that provide more units.
The city's page explains how to read it: the scale limits the building area allowed, and the unit counts shown on it are the minimum you need to earn the higher FAR. So an owner can split the allowed floor area into more, smaller homes. ADUs do not count toward the minimum unit count or the maximum FAR.
The FAR values sit in Figure LUP-5 of the 2040 General Plan, which is an image in the plan. Read your lot's value there, or ask the Planning Division, before you size a building.
Adding ADUs to a Missing Middle Project
State ADU law and the Sacramento FAR rule work well together. The city says ADUs do not count toward the maximum FAR, so ADU floor area comes on top of the missing middle building. State law then sets how many ADUs a city must approve. On a lot with a proposed multifamily building, a city must allow up to two detached ADUs. HCD treats "a structure with two or more attached dwellings on a single lot" as a multifamily dwelling, so a new triplex or fourplex counts.
Once the building exists, the numbers change. On a lot with an existing multifamily building, a city must allow up to eight detached ADUs, but no more than the number of existing units, plus ADUs inside existing space that is not lived in (at least one, up to 25 percent of the units). A detached ADU may be at least 16 feet tall, or 18 feet within one-half mile walking distance of a major transit stop. An ADU of 750 square feet or less pays no impact fees. The ADU law page covers each rule.
Plan financing before you add ADUs to a two- to four-unit building. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide says "ADUs are not permitted with a two- to four-unit dwelling," while Freddie Mac allows one ADU on a one-, two- or three-unit property. The financing page has the details.
SB 684 and SB 79 on Sacramento Lots
SB 684 allows a small-lot subdivision of up to 10 lots and 10 homes on "A lot zoned to allow multifamily residential dwelling use" of five acres or less. Since the Sacramento ordinance permits multi-unit dwellings by right in R-1, R-1A, R-1B and R-2, ask the Planning Division whether the city treats those lots as zoned for multifamily use under Government Code 66499.41. SB 1123 already covers vacant single-family lots of up to 1.5 acres. Through December 31, 2026, the state rules bar a city from setting a floor area ratio below 1.0 for an SB 684 project of 3 to 7 units.
SB 79 took effect in Sacramento County on July 1, 2026. It covers residential, mixed and commercial lots within a half mile of a qualifying stop. Light rail stops are Tier 2: within a quarter mile, a city cannot set a height limit below 65 feet, a density limit below 100 units per acre or a residential FAR below 3. An SB 79 project needs at least five homes. See the SB 79 page for the other tiers and the transit maps.
Review Process and Tenant Rules
Projects go through Site Plan and Design Review. Staff decide a project that meets every standard; the Planning Director decides one that asks for deviations from the standards. The city's page calls this review "discretionary." Ask the Planning Division what the review covers before you apply. Applications use forms CDD-0063 and CDD-0022 and are filed through the city's e-Planning system. Questions go to the Planning Division at [email protected].
Section 5 of the ordinance protects existing homes. To be approved, a project may not reduce the number of units on the site. It may not demolish deed-restricted affordable units. And it may not demolish "a dwelling unit that was covered by a rental or lease agreement that was in effect within 365 days before the permit is approved." If you buy a rented house to redevelop, that 365-day test decides when you can apply. State law adds its own tests: SB 9 blocks demolishing housing a tenant occupied in the last three years, and SB 684 uses five years. See the rent and tenant rules page.
To sell homes one by one, the city says "Property can be further subdivided to allow the sale of units." The 1,200 square foot minimum lot and 16-foot minimum width set how small each new lot can be.
Fees and Loan Limits
State fee rules apply in Sacramento. ADUs of 750 square feet or less pay no impact fees. The 2026 maximum Level I school fee is $5.38 per square foot of assessable space, and a district may charge less. Ask the city for its current development fee schedule; state law requires cities to post one online. See the impact fees page.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency's 2026 conforming loan limits for Sacramento County are $832,750 for one unit, $1,066,250 for two, $1,288,800 for three and $1,601,750 for four. These match the FHFA baseline, which the agency says applies "In most of the United States," and they are lower than the limits in Los Angeles or Santa Clara County. A new building with a certificate of occupancy from the previous 15 years is exempt from the statewide rent cap in Civil Code 1947.12.
Best For
- ✓ Owners of R-1, R-1A, R-1B or R-2 lots who want three or more homes on one lot without a lot split.
- ✓ Small lots under 2,900 square feet, where the rear setback drops to 4 feet.
- ✓ Owners who want to add ADUs outside the FAR limit.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The lot is in an airport safety or noise zone the ordinance excludes.
- ✕ A lease on an existing unit was in effect within 365 days before approval.
- ✕ The design needs deviations, which move the decision to the Planning Director.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Your lot's FAR on General Plan Figure LUP-5.
- → Whether a permanent ordinance has replaced the interim ordinance.
- → The city's development fee schedule and any parking exception that applies.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: Sacramento Missing Middle Housing in the global zoning comparison and California SB 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a fourplex in Sacramento?
What is Sacramento's Missing Middle Housing ordinance?
Is there a unit limit in Sacramento's R-1 zone?
How tall can missing middle buildings be in Sacramento?
Do I need parking for missing middle housing in Sacramento?
Do ADUs count toward the floor area limit in Sacramento?
Can I sell missing middle units separately in Sacramento?
What is the minimum lot size for missing middle housing in Sacramento?
Can I demolish a rented house for missing middle housing in Sacramento?
How many people live in Sacramento?
How much open space does a Sacramento missing middle project need?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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