Cities | Salinas
Salinas Multiplex Rules 2026: ADUs, SB 9, Apartments, Rent Rules and Fees
Salinas, a charter city in Monterey County, publishes one Municipal Code on Municode. Chapter 37 holds the Zoning Code, Chapter 31 the subdivision rules, Chapter 9 the impact fees and flood rules, and Chapter 17 the rent, tenant and inclusionary housing rules. This page sums up the routes to two, three, four or more homes on a Salinas lot, what each allows, and where City text and state law differ. The code was read in Supplement 110, together with the Zoning Code Update Phase 1 ordinance the City Council adopted on September 1, 2026. The seven guide pages below cover each topic in depth.
Salinas in six facts
- The US Census Bureau estimates the population of the City of Salinas at 159,134 on July 1, 2025. Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025
- From October 1, 2026, the Salinas code permits a two-unit SB 9 development on any qualifying R-L lot. Source: Phase 1 ordinance, SMC 37-50.335
- A detached ADU may have up to 1,200 square feet of floor area under the City standards, approved by building permit within 60 days. Source: Phase 1 ordinance, SMC 37-50.250
- R-H-1.8 allows up to 24 homes per net acre, at 1,800 square feet of lot per home. Source: SMC 37-30.150, 37-30.170
- Covered rentals have a rent cap of the lesser of 2.75 percent or 75 percent of CPI, and voters decide on November 3, 2026 whether to repeal it. Source: SMC 17-02.04; impartial analysis
- SB 79 took effect on July 1, 2026 in seven counties, and HCD's list does not include Monterey County. Source: HCD SB 79 advisory
Salinas Guide Pages
Start With State Law
Four state laws set the floor Salinas must allow. SB 9 (2021) allows two main homes on a lot in a single-family zone, a split into two lots, or both, approved by staff with no hearing. ADU law sets the accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are second homes on a lot, and junior ADUs a city must allow; a junior ADU is a unit of 500 square feet or less inside the house. SB 684 and SB 1123 allow maps of up to 10 lots with 10 homes. SB 79 allows larger projects near qualifying transit in an "urban transit county," which Government Code 65912.156 defines as "a county with more than 15 passenger rail stations."
HCD's SB 79 advisory lists seven counties where SB 79 took effect on July 1, 2026: Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Diego. Monterey County is not among them, so SB 79 does not reach Salinas as of October 2026. SB 9, ADU law and SB 684 apply on every qualifying lot now, and so does the state density bonus.
Salinas is a charter city; Section 1.1 of its Charter says so. The SB 9 statutes apply to every city "whether general law or chartered." For most of 2026 the City relied on state law directly: Ordinance No. 2693 of February 24, 2026 repealed the old ADU section, and the use tables said ADUs were allowed "pursuant to State ADU law." The Phase 1 ordinance then wrote a new ADU section, 37-50.250, and a new SB 9 section, 37-50.335, in force from October 1, 2026. Both say state law controls where the two differ.
Salinas in Numbers
The US Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 city file estimates 159,134 people in the City of Salinas on July 1, 2025, down from a 2020 estimates base of 163,539. In that file Salinas is the 35th largest city in California, after Corona (161,734) and ahead of Hayward (157,113). Monterey County has 433,729 people in the same file.
Most housing decisions in Salinas are made by staff. The city planner decides site plan reviews, administrative permits, parcel maps and lot line adjustments, which covers duplexes and apartments in the R-M-2.9 and R-H districts. The community development director approves SB 9 projects, and ADUs go through the building permit. The Planning Commission decides conditional use permits and variances, and the City Council decides rezones, specific plans, tentative maps and appeals of Commission decisions. Appeals are due "within ten days of the decision."
The Routes to More Homes Compared
| Route | Districts | Homes | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADU and junior ADU | Every district that allows homes | House plus ADUs under state law | Building permit, 60 days |
| SB 9 two-unit project | R-L-5.5 | 2 main homes of at least 800 sq ft each allowed, plus ADUs | Administrative permit, 60 days |
| SB 9 urban lot split | R-L-5.5 | 2 lots of 1,200 sq ft or more, 2 homes each | Staff under state law, 60 days |
| Duplex | R-M-2.9 (permitted), R-H, CO/R and CO (site plan review) | 2 homes | Building permit or site plan review |
| Triplex, fourplex, apartments | R-M-2.9, R-H, CO/R, CO, MX (site plan review); CR, CT, MAF (use permit) | 2,900, 2,100 or 1,800 sq ft of lot per home | City planner or Planning Commission |
| Downtown mixed use | Downtown core, MX land | Up to 80 homes per net acre plus 4.0 FAR | Site plan review |
| SB 684 / SB 1123 map | Apartment lots up to 5 acres; vacant R-L lots up to 1.5 acres | Up to 10 | Staff under state law, 60 days |
Sources: Salinas Municipal Code 37-30.060, 37-30.110, 37-30.160, 37-30.200, 37-30.240 and 37-40.320; Sections 37-50.250 and 37-50.335 in the Phase 1 ordinance; Government Code 66411.7 and 66499.41.
Zones That Allow Homes
Salinas has five residential districts. R-L-5.5 is for single-family homes at six to eight homes per net acre. R-M-3.6 allows up to twelve homes per net acre on small lots and R-M-2.9 up to fifteen. R-H-2.1 and R-H-1.8 are "for high density multifamily dwelling units" at up to twenty and twenty-four homes per net acre. Homes are also allowed in the CO/R, CO, CR and CT commercial districts under the R-H rules, in the MAF and MX mixed use districts at up to twenty-four homes per net acre, and in the new urbanism districts of the future growth area through specific plans.
Overlays change these rules in places: the Flood, Specific Plan, Gateway, Focused Growth, Central City, East Romie Lane Corridor and Airport overlays. In the downtown core, a mixed use building on MX land may reach "4.0 FAR + 80 d.u. per net acre without density bonus." The zoning districts page has the full tables.
More change is coming. The August 18, 2026 staff report says the City's Zoning Code "had its last comprehensive update adopted in 2006" and that the update is "split into three phases." Phase 2, with "objective design standards for residential development," is expected "by mid-2027," and Phase 3, a new code, "by the end of 2027," after the Visión Salinas 2040 general plan. Check for amendments before you file.
House Lots: ADUs and SB 9
An R-L lot cannot take a duplex, so its routes are ADUs and SB 9. The new ADU section allows, on a lot with a house, one ADU converted from existing space, one junior ADU, and one detached ADU of up to 800 square feet, all approved by building permit within sixty days with no parking. Under the City standards a detached ADU may have up to "one-thousand two-hundred square feet of gross floor area" and be sixteen feet tall. "Owner occupancy is not required on a property with an accessory dwelling unit." See the ADUs and SB 9 page.
An SB 9 two-unit project puts two main homes on an R-L lot, each allowed at 800 square feet with four-foot side and rear setbacks, plus up to two ADUs or an ADU and a junior ADU. The lot must be "completely within the R-L district" and must not hold housing "occupied by a tenant in the last three years." An urban lot split, under state law, gives two lots of at least 1,200 square feet, each limited to two homes in total. The lots and subdivisions page covers parcel maps, tentative maps and SB 684.
Three or More Homes
A triplex or fourplex is a multifamily dwelling, allowed by site plan review in R-M-2.9 and R-H. By VanPlex arithmetic on the lot area per home, a fourplex needs 11,600 square feet in R-M-2.9, 8,400 in R-H-2.1 and 7,200 in R-H-1.8, because density is "rounded down to the next lower whole number." R-M-2.9 buildings may be 35 feet tall and R-H buildings 45. Projects of ten or more homes fall under the inclusionary housing rules in Chapter 17. See the three or more homes page.
Parking, Setbacks and Height
A house or duplex home with four bedrooms or fewer needs two parking spaces, and from October 1, 2026 they no longer have to be in a garage. Apartments need one to three spaces by bedroom count. R-L requires a 20 foot front yard and allows 30 feet of height. In a flood hazard area the lowest floor must be "elevated two feet (minimum) above the base flood elevation." See the parking, setbacks and height page.
Rent Stabilization and Tenants
Salinas caps rent increases on covered units at the lesser of 2.75 percent or 75 percent of the West region CPI, requires just cause to end a tenancy, and requires relocation pay of three months of rent when tenants must leave for a no-fault reason such as demolition. New homes with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995 are outside the cap under the Costa-Hawkins Act. The Council voted to repeal these rules in 2025, a referendum suspended the repeal, and voters decide on November 3, 2026. See the rent and tenant rules page.
Fees
New Salinas homes pay development impact fees for sewers, street trees, traffic, regional roads, and public facilities such as fire, police, library, recreation and parks. For homes these are "due and payable at issuance of a certificate of occupancy." The Council raised them 2.8 percent from July 1, 2026; the storm sewer trunk line fee is now $784.00 per bedroom and the sanitary sewer fee $1.34 per square foot. Site plan review for a 2 to 9 unit project is $1,375.50. See the permits and fees page.
Limits of This Guide
Every rule on these pages is the Municipal Code text in Supplement 110, read on October 9, 2026, plus the Phase 1 ordinance and the Council records named on each page. The City's own website refused automated requests, so City web pages, application forms, the zoning map and the specific plans were not read. The Phase 1 text comes from the copy in the Council record; ask the City Clerk for the signed ordinance and confirm any change adopted after it before you budget or design.
Best For
- ✓ House lots with room for a detached ADU of 800 square feet, approved with no parking.
- ✓ R-H-1.8 lots of 7,200 square feet, which hold a fourplex by site plan review.
- ✓ Vacant or owner-occupied lots, which avoid tenant relocation pay and the SB 9 tenant bar.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The plan puts a duplex or triplex on an R-L lot outside the SB 9 rules.
- ✕ The SB 9 lot had a tenant in the last three years.
- ✕ The lot is in a FEMA flood hazard area and the plan leaves out the raised floor.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The lot's district and any overlay on the Official Zoning Map.
- → The FEMA flood zone and base flood elevation.
- → The result of the November 3, 2026 rent ordinance vote.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the SB 79 page, the California rent and tenant rules page and the duplex to fourplex guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people live in Salinas, California?
What is the easiest way to add a home to a Salinas house lot?
Where is the Salinas zoning code?
Which state housing laws apply in Salinas today?
When did Salinas last change its housing rules?
Can I build a triplex on a Salinas R-L lot?
What should I check before buying a Salinas lot to add homes?
Are Salinas fee amounts printed in the Municipal Code?
Should I build ADUs or an SB 9 project on a Salinas lot?
Who decides a rezoning in Salinas?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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