Zoning Overlays & Bonuses in California (2026)

Chapter 18.72 of the Anaheim Municipal Code lets the City Council adopt a specific plan that replaces standard zoning…

The City of Sonoma requires developments of five or more parcels or units to make at least 25 percent of them…

Alameda grants density bonuses to housing developments of five or more units that include income-restricted affordable…

Unincorporated Alameda County grants a density bonus up to 35% above base zoning density to housing developments that…

Alhambra grants a density bonus, plus incentives or concessions, to housing developments and land transfers that set…

Antioch implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally through AMC §§ 9-5.3501-9-5.3502. Developers proposing…

Bakersfield processes State Density Bonus Law applications under California Government Code 65915, granting additional…

Bellflower's Chapter 17.41 implements California's Density Bonus Law, letting qualifying affordable-housing…

Berkeley implements California Government Code 65915 density bonus, granting up to 50 percent additional units and…

Brentwood implements California's State Density Bonus Law through Chapter 17.720, requiring density bonus, incentive…

Buena Park adopts California's State Density Bonus Law by reference for residential development citywide, granting…

Butte County grants a graduated density bonus, up to 35 percent over the zone's maximum, to housing projects that set…

Camarillo implements the state Density Bonus Act locally through Chapter 19.49, requiring an applicant to file a…

Carlsbad grants density bonuses to housing developments that set aside very-low, low, or moderate income units under…

Carson grants a twenty percent density bonus to housing developments that set aside five percent of units for…

Chico allows an extra 5% density bonus beyond what California's state law requires, or up to 10% for projects that skip…

Chino requires developers seeking a state-law density bonus to file an application with the development services…

Chino Hills grants a density bonus and development incentives to housing projects that set aside units for lower, very…

Chula Vista implements state density bonus law through CVMC Chapter 19.90, letting housing developers apply for a…

Clovis Chapter 9.26 grants density bonuses, up to 20% extra units for senior housing and a sliding scale for…

Compton grants density bonuses of up to 35% above otherwise-allowable zoning density for residential or mixed-use…

Contra Costa County grants developers a density bonus above the zoned maximum for building affordable or senior housing…

Corona grants density bonuses above zoning and General Plan limits for housing developments that reserve units for low…

Costa Mesa implements California's density bonus law through sections 13-152 through 13-154, letting developers of…

Cupertino's density bonus ordinance implements the State Density Bonus Law by granting extra units to housing…

Davis awards its own one-for-one city density bonus, on top of the state density bonus, when a developer builds on-site…

Downey implements the state Density Bonus Law through Municipal Code § 9512, granting extra units and development…

Dublin's density bonus ordinance, Chapter 8.52 of the Municipal Code, exists to implement California's State Density…

Eastvale must grant a density bonus, worth up to a 35 percent unit increase, to housing developments that set aside at…

El Dorado County grants a density bonus above the General Plan's maximum allowed density to housing projects of five or…

El Monte grants density bonuses of up to 50 percent above a project's base allowable units for developments of five or…

Elk Grove grants a density bonus plus incentives or concessions to residential developments that set aside a qualifying…

Escondido grants a density bonus above the otherwise-maximum residential density to housing developments of five or…

Fairfield grants a density bonus above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density to housing developments that…

Folsom grants a density bonus of at least 20% to housing developments of five or more units that set aside 10% of units…

Fremont grants developers a density bonus of up to 50 percent above the base zoning density when a housing project sets…

Fresno applies California's State Density Bonus Law, granting up to 50 percent extra units, height waivers, and parking…

Fresno County grants density bonuses up to 50 percent above the General Plan maximum for housing developments that set…

Fullerton grants density bonuses under FMC § 15.17.120 to housing developments that set aside units for low-, very-low…

Garden Grove processes density bonus applications under Municipal Code Section 9.60.040 concurrently with the…

Glendale grants residential developers up to a 35% increase in unit count above the base zoning density when a project…

Glenn County grants a density bonus to housing developers who set aside units for lower-income, very low-income, or…

Hanford, California implements the state density bonus law locally: qualifying affordable and senior housing projects…

Hawthorne must grant a density bonus above the base zone's maximum density under Hawthorne Code §§ 17.17.020-.030 when…

Hayward's Density Bonus Ordinance, City Code Article 19, lets residential developers exceed state density bonus…

Hemet implements California's density bonus law (Gov. Code § 65915) locally through City Code §§ 90-161 to 90-168. A…

Hercules grants residential density bonuses, incentives, parking reductions and waivers under Sections 13-30.420…

Huntington Beach grants developers a density bonus of up to 35% when a residential project sets aside affordable units…

Imperial County's general plan allows up to a 20% density bonus for qualifying residential projects with full water and…

Indio Municipal Code Chapter 154 grants density bonus incentives to housing developments of five or more units serving…

Inglewood grants a density bonus of up to 20 percent, rising to 35 percent, plus development incentives, to housing…

Irvine implements California's density bonus law locally through Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2-3-10, granting density bonuses…

Kern County grants density bonuses above the general plan's maximum residential density for qualifying unincorporated…

Kings County grants housing projects up to a 35% density bonus for setting aside very low-, lower-, or moderate-income…

Lancaster grants a density bonus to qualifying affordable-housing projects under Municipal Code Chapter 17.41, Article…

Long Beach implements California's Density Bonus Law, allowing housing developers extra units, height, parking…

Projects that set aside affordable units qualify for state-mandated density bonuses, parking reductions, and…

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, housing developments that set aside units as affordable, senior, or donated-land…

Los Banos grants a density bonus, incentives or concessions to housing developments of five or more units that set…

Madera's local density bonus ordinance, § 10-3-5.101 et seq., grants housing developments of five or more units a…

Unincorporated Madera County grants density bonuses of up to 35 percent for housing projects meeting affordability…

Marin County Code Chapter 22.24 implements state Density Bonus Law countywide, granting extra units, height, and…

Mendocino County grants density bonuses and incentives to affordable, moderate-income, and senior housing projects…

Merced grants a density bonus and development incentives to any housing project of five or more units that sets aside…

Unincorporated Merced County grants density bonuses under Zoning Code Chapter 18.66 to housing developments of five or…

Modesto grants developers a density bonus above the maximum allowed by zoning when a project sets aside affordable…

Monterey implements California's State Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code § 65915) under City Code Section 38-112.5, and…

Monterey County grants a density bonus of up to 35 percent above the base zoning allowance for housing developments of…

Moorpark must grant density bonuses, concessions, and parking reductions to qualifying affordable, senior, and…

Moreno Valley Municipal Code Section 9.03.050 implements the state Density Bonus Law locally: a developer who sets…

Mountain View City Code Sec. 36.48.80 requires the city to grant a density bonus above zoning and general plan limits…

Chapter 16.20 of Murrieta's Development Code implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally, letting a…

Newport Beach grants residential density bonuses of up to 50 percent, plus development standard waivers, for housing…

Norwalk implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally through Municipal Code § 17.04.400, granting extra…

California Government Code 65915 lets Oakland developers add up to 50 percent more units, fewer parking spaces, and…

Oceanside Zoning Ordinance § 3032 grants developers of five or more residential units a density bonus above the general…

Chapter 17.15 incorporates California's Density Bonus Law, Government Code § 65915 et seq., directly into Orange's…

In the unincorporated H Overlay District, Orange County lets developers who consolidate small parcels into a site of…

Oxnard grants a density bonus to developers who set aside affordable, senior, student, or homeless-serving units under…

In the City of Pacifica, Article 41 of the Zoning Code (Sections 9-4.4100 through 9-4.4106) lets residential projects…

Palm Springs Municipal Code § 93.23.17 implements the State Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code §§ 65915-65918). A project…

Palmdale requires developers seeking a state density bonus on projects of five or more dwelling units to enter a…

Pasadena implements the state Density Bonus Law locally: developers who dedicate 5% of units to very-low-income…

Perris implements California's state density bonus law locally through Chapter 19.57, granting eligible…

Petaluma awards a density increase to housing developments that set aside affordable units, under Implementing Zoning…

Placer County grants a density bonus of up to 50% above a project's otherwise maximum zoning density when a residential…

Pleasanton implements state density bonus law through Chapter 17.38, granting density bonuses, incentives, waivers and…

Rancho Cordova must grant a density bonus to any housing project that sets aside at least 10 percent of units for…

Chapter 17.46 grants residential developers a density bonus of up to 50 percent for providing very low or lower-income…

Redding grants density bonuses and zoning incentives to housing developments that set aside affordable units under…

Redlands implements the state Density Bonus Law through Zoning Code Chapter 18.228, granting projects of five or more…

Redondo Beach implements State Density Bonus Law through its own Density Bonus Permit: a developer files an application…

Redwood City implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally at Zoning Code § 32.19, granting bonus units…

California density bonus law gives Riverside developers extra units, height, and concessions in exchange for…

Riverside County implements California Government Code 65915 density bonus law, granting up to 50 percent additional…

Rohnert Park implements the State Density Bonus Law locally through RPMC § 17.08.020, letting any eligible housing…

Roseville grants density bonuses up to 80 percent above a project's base allowable density for housing developments…

Sacramento County grants density bonuses of up to 5-20%+ above base zoning for housing developments that set aside…

Salinas Municipal Code Section 37-50.060 grants density bonuses under state law for residential projects that set aside…

Unincorporated San Benito County grants a density bonus of at least 25% for qualifying affordable housing projects of…

California Density Bonus Law lets developers exceed San Bernardino County zoning density by up to 50 percent in…

California Government Code §65915 and SDMC §142.1305 grant up to 50 percent additional density, parking reductions, and…

In unincorporated San Diego County, residential projects can earn a density bonus of up to 50% above base zoning…

San Francisco offers density and height bonuses to projects that include affordable housing through the local HOME-SF…

California Government Code §65915 grants developers up to 50–80 percent density bonuses, parking reductions, and three…

San Leandro Municipal Code Chapter 6.08 implements the State Density Bonus Law in every zoning district that allows…

San Luis Obispo County implements California's density bonus law through Section 22.12.020, letting a qualifying…

San Marcos grants a density bonus to housing developments that include affordable, senior, or supportive units under…

Unincorporated San Mateo County grants residential developers a density bonus of up to 35 percent above the zoned…

San Rafael grants a density bonus plus extra development-standard concessions to residential projects of five or more…

San Ramon grants State Density Bonus Law incentives under Municipal Code Chapter D4-VIII. Any housing project receiving…

Chapter 35.32 implements California's State Density Bonus Law locally: a housing development of five or more units that…

Santa Clara grants density bonuses of up to 50% under Zoning Code Chapter 18.64 to housing developments that set aside…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County processes density bonus requests under state law, reducing minimum lot size or…

Santa Clarita processes state density bonuses through Unified Development Code Section 17.68.030, which requires…

Santa Cruz County grants a density bonus of up to 35% (50% with an enhanced bonus) above the zoning maximum to…

Santa Maria grants a density bonus above the zoning-allowed unit count to residential projects that set aside…

On top of California's State Density Bonus Law, Santa Rosa's Chapter 20-31 offers a Supplemental Local Density Bonus of…

Simi Valley grants a density bonus to any Housing Development that sets aside affordable units, starting at a 20% unit…

Sonoma County's supplemental density bonus program lets residential projects of five or more units build up to 50…

South Gate grants residential density bonuses, up to 50% or more, to developments that set aside units as very-low…

Stockton applies California Density Bonus Law allowing developers to exceed base zoning density and request waivers in…

Sunnyvale grants density bonuses above a residential zone's maximum allowable density under Municipal Code Section…

Tehama County must grant extra density and incentives, under its own § 17.80.020, to unincorporated-county housing…

Temecula grants density bonuses of up to 35 percent above the base zoning density for qualifying affordable housing…

Thousand Oaks grants density bonuses to housing projects that include affordable units, implementing California…

Tracy grants qualifying housing developers an increased density bonus plus at least one extra concession when a project…

Turlock follows California's Density Bonus Law for affordable housing projects and layers on its own application…

Union City may approve extra dwelling units above the normal zoning cap under its density bonus rule, when the increase…

Upland's Density Bonus Program, implementing state Government Code Sections 65915 to 65918, lets developers of three or…

Vacaville implements California's Density Bonus Law through Chapter 14.09.210: a housing development of five or more…

Vallejo grants a density increase of five to thirty-five percent above the zone's maximum for projects that reserve…

Ventura's density bonus ordinance, Chapter 24.445, lets qualifying housing developments build more units than the base…

Ventura County's zoning code makes state density bonus law directly applicable to unincorporated projects, granting…

Victorville grants a density bonus, or an equivalent financial incentive, when a developer sets aside at least 25% of a…

Vista's Development Code Chapter 18.90 lets developers build more units than the zoning otherwise allows in exchange…

West Sacramento processes density bonus applications for affordable and senior housing under Chapter 17.23, but the…

Westminster implements California's Density Bonus Law through its own Chapter 17.570, requiring any developer seeking a…

Whittier grants a density bonus above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density for multifamily and mixed-use…

Yolo County must grant a density bonus under Sec. 8-12.103 to any housing development of five or more units that…

Unincorporated Yuba County implements state density bonus law through Chapter 11.30, granting extra units for…

Anaheim implements California's state density bonus law allowing additional units, height, and incentives for projects…

Baldwin Park grants a density bonus to any residential project that qualifies under Cal. Gov't Code § 65915, per…

El Cajon implements the state density bonus law, Government Code Sections 65915-65918, through its own chapter, and…

Lake County's Planned Development Residential ("PDR") district can grant extra density beyond the General Plan's…

Lakewood's own zoning ordinance on density bonuses, Section 9332.5, does not set independent local percentages or…

California Government Code §65915 grants developers up to 50% additional density and waivers from local development…

Santa Ana implements California Government Code Section 65915 density-bonus law, allowing developers extra units…

Visalia implements California state density bonus law, granting additional units and regulatory incentives to housing…

Manteca grants housing developments a density bonus of up to 35% for including affordable or senior units, implementing…

Rialto must grant a density bonus and development incentives to any housing project of five or more units that sets…

Stanislaus County grants a 20 percent density bonus over the maximum allowed residential density to any housing…

Anaheim zones a dedicated Transit Oriented Area (DA-3) inside the Anaheim Canyon Specific Plan, built around the…

Housing developments within one-half mile of a major transit stop are eligible for the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive…

In Thousand Oaks's Hillside Planned Development (H-P-D) zone, how many homes can be built per acre depends directly on…

Single-family zoned lots in Los Angeles hillside areas may receive Zoning Administrator approval for deviations…

Any conditional use in unincorporated Sunol's downtown SD district must be found consistent with the area's historic…

Baldwin Park requires design review clearance before any new use or building permit within the Downtown Overlay zone…

Any new building, exterior remodel or floor-area addition in Camarillo's Old Town (COT) zone needs a discretionary…

Carlsbad's downtown and Barrio neighborhoods sit in the V-B, Village-Barrio zone under Chapter 21.35, which does not…

New buildings, exterior remodels, and additions in Folsom's historic district, including the Sutter Street area, must…

Fremont's downtown zoning chapter locks new construction and site changes in the D district to the city's Downtown…

Fullerton requires a formal Site Plan Review before altering property in its Central Business District whenever design…

Any exterior work on Main Street between Acacia Parkway and Garden Grove Boulevard, the city's CC-2 Historic Main…

New construction on commercial buildings in Hanford's downtown historic district must match the height, materials, and…

Hayward's zoning code writes compliance with the Downtown Hayward Design Plan directly into the CC-P Central…

New or expanded development in Hercules's HTC Historic Town Center District, the city's historic downtown core, must…

Modesto governs its downtown with a form-based code under Article 5 of the zoning chapter, splitting the area into six…

In Oceanside's Downtown District, any building alteration adding 10% or more floor area, or more than 500 square feet…

Any development inside Orange's Old Towne District, from the Plaza to the residential quadrants, must conform to the…

Any new building, structure, sign, or exterior alteration within Riverside's Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) Zone needs…

New buildings and major alterations within Rohnert Park's Downtown District Amenity Zone (DDAZ) must pass Design Review…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 17.600 requires new development inside the city's design review districts, including…

San Clemente's Architectural (-A) Overlay District requires new buildings and major remodels in the designated downtown…

Development in Sunnyvale's Downtown Specific Plan district must follow the DSP document's architectural and design…

Projects in West Sacramento's Central Business District zone must pass Design Review against the City Council's adopted…

Downtown Antioch, known locally as Rivertown, is regulated by its own Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) District under…

Bellflower's Town Center (TC) zoning district sets binding downtown design objectives, traditional building character…

Downtown Berkeley projects using the Green Pathway streamlined process must conform to the city's Downtown Design…

Downtown Brentwood is not zoned like the rest of the city: § 17.280.002 hands control of land use and design in the DT…

Carson has no historic downtown, so the city treats the Mixed-Use - Carson Street (MU-CS) corridor around its Civic…

Nonresidential buildings in Chino's downtown overlay district must build to within 10 feet of the front property line…

New buildings and additions in the Downtown and Traditional Neighborhood Overlay District must follow council-adopted…

Development in Dublin's Downtown Dublin Zoning District, established by Dublin Municipal Code Chapter 8.30, must comply…

El Monte's Downtown Specific Plan applies a full set of architectural design guidelines, Chapter 17.134, to new…

Elk Grove regulates redevelopment along Elk Grove Boulevard through the Old Town Elk Grove Special Planning Area…

Fairfield's Heart of Fairfield Plan Zoning (Municipal Code Section 25.23) sets building-type design standards for…

Article 15's Downtown Districts (DTN, DTG, DTC) carry their own façade and streetscape rulebook implementing the…

Development inside Glendale's downtown, bounded by Glenoaks Boulevard, Central and Columbus Avenues, Maryland and…

Inglewood Municipal Code Section 12-23.5 sets special architectural standards for C-1 zoned parcels inside the downtown…

In the Greater Downtown Housing Incentive Area, LAMC § 12.22 C.3(a) waives standard zoning yard requirements and…

Manteca's Mixed-Use Downtown zoning district sets building design standards for ground-floor height, storefront…

Commercial and mixed-use development in the unincorporated village centers zoned MU-2 General Mixed Use, such as nodes…

Merced's downtown districts (D-COR, D-O, D-CM) run on build-to setbacks rather than suburban yards: buildings sit…

Moorpark's Downtown Specific Plan Overlay Zone (SP-D) layers a separate set of design and development standards onto…

Moreno Valley's Downtown Center (DC) zoning district, centered on Nason Street, sets its own block, pathway and…

New buildings in Oakland's ten D-DT Downtown District zones must follow General Design Standards under Planning Code §…

Oxnard's Downtown Code requires new buildings, facade renovations and site improvements within the DT-C, DT-G and DT-E…

Pasadena's Central District Specific Plan, Municipal Code Chapter 17.30, sets mandatory downtown design standards for…

Projects within Perris's Downtown Design Overlay Zone, the Central Perris Redevelopment project area, must match the…

Inside Petaluma's Downtown Housing and Economic Opportunity Overlay Zone, new ground-floor facades within 30 feet of…

Pleasanton's Downtown Revitalization District requires every improvement in the district, from storefront remodels to…

Rancho Cordova's zoning code requires new commercial and mixed-use buildings in the Downtown Planning Area to build…

Redondo Beach regulates its historic pedestrian commercial core through the Riviera Village (RIV) overlay zone. Any…

Redwood City channels downtown design review through its Architectural Advisory Committee. Under City Code Section…

The Downtown Revitalization Overlay Zone under Chapter 18.49 requires community development director approval of a…

Roseville governs its 176-acre downtown, covering Historic Old Town, Vernon Street, and Royer and Saugstad Parks…

Salinas Municipal Code Section 37-40.330 sets design standards for the Downtown Core (DC) overlay area covering yards…

Downtown development in the Centre City Planned District is evaluated against the City's Downtown Design Guidelines…

San Francisco requires upper-level setbacks and streetwall articulation on new buildings in C-3 downtown zoning…

Any project in San Jose's downtown zoning districts that needs a development permit must follow design guidelines the…

San Leandro's zoning code requires that any development in the DA-1 through DA-4 and DA-6 Downtown Districts follow the…

Santa Clara's Downtown Form-Based Code, Chapter 18.26 of the Zoning Code, caps new buildings in the ten-block Downtown…

New buildings in the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan area must follow the -DSA combining district's stepback…

New construction, storefront remodels, and building alterations within the City of Sonoma's Downtown district, the…

South Gate's civic center (CC) zone, the California Avenue and Firestone Boulevard focal point the code calls the…

Any structure inside Temecula's Historical District Overlay, the area known as the Old Town Temecula Historical…

Turlock's Downtown Core overlay district requires new commercial development to comply with the City's downtown design…

Union City's code has no ordinance branded 'downtown design guide'; instead its Civic Center Design Control District…

Downtown Vacaville is governed by its own Downtown Specific Plan rather than the citywide zoning standards. Section…

Vallejo's Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) district requires new buildings to be constructed at the street frontage or an…

Every mixed-use development in Westminster must follow the city's Design Guidelines Manual under Municipal Code Section…