Hemet, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum project size
- Five or more dwelling units
- Lower income threshold
- 10 percent of total units
- Base bonus, lower income
- 20 percent over zoned density
- Step increase
- 1.5 percent per extra 1 percent of lower income units
- Maximum total bonus
- 35 percent over base density
- Affordability term
- Not less than 30 years
- Request
- Written, filed with the housing application
Summary
Hemet grants a density bonus to any housing development of five or more dwelling units that reserves at least 10 percent of its units for lower income households. The base bonus is 20 percent over the zoned density, rising 1.5 percent for each extra percent of affordable units, with a hard cap of 35 percent. The applicant must request the bonus in writing with the application.
(5) The housing development will consist of at least five or more dwelling units. ... (1) Lower income units. a. At least ten percent of the total dwelling units in a housing development are lower income units and the applicant agrees to ensure continued affordability of such units to lower income households as defined in § 50079.5 of the California Health and Safety Code. b. The base density bonus for housing developments with the qualifying number of lower income units shall be 20 percent over the otherwise maximum allowable residential density under the applicable zoning classification on the city's zoning map and the corresponding land use designation in the general plan. c. The base density bonus may be increased as provided herein. For each additional one percent increase in the total number of affordable units over ten percent, the density bonus shall increase from the base of 20 percent by 1.5 percent, to a maximum of 35 percent. No density bonus or aggregate of density bonuses for a housing development may exceed 35 percent. d. The density bonus shall not be included when determining the number of housing units that is equal to ten percent of the total.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 90-163 of the Hemet City Code is the local density bonus rule, adopted to carry out California Government Code § 65915. Under subsection (a), a housing development qualifies only when five conditions are met: the applicant files a written request for the bonus with its application, the project either contains the minimum number of affordable units or meets the land donation rules, substantial evidence supports the findings in subsection (e), the applicant satisfies the covenant requirements of section 90-165, and the development has at least five dwelling units. A four-unit project cannot qualify, whatever share of it is affordable.
The lower income track in subsection (b)(1) starts at 10 percent of total units reserved for lower income households as defined in Health and Safety Code § 50079.5. That earns a base bonus of 20 percent over the maximum residential density the zoning map and general plan allow. Each additional one percent of affordable units above 10 percent adds 1.5 percent of bonus, so a project at 20 percent lower income units reaches the 35 percent maximum. The bonus units are not counted when the city measures the 10 percent threshold.
Three sibling tracks sit in the same subsection. Very low income projects start at 5 percent of units with a 20 percent base bonus and add 2.5 percent for each extra point, again capped at 35 percent. Moderate income condominium or planned unit developments need 10 percent moderate income units for a 5 percent base bonus and add 1 percent per extra point. The land donation track gives a 15 percent base bonus plus 1 percent per extra point above the 10 percent minimum, and the donated land must be at least one acre or large enough for 40 affordable units.
Subsection (c) makes the bonuses cumulative but never lets the total pass 35 percent over base density. Subsection (d) requires bonus units to be dispersed through the development and to match the other units in design and exterior appearance.
Violations & Fines
Section 90-163 sets no fine of its own. Enforcement runs through the covenant required by section 90-165: before a certificate of occupancy issues for a restricted unit, the developer must record an affordability agreement with the County of Riverside, and the city holds the right to enforce it by specific performance and other legal and equitable remedies. Units must stay affordable for not less than 30 years, and a bonus unit's certificate of occupancy expires automatically when the unit is vacated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How small can a project be and still get a density bonus in Hemet?
What is the largest density bonus Hemet allows?
Do the bonus units count toward the 10 percent affordable minimum?
What must the city find before it approves a bonus?
Can a bonus project also request concessions or incentives?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hemet
California rules heatmap·Compare Hemet to another location·View the California zoning overlays & bonuses overview
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Density Bonus Law in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle density bonus law.