Tehama County, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Base trigger
- 10% lower-income or 5% very-low-income units
- Max density increase
- up to 35%
- Land-donation bonus
- up to 15% extra
- Affordability term
- 30 years minimum
- Applies to
- unincorporated Tehama County only
Summary
Tehama County must grant extra density and incentives, under its own § 17.80.020, to unincorporated-county housing projects that set aside 10% of units for lower-income households, 5% for very-low-income, or build senior housing.
The county shall grant one density bonus...and incentives or concessions...when an applicant for a housing development seeks and agrees to construct a housing development...that will contain at least any one of the following:(a)Ten percent of the total units of a housing development for lower income households...(b)Five percent of the total units...for very low income households...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Tehama County Code § 17.80.020, which applies only in the unincorporated county, implements state density-bonus law (Gov. Code § 65915): a project that reserves at least 10% of units for lower-income households, 5% for very-low-income households, or qualifies as senior housing must receive a density bonus plus one to three incentives, scaling to a 35% density increase for larger affordable shares. Developers can also earn up to 15% more by donating land for very-low-income units, plus bonus square footage for an on-site child care facility. Requests run through the county's Chapter 17.70 land-use permit process; affordability must last 30 years. Red Bluff, Corning and the City of Tehama run their own density-bonus ordinances separately.
Violations & Fines
There's no penalty here: density bonus is an entitlement program. A project that claims affordable units without the required 30-year deed-restricted affordability can lose the bonus and face enforcement under the county's affordability agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tehama County have to grant a density bonus for affordable housing?
Does this density bonus apply inside Red Bluff or Corning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tehama County
California rules heatmap·Compare Tehama County to another location·View the California zoning overlays & bonuses overview
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