Palm Desert, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Base bonus
- 20 percent for 10 percent lower-income or 5 percent very low-income units
- Maximum bonus
- 35 percent including supplemental increases
- Incentives and concessions
- One, two or three depending on affordable share
- Affordability term
- Minimum 30 years from certificate of occupancy
- Approving authority
- Palm Desert City Council
- State law basis
- California Government Code Section 65915
Summary
In the City of Palm Desert, California, a residential project that reserves 10 percent of its units for lower-income households or 5 percent for very low-income households earns a 20 percent density bonus under Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.34.040. Supplemental increases stop at a 35 percent cap, and the City Council approves the award by agreement.
1. Density Bonus. A housing development that satisfies the eligibility requirements in Section 25.34.040.B (eligibility for density bonus and incentives and concessions) of this article shall be entitled to the following density bonus: i. For developments providing 10 percent lower-income target units, the City shall provide a 20 percent increase above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density as of the date of application, plus a 1.5 percent supplemental increase over that base for every 1 percent increase in low-income target units above 10 percent. The maximum density bonus allowed including supplemental increases is 35 percent. ii. For developments providing 5 percent very low-income target units, the City shall provide a 20 percent increase above the otherwise maximum allowable residential density as of the date of application, plus a 2.5 percent supplemental increase over that base for every 1 percent increase in very low-income target units above 5 percent. The maximum density bonus allowed including supplemental increases is 35 percent. iii. For senior citizen housing developments, a flat 20 percent of the number of senior units.
Full Breakdown
Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.34.040 carries California Government Code Section 65915 into the zoning code of the City of Palm Desert, Riverside County. Subsection B names four ways to qualify: 10 percent of the total units for lower-income households, 5 percent for very low-income households, a senior citizen housing development or age-restricted mobile home park, or 10 percent of the units in a common interest development for moderate-income households when every unit is offered to the public for purchase. The applicant must say which one is the basis for the bonus.
Subsection D sets the size of the bonus. A lower-income project at the 10 percent threshold receives a 20 percent increase over the maximum residential density on the date of application, plus 1.5 percent for every additional percentage point of low-income units. A very low-income project at 5 percent receives the same 20 percent, plus 2.5 percent for every added point. Both stop at 35 percent. Senior developments receive a flat 20 percent of the senior units, and a common interest development with moderate-income units starts at 5 percent. Fractional units round up to the next whole number, but the percentage of affordable units used to qualify is never rounded up.
Incentives and concessions are counted separately: one for 10 percent lower-income, 5 percent very low-income or 10 percent moderate-income common interest units, two at 20, 10 and 20 percent, and three at 30, 15 and 30 percent. The City grants a requested concession unless it makes a written finding that the concession is not needed for affordable housing costs, would cause a specific adverse impact on health, safety, the physical environment or a property on the California Register of Historical Resources, or would be contrary to state or federal law. A land donation tied to 10 percent very low-income units earns 15 percent plus 1 percent per added point, and the combined bonus is capped at 35 percent.
Before any award the applicant signs an agreement with the City fixing the income class, number, location, size and construction schedule of the target units, which are built at the same time as the market-rate units. The City Council is the approving authority. Low and very low-income target units stay restricted for a minimum of 30 years from the certificate of occupancy.
Violations & Fines
Section 25.34.040 prints no fine schedule of its own. Its enforcement tools are the density bonus agreement signed before the award and the 30-year affordability restriction on target units. A provision of the code with no specific penalty falls under Palm Desert Municipal Code § 1.12.010: a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, prosecuted as an infraction unless the city attorney moves to treat a repeat or particularly detrimental violation as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the density bonus in the City of Palm Desert?
Who approves a density bonus in Palm Desert?
How many concessions can a Palm Desert developer request?
How long must the affordable units stay affordable?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Desert
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Desert to another location·View the California zoning overlays & bonuses overview
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How other cities in Riverside County handle density bonus law.