Pismo Beach, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

The Pismo Beach Municipal Code prints two zoning codes under Title 17, and this page draws on both where they speak to density bonuses without blending their numbers. The 1983 Zoning Ordinance defines a density bonus in § 17.006.0355 as the awarding of greater unit densities within an established land use density range, and notes that bonuses above the specified ranges are considered in return for housing affordable to persons and families of low and moderate income. Its Residential Very High Density (RVHD) Overlay District, § 17.091.040, sets a minimum of twenty and a maximum of fifty units per acre, exclusive of units added by a density bonus awarded pursuant to state law.

The operative bonus formula sits in the 1998 Zoning Code, Chapter 17.26. Section 17.26.130 makes a project eligible only if it has five or more rental units, meets all other Zoning Code provisions, and reserves at least twenty percent of units for lower income households, ten percent for very low income households, or fifty percent for qualifying senior residents. Section 17.26.140(A) sets the bonus at a twenty-five percent increase over the dwelling units normally allowed by the zoning district on the date of the land use permit application, and no project receives more than one bonus. A qualifying project is also entitled to at least one concession or incentive, such as reduced setback, coverage or parking standards, and the Planning Commission is authorized to waive or modify development standards so the bonus units fit.

Section 17.26.150 requires the application to include procedures that keep lower income bonus units affordable for a minimum of thirty years when the city provides funding or an additional incentive, and a minimum of fifteen years for privately financed projects receiving only a density bonus. Under § 17.26.170 the community development director tells the developer within ninety days of filing whether the project qualifies, the Planning Commission weighs infrastructure and school capacity, and its decision can be appealed to the City Council under Chapter 17.54.

Pismo Beach uses two adopted zoning codes. The city's Zoning and Land Use page states that properties inside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1983 Zoning Code, and properties outside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1998 Zoning Code.