California multifamily developer guides
Density Bonus & Zoning Incentives
How small multifamily developers add units beyond base zoning in California: the State Density Bonus Law, ADU/JADU and SB 9 strategies, and the AB 2011 / SB 79 by-right paths — with the statute text behind each rule.
State Density Bonus Law: how much extra density your project can claim
A sliding scale of extra units in exchange for affordable ones — plus concessions, waivers and parking caps that often matter more than the bonus itself.
Read the guide →ADUs, JADUs and SB 9: adding units on small residential lots
State law overrides local zoning for ADUs and JADUs — ministerial 60-day approvals, capped standards and fee breaks — while SB 9 adds duplex-and-lot-split potential with an asterisk.
Read the guide →AB 2011 and SB 79: by-right density where zoning never allowed housing
Commercial strip malls and transit-station sites can now carry housing by right — if you accept the affordability set-asides and labor standards that come with the density.
Read the guide →Concessions, waivers and parking caps: the rest of the § 65915 toolkit
Up to four concessions, unlimited waivers, and parking that can fall to zero near transit — often worth more than the bonus units themselves.
Read the guide →Rezonings, variances and CUPs: the discretionary fallbacks
Legislative rezones are referendum-exposed and CEQA-heavy, variances can never change use, and CUPs trade findings for flexibility — price the path before you tie up the site.
Read the guide →No net loss and downzoning limits: the floor under your site's density
In affected cities the zoning you buy is the zoning of January 1, 2018 or better — and housing-element sites carry a no-net-loss floor on top.
Read the guide →More developer guides
- Entitlements & Streamlined Approvals
- Rent Control & Tenant Protections
- Demolition, Replacement Housing & Relocation
- Impact Fees, Exactions & Special Taxes
- CEQA & Environmental Review
- Affordable Housing Finance: LIHTC, Bonds & Rental Subsidies
- Building Codes & Construction Standards
- Subdivision, Condo Maps & Development Agreements
- Site Selection & Development Due Diligence
Every rule cited in these guides links to the verbatim statute or regulation in the California Code Library and the federal housing-law library.
Apply these rules to a real parcel
Ask the AI how density & zoning incentives play out in a specific city or county — grounded in the code text.