Note: Individuals seeking financial assistance for housing should contact the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.
Topics On This Page
Affordable Housing
- The Affordable Housing Ordinance requires that developers of market rate, residential dwelling units pay a set fee, dedicate land, or comply with an existing Affordable Housing Plan. The fees that will be collected will be used to construct affordable housing units. Visit the Affordable Housing Ordinance Page for the adopted Affordable Housing Ordinance, Frequently Asked Questions, Affordable Housing Program Guidelines, and other related information.
- To learn more about Planning and Environmental Review's role in Affordable Housing in Sacramento County, visit the Affordable Housing page.
Housing Element of the General Plan
- The Sacramento County Housing Element is a required element of the County's General Plan. It analyzes existing and projected housing needs for all income groups as well as special needs populations and identifies programs to address those needs.
- The Housing Element is updated on an eight year cycle. The current Housing Element cycle is 2021-2029. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors adopted the Housing Element on March 8, 2022. Additional information about the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update is available on the Housing Element Update webpage.
Housing Incentive Programs
- Affordable Housing Fee Deferral. The County of Sacramento, Sacramento Area Sewer District (SASD), Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCSD), and Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) all offer fee deferrals to qualifying affordable housing projects. Applications and additional information are available on the Affordable Housing Fee Deferral page.
- The Affordable Housing Incentive Program. Formerly the State Density Bonus Program, this Program provides incentives for the production of housing for very low income (VLI), lower income (LI), and moderate income (MI) households, as well as senior citizen households, households for traditional foster youth, disabled veterans, homeless persons, and low income college students, and housing that includes child care facilities in accordance with Government Code Sections 65915 through 65917 (State Density Bonus Law). Incentives include increased density allowances, incentives/concessions from required development standards, and waivers of development standards under certain conditions. More information on this program is available in Section 6.5.4 of the Sacramento County Zoning Code. The County does not charge a fee for the processing of eligible Affordable Housing Incentive Program applications. The application is processed concurrently with any other planning entitlements that are required for the Housing Development.
- Funds Administered by SHRA. SHRA combines local funds collected through the Affordable Housing Ordinance and the Very Low Income Housing Fund with other state and federal funds and administers them through a competitive process. Visit the SHRA Developer Resources page for additional information, including funding availability and application schedules.
Fair Housing
- Sacramento County partners with several service providers and jurisdictions to provide landlord-tenant dispute and fair housing services. This regional resource is called the Renters Helpline. For more information about Fair Housing laws, visit the Fair Housing page.
- Sacramento Self Help Housing & Renters Helpline Closure. Please note, the Renters Helpline is temporarily closed with the closure of our parent organization, Sacramento Self Help Housing. If you are in need of information about tenant legal supports, housing, or other community resources, please contact 211 Sacramento by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-844-546-1464 (toll-free).
- Universal Design strives to produce dwellings that are accessible for all people regardless of race, age, sex, culture, gender, weight and ability. Universal design avoids using special assistive technology, and instead employs design features and consumer products that are easy to use and widely acceptable. Developers who implement Universal Design features in projects within the county may be eligible for density bonuses. View the brochure on universal design for more information.
Senate Bill 9 (SB-9)
- California Senate Bill 9 (California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency [HOME] Act) (SB-9), effective January 1, 2022, requires a local jurisdiction, such as Sacramento County, to ministeriallyapprove two types of project, if specific objective criteria are met. The two types of projects are:
- A subdivision of one lot into two resultant lots in a single-family residential zone (referred to as an Urban Lot Split); and
- A Second Primary Residential Unit (SDU) in a single-family residential zone.
Visit the California Senate Bill 9 (SB-9) and Senate Bill 10 (SB-10) webpage for more information.
Other Housing Related Information
- Emergency Repair Program/Accessibility
Modifications (ERP-A). The ERP-A Program is designed to provide grants for emergency/health and safety repairs to owners of single family homes or mobile homes in the City and County of Sacramento. This program is administered by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.
- SMUD Residential Rebates. SMUD offers a variety of rebates to encourage homeowners to reduce their energy use. For information, visit SMUD's Rebates and Savings page.
Inventory of Vacant Parcels Available for Affordable Housing, Office of Planning and Environmental Review, 2020.
