Housing Requirements for Developers
Affordable Housing Income & Rent Limits
The City of South San Francisco sets income and rent limits based on the California State Income Limits for San Mateo County for most City-assisted or City-restricted affordable housing projects. These limits may differ from those published by other agencies.
The City's published income limits and rent maximums are provided for convenience but do not override legal standards in project regulatory agreements. In case of conflicts, the regulatory agreement standards apply.
Important: rent maximums are inclusive of utility costs. If the tenant pays some or all utilities costs, please calculate an appropriate base rent and utility allowance using the Utility Allowance Schedule published by San Mateo County.
2026 Income Limits & Rent Maximums(PDF, 91KB)
Inclusionary Housing for Residential Projects
The City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (Chapter 20.380 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code) requires developers to provide affordable (inclusionary) units within new market rate residential developments consisting of five or more units.
For rental projects, developers must set aside a minimum of 10% of the development’s residential units for lower-income households and another 5% for very low-income households.
For homebuyer projects, developers must set aside a minimum of 7.5% of the development’s residential units for moderate income households and another 7.5% for lower-income households.
Please refer to the City’s Procedures and Guidelines for Inclusionary Units(PDF, 859KB) for additional guidance.
Replacement Housing & Relocation Assistance
State laws and City ordinances in most instances require developers proposing demolition of residential units to provide replacement housing and tenant relocation assistance. While requirements vary by project type, they generally require:
- One replacement housing unit for each housing unit demolished. Please note there may be modified requirements applicable to certain single-family homes and single room occupancy hotels.
- Relocation assistance to help eligible households with the cost of moving and securing replacement housing.
- Right of first refusal to eligible tenants for newly constructed units. These new units must have comparable rents and bedroom sizes to the replaced units.
The City recommends developers review the following potentially applicable laws to determine which requirements may be applicable to their project:
State Laws
SB330: The Housing Crisis Act of 2019
California Density Bonus Law (Gov. Code §65915 - 65918)
SB21: Single Room Occupancy Units
City Laws
Chapter 8.90 Single Room Occupancy Conversion Ordinance
Chapter 8.80 Mobile Home Park Conversion Ordinance
The City’s Planning Division will verify which laws may be applicable to a project when project permit applications are submitted.
Commercial Development Linkage Fees
The City’s Affordable Housing Commercial Linkage Fees Ordinance (Chapter 8.69 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code) requires most developers of commercial projects to pay a commercial linkage fee. Please refer to the Development Impact Fees Schedule to view the current fee rate.