Frequently Asked Questions About
The Second Dwelling Unit Program

Will my second dwelling unit require an affordable housing agreement?

How long will my second unit be subject to affordability restrictions?

How are low-income households defined?

How will the County determine how much rent I can charge?

When will the rent limits change?

What’s a “utility allowance?”

When will the utility allowance schedules change?

How long will the approval process take?

What if the tenant in my second unit is income-qualified at move-in and then goes over income?

Is there a minimum or maximum lease period?

How will the County monitor our Affordable Housing Agreement once it’s in place?

Why do I have to pay a “monitoring fee”?

What if I want to sell my property before the affordability restrictions expire?

Can my relative occupy the affordable second unit?

Can my dependent child occupy the second unit?

Do I have to charge rent for my second dwelling unit?

How do I locate income-eligible tenants?

Can a family with a Section 8 program Voucher occupy my second dwelling unit?

1. Will my second dwelling unit require an affordable housing agreement?
Not necessarily. A second dwelling unit that meets the County’s standards does not require an affordable housing agreement. Property owners who choose to participate in the affordable housing program may increase the size of the unit, increase the size of the garage or may build on a smaller lot size as an incentive for providing an affordable rental unit. Section 26-88-060 of the County’s Zoning Code describes the conditions that will allow you to qualify for these incentives by signing an Affordable Housing Agreement making a second dwelling unit on your property affordable. PRMD’s 2nd Dwelling Unit Brochure will help you to determine the circumstances that may allow you to qualify for the incentives with an Affordable Housing Agreement as a condition of building a second dwelling unit on your property.

Return to top of page

2. How long will my second unit be subject to affordability restrictions?
If the Commission records an Affordable Housing Agreement for your second dwelling unit, you would be obligated to make the unit affordable to low-income households for 30 years.

Return to top of page

3. How are low-income households defined?
Low-income households have incomes not exceeding 80% of median income, adjusted for household size.

Click here for the current income and rent limits.

Return to top of page

4. How will the County determine how much rent I can charge?
If your second dwelling unit is subject to the affordability requirements of an Affordable Housing Agreement, the Commission will determine the rent for the unit once a year, usually in the spring, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issues income limits for Sonoma County. For dwelling units reserved for low-income tenants, the Commission uses the 60% income limit for the household size assumed to reside in your unit (2 people in a 1 bedroom unit, 3 people in a 2 bedroom unit, etc.) to calculate the rent limit for the units. The Commission will deduct from the gross monthly rent limit a utility allowance for any utilities that you do not include in the rent. Please see the the current income limits and utility allowance schedules for attached and detached units.

Return to top of page

5. When will the rent limits change?
The Commission will calculate and send you a revised rent limit for your unit annually when the Commission receives HUD’s revised income limits for Sonoma County. Usually, we update the rent limit in the spring.

Return to top of page

6. What’s a “utility allowance?”
A utility allowance is an amount that you deduct from the gross rent limit for your unit for specified utilities that your tenant pays in addition to the rent. You can view the current utility allowance schedules for attached and detached units on this site.

Return to top of page

7. When will the utility allowance schedules change?
Normally, the Sonoma County Housing Authority issues the utility allowance schedules in late summer to become effective in October of each year. When they issue the new schedules, the Commission will notify each owner of a second dwelling unit that the new utility allowance schedules are available on the Commission’s website. You would deduct the new utility allowance from the rent limit when you re-rent the unit to a new tenant or you receive a new rent limit from the Commission, whichever occurs first.

Return to top of page

8. How long will the approval process take?
Each application for a second dwelling unit will have unique circumstances that will affect the amount of time PRMD needs to process the application. You should contact PRMD to discuss the schedule for your application.
If you choose to participate in the County’s second dwelling unit program that requires the preparation and recording of an Affordable Housing Agreement, the Commission normally would have the Agreement ready for signature within a few days after receiving a) a notice from PRMD that your permit is ready to issue, b) your application to the Commission, and c) the fee for preparing the Agreement. When the Agreement is signed, the Commission would record it within a day or two. Currently, the fee for preparing the Agreement is $500.

Return to top of page

9. What if the tenant in my second unit is income-qualified at move-in and then goes over income?
The tenant could continue to live in the unit and would pay the maximum rent permitted under the second dwelling unit program.

Return to top of page

10. Is there a minimum or maximum lease period?
The owner must lease or rent the second dwelling unit in compliance with state law. The minimum rental period is at least 30 days. The owner may not rent the affordable second dwelling unit as a vacation rental.

Return to top of page

11. How will the County monitor our Affordable Housing Agreement once it’s in place?
Annually, you will submit a compliance report to the Commission documenting the name, income, household size, and rent for the tenant residing in your second dwelling unit on December 31 each year and certify that you had operated the unit in compliance with the second dwelling unit program affordability requirements during the past year. The Commission will provide you the forms necessary to complete the report. When you experience a change in tenants, you will report the name, household size, income and rent for the new tenant. Every few years, Commission staff will schedule a visit to your second dwelling unit. The visit will include an inspection of the unit and a review of the files that contain the income verifications, leases and other tenant information that you will need to maintain for each tenant.

Return to top of page

12. Why do I have to pay a “monitoring fee”?
The annual monitoring fee covers the Commission’s costs to monitor the second dwelling unit on your property when it is subject to the affordability restrictions of an Affordable Housing Agreement.

Return to top of page

13. What if I want to sell my property before the affordability restrictions expire?
The second dwelling unit program does not restrict your right to sell your property. When you sell your property, the buyer assumes responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Affordable Housing Agreement that the Commission will have recorded against your property.

Return to top of page

14. Can my relative occupy the affordable second unit?
Yes, your relative may occupy your affordable second dwelling unit if the relative is income-eligible at the time you rent the unit to the relative.

Return to top of page

15. Can my dependent child occupy the second unit?
Your child may occupy a second dwelling unit subject to an Affordable Housing Agreement only if he or she is not listed as your dependent on your federal income tax return and is income-eligible at the time of move-in.

Return to top of page

16. Do I have to charge rent for my second dwelling unit?
No, you are not required to charge rent for a second dwelling unit.

Return to top of page

17. How do I locate income-eligible tenants?
You can advertise in the local newspaper, rely upon word of mouth or contact the Sonoma County Housing Authority for referrals of income-eligible households. You must comply with applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in the renting and leasing of housing.

Return to top of page

18. Can a family with a Section 8 program Voucher occupy my second dwelling unit?
Yes, a family with a Section 8 program Voucher may occupy your second dwelling unit. If the Commission has recorded an Affordable Housing Agreement for your unit, the family’s share of the rent may not exceed the Second Dwelling Unit program’s rent limit for the unit.

Return to top of page