Housing Programs

Housing Programs is a new webpage of the Planning Division to provide more information about the various Housing Programs and policies of the City.  It will also provide various resources and options to help support housing opportunities in the community. More information to come as this webpage is developed. 

Housing Element 2020-2028

The Housing Element is one of the required Elements of the General Plan and was adopted by City Council in November 2020 and subsequently certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development. The City continues to work on implementation of Housing Element programs and policies. Included in the implementation work is updating various Zoning Code policies that relate to and support housing. This will be incorporated into the overall GP/LCP and Zoning Code Update project (opens in a new tab). Review of the draft Zoning Code with updated Housing policies is anticipated to be reviewed by the Planning Commission in spring/summer 2026.

Housing Element, 2020-2028  (opens in a new tab)

Housing Topics of Interest

A varied list of housing related topics to provide more information and resources to the community. This section is in process of being updated.

  • Income Limits - The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has published the 2026 State Income Limits to reflect updated median income and household income levels for each County. Certain Federal and State programs use these limits to determine eligibility for affordable housing. Income limits for Pismo Beach are derived from the posted limits for San Luis Obispo County.

  • Accessory Dwelling Units - The City is working on updating its accessory dwelling unit ordinance to be consistent with recent State law updates.  The updated ordinance requirements will be included in the forthcoming Zoning Code update.  The City encourages the development of ADUs and is available to answer questions about permitting requirements and process.  Please visit our ADU website for more information here:  Accessory Dwelling Unit | Pismo Beach, CA - Official Site (Please note that due to a large volume of State legislation that was passed this year, there may be some information out of date on this page and staff is striving to update this information as quickly as possible.) 
  • Fair Housing - The City is committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing as stated in our Housing Element.  The City requires compliance with the Fair Housing Act in all its development projects received. The City also coordinates with San Luis Obispo County to provide access to landlord and tenant mediation and fair housing services. This includes promoting housing opportunities for all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status or disability (Government Code Section 65583(c)(5). 
    • The Fair Housing Act of 1988 was adopted to safeguard against illegal housing discrimination. The Law protects a person's right to own, sell, purchase, or rent housing of his or her choice without fear of unlawful discrimination.
    • The City of Pismo Beach does business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Law.
    • Fair housing is the umbrella term for laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in the rental or sale of housing or in the provision of housing-related services.
    • The goal of fair housing laws is to create housing markets that are free of discrimination. 
    • Fair housing laws ensure that you will not be prevented from choosing where you want to live because of illegal discrimination. 
    • Fair Housing laws protect you in many aspects of securing housing including advertising, mortgage lending, home insurance, rental applications and most interactions between landlords or property managers and tenants. 
    • Fair housing laws ensure that people with similar incomes in the same housing market have a similar range of choices available to them regardless of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, disability, marital status, familial status, source of income, sexual orientation, age or any other arbitrary factor.

Anyone who feels he, she, or they has been discriminated against may file a compliant of housing discrimination:

Visit this website for more information (opens in a new tab), and you can submit online (opens in a new tab), by phone or by mail. 

1-800-669-9777 (Toll Free)
1-800-927-9275 (TTY)

By mail:
San Francisco Regional Office of FHEO
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
One Sansome Street Suite 1200
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 489-6524
(800) 347-3739

https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners#FairHousing (opens in a new tab)
U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Washington, D.C. 20410

Additional Fair Housing Information and Resources:

California Rural Legal Assistance (opens in a new tab)

CRLA is a private, non-profit law firm founded in 1966. CRLA provides representation and legal advice to persons whose income is below certain limits. Please contact CRLA's office for additional information, provided below.

1880 Santa Barbara Ave. Suite 240
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 544-7997

General Information For Housing Discrimination under the Fair Housing Act
 (opens in a new tab)

County of San Luis Obispo Fair Housing Plan (2010 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice) (opens in a new tab)


The City encourages residents in need of assistance to contact Planning staff with any questions or access to available resources. We are available at City Hall, 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, CA or at planning@pismobeach.org.

Staff also encourages applicants interested in exploring housing development projects or who have questions about the City's process and requirements to reach out and contact us.