Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)

Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Summary

State law requires the Housing Element to identify sites that can be developed for housing within the planning period and that are sufficient to provide for the jurisdiction’s share of the regional housing need for all income levels. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is determined by the State. The State assigns the allocations for the number of housing units needed to each of the council of governments. Placer County is one of the jurisdictions within the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). SACOG then divides the allocated housing units among its jurisdictions using a methodology approved by the State. To learn more click here to find the 2021-2029 SACOG Regional Housing Needs Plan.

Placer County’s 2021-2029 RHNA

Placer County’s share of the 2021-2029 RHNA is 7,854 units. The allocation is equivalent to a yearly need of approximately 927 housing units for the eight‐year time period. See the progress of housing units built in the RHNA progress tracker.

Regional Housing Needs Allocation By Income Unincorporated Placer County and Tahoe Basin May 15, 2021 to May 15, 2029
	Very Low Income	Low Income	Moderate Income	Above Moderate Income	Total
Unincorporated County	2,017	1,215	1,242	2,945	7,419
Unincorporated Tahoe Basin	110	67	77	181	435
Total RHNA	2,127	1,282	1,319	3,126	7,854
Percent of Total	27.1%	16.4%	16.7%	39.8%	100.0%

Source: Table 39 in the 2021 – 2029 Housing Element

The County is required to have enough land zoned at various densities that could reasonably be developed over the life cycle of the Housing Element (eight years) to meet the RHNA numbers. The County has ample housing sites to meet its moderate and above‐moderate housing allocation, however, it has a shortfall in capacity for lower-income households of 1,107 units. To address this shortfall the County is obligated to rezone at least 55.3 acres at a minimum density of 20 units per acre to allow for high density multifamily development at a density of at least 30 units per acre by May 2024.

Income Categories

Very Low Income	Low Income	Moderate Income	Above Moderate Income
Less than (<) 50% of MFI*	50%-80% of MFI*	81%-120% of MFI*	Greater than (>) 120% of MFI*

*Median Family Income (MFI) = Income for four-person household. Source: California Dept. of Housing and Community Development, 2020.

Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)