Citrus Heights sits about 20 minutes northeast of downtown Sacramento off I-80, and together with North Highlands, Carmichael, and the McClellan corridor it forms the northeast side of the metro’s industrial market. It is not a big-box distribution submarket. It is where small-bay light industrial, flex, and service-commercial space lives, the kind of building a contractor, trade business, or local distributor actually leases. If you want to be close to the suburban northeast customer base without paying Rancho Cordova rents, this is the corridor to look at. This guide covers where the space is, what it rents for, how zoning works, and what to check before you sign.
Why Tenants Look at Northeast Sacramento
Businesses land in the Citrus Heights and northeast corridor for three reasons. First, location relative to customers. Northeast Sacramento, Roseville, Orangevale, and Fair Oaks are a dense residential and retail base, so a plumber, HVAC contractor, electrician, appliance repair firm, or last-mile distributor can serve a large population from a central yard. Second, cost. Small-bay space here runs below the US-50 premium submarkets, so a startup trade business or a growing service company can get into a real shop without the Rancho Cordova rate. Third, building fit. The stock skews toward 1,500 to 10,000 square foot bays with grade-level roll-up doors, which is exactly what most local operators need rather than dock-high distribution product.
The trade-off is that the inventory is older and the pure-industrial supply is thin. A lot of what works for light industrial users here is zoned commercial or flex, so the search is as much about use permission as it is about the building itself.
Where the Space Is
Northeast Sacramento industrial and flex inventory clusters in a few areas:
- Auburn Boulevard corridor (Citrus Heights). Older service-commercial and light industrial buildings, small-bay flex, and contractor shops. Grade-level loading, lower clear heights, central to the northeast customer base.
- North Highlands and the Watt Avenue corridor. A deeper supply of light industrial and warehouse bays, some with yard, serving contractors, fabricators, and local distribution.
- McClellan Park. The former Air Force base just west of the corridor, redeveloped into a major business park with everything from 2,000 square foot flex bays to 500,000 square foot distribution facilities. This is where the corridor’s larger and higher-spec space sits. See our McClellan Park lease rate breakdown.
- Carmichael and the Fair Oaks Boulevard pockets. Smaller service-commercial and light industrial suited to trades and local service firms.
We currently track active industrial and flex listings across the northeast corridor, concentrated in North Highlands, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, and McClellan Park. The best small bays move quickly, so the live count matters more than any single snapshot. Browse current Sacramento listings and filter to the northeast submarkets.
Lease Rates in Northeast Sacramento
Northeast Sacramento is a value corridor relative to the US-50 submarkets. Asking rents for small-bay light industrial and flex generally run $8.40 to $12.00 per square foot per year on an NNN basis, with older grade-level product on Auburn Boulevard and in Carmichael at the lower end and newer McClellan Park flex pushing toward the top (source: our 2026 Sacramento warehouse lease rate analysis, built from active listing data and cross-referenced with the Kidder Mathews Q2 2026 Sacramento Industrial Market Report). For a tenant, base rent works out to roughly:
| Space Size | Monthly Base Rent (at $9.60/SF/yr) |
|---|---|
| 1,500 SF | ~$1,200 |
| 3,000 SF | ~$2,400 |
| 5,000 SF | ~$4,000 |
| 10,000 SF | ~$8,000 |
These are base rents. NNN (triple net) means you also pay a pro-rata share of property taxes, insurance, and common-area maintenance on top, typically adding $0.10 to $0.25 per square foot per year. The corridor runs below Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove and roughly in line with South Sacramento, so if budget drives your decision, compare it against those submarkets. Rates move with building class, clear height, loading type, and lease term, so treat these as a starting point, not a quote.
Zoning and What You Can Do There
Northeast Sacramento spans two jurisdictions, which matters for permitting. Citrus Heights is its own incorporated city with its own zoning code, while North Highlands, Carmichael, and the McClellan area fall under Sacramento County. Much of the small-bay space along Auburn Boulevard and in Carmichael is zoned commercial or a commercial-industrial mix rather than pure industrial, so a given light industrial or shop use may be permitted outright, may need a use permit, or may not be allowed at all depending on the parcel.
Before you commit, confirm your specific use is permitted on that exact parcel with the correct jurisdiction. Uses like auto repair, outdoor storage, fabrication with noise or fumes, and anything generating truck traffic often carry extra permitting steps in commercial zones. The City of Citrus Heights planning division handles parcels inside the city; Sacramento County planning handles North Highlands, Carmichael, and the unincorporated areas. Your broker should pull zoning before you sign a letter of intent.
What to Check Before You Sign
Clear height. Older Auburn Boulevard and Carmichael buildings often run 12 to 16 feet clear. If you rack and stack, confirm the height before you fall for the rate. McClellan Park product runs higher.
Loading. Most northeast corridor stock is grade-level roll-up, which suits vans, box trucks, and contractor access. If you need dock-high loading for 53-foot trailers, your options narrow to McClellan Park and you should start there.
Power. Trades and light manufacturing often need three-phase power. Older service-commercial buildings may only have single-phase. Verify amperage and phase before you sign, because upgrading electrical in a leased space is slow and expensive.
Yard. If you need to park trucks, trailers, or equipment outside, confirm the yard is paved, fenced, and zoned for outdoor storage. Outdoor storage is a common sticking point in commercial-zoned parcels.
Use permission. This corridor’s biggest variable is zoning, not the building. Confirm your use is allowed on the parcel with the right jurisdiction before you spend money on the deal.
How to Find Available Space in Northeast Sacramento
- Browse our Sacramento listings and filter to the northeast submarkets. We track active industrial and flex listings across the metro, including North Highlands, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, and McClellan Park. View listings →
- Tell us your requirements. Square footage, budget, clear height, power, whether you need a yard, and your specific use. We will match you with northeast corridor space that fits and confirm the zoning works. Get started →
Related Sacramento Industrial Guides
For the full metro picture, start with our guide on how to find warehouse space in Sacramento. To compare current pricing across submarkets, see our Sacramento warehouse lease rates guide, and for the submarket-by-submarket layout read our Sacramento submarket guide. If you need a small bay specifically, see our guide to small warehouse space in Sacramento. If you need a professional front-of-house with working space behind it, see our guide to flex space in Sacramento.
For vacancy, rent growth, and cap rate data across the Sacramento market, see our market report.