Home → Cities → Sacramento

Sacramento Tenant Rights

A Council-Passed Ordinance Since 2019 — Rent Caps and Just Cause, But No Local Relocation Requirement

🏙 525,000 residents 🏠 54% renters 📍 Sacramento County View County Page →
Featured Cities: 🌆 Los Angeles 🌊 Santa Monica 🌴 West Hollywood 🌹 Pasadena 🏈 Inglewood ⛵ San Diego 🌉 San Francisco 💻 San Jose 🏙 Oakland 🎓 Berkeley 🏛 Sacramento 🌊 Santa Cruz 🍷 Santa Rosa 💎 Beverly Hills 🔍 Mountain View ⚓ Richmond 🛥 Antioch 🌳 Hayward 🚦 San Leandro 🌲 Arcata 🎬 Culver City All cities →

Renting in Sacramento

As the state capital and a magnet for renters priced out of the Bay Area, Sacramento has faced years of rising rents and historically low vacancy. The City Council responded by adopting the Sacramento Tenant Protection Program (also called the Tenant Protection Act) in 2019, which took effect September 12, 2019. Unlike Culver City or West Hollywood, Sacramento's ordinance was passed directly by the City Council rather than by voters — and a 2020 ballot measure that would have made the law more protective, including adding mandatory relocation assistance, failed to pass. The result is a program that closely tracks AB 1482's statewide framework but applies specifically to Sacramento's pre-1995 housing stock, with the current annual cap sitting at roughly 8.6% for 2026.

📋 Sacramento Tenant Protection Program (Tenant Protection Act)

Enacted Adopted by City Council in 2019; effective September 12, 2019
Annual Rent Cap 5% plus the annual change in California CPI, capped at 10% total — approximately 8.6% for the current 2026 adjustment
Governing Code Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.156

What Units Are Covered?

Almost all multi-unit residential rental buildings within Sacramento city limits built before February 1, 1995, including apartments and non-owner-occupied duplexes. Single-family homes, condominiums, and owner-occupied duplexes are excluded from the local ordinance, though they may still be covered separately by statewide AB 1482.

How the Rent Cap Works

Sacramento calculates its allowable annual increase using the same formula as AB 1482: a 5% base plus the change in the California Consumer Price Index, with a hard ceiling of 10%. The City announced the 2026 adjustment at approximately 8.6%, based on a reported 3.6% April CPI increase. Only one rent increase is permitted per tenancy in any 12-month period. The ordinance does not clearly state whether landlords may "bank" an unused increase from a year they didn't raise rent and apply it later — this point is legally ambiguous, so tenants facing an unusually large increase citing banked amounts from prior years should have it reviewed by a tenant attorney or the Code Compliance program.

Key Rules

  • ✓ For tenancies that existed when the ordinance took effect, the "base rent" used to calculate future increases is the rent that was in effect on July 1, 2019
  • ✓ For tenancies that began after July 1, 2019, base rent is simply the initial contracted rent from the lease
  • ✓ Any lease clause attempting to waive a tenant's rights under this ordinance is void as against public policy — it does not matter if you signed it
  • ✓ A landlord's failure to comply with any requirement of the ordinance is an automatic affirmative defense in an unlawful detainer lawsuit
  • ✓ Units not covered by this local ordinance (post-1995 construction, single-family homes without a Costa-Hawkins exemption, etc.) may still be protected by statewide AB 1482

Common Exemptions

  • ✗ Units with a certificate of occupancy issued on or after February 1, 1995
  • ✗ Single-family homes, condominiums, and stock cooperatives
  • ✗ Owner-occupied duplexes where the owner lives in one unit
  • ✗ Units where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with the property owner
  • ✗ Hotels, motels, inns, and rooming/boarding houses renting primarily to transient guests for stays under 30 days
  • ✗ Hospitals, medical care facilities, residential care facilities, and group homes for seniors or people with disabilities
  • ✗ Transitional housing programs for people experiencing homelessness
  • ✗ Convents, monasteries, and dormitories or fraternity/sorority housing owned by an accredited educational institution

🛡 Sacramento Tenant Protection Program — Just Cause Provisions

Enacted Effective September 12, 2019
Applies After 12 months of tenancy

The same pre-1995 multi-unit buildings covered by the local rent cap. Once a tenant has lived in a covered unit for 12 months, the landlord must have a legally recognized just cause reason to terminate the tenancy — matching the 12-month threshold used under AB 1482, rather than the "day one" trigger some other California cities have adopted.

⚠ At-Fault Just Causes

  • • Failure to pay rent after a compliant 3-day notice to pay or quit
  • • Breach of the rental agreement after the landlord has served a written notice to cease, given a reasonable opportunity to cure, and warned that failure to cure may result in eviction
  • • Refusal to give the landlord lawful access to the unit
  • • Engaging in criminal activity or creating a nuisance on the property

📋 No-Fault Just Causes

  • • Owner or qualifying family member move-in
  • • Withdrawal of the unit from the rental market (Ellis Act)
  • • Substantial remodel or demolition requiring permits
  • • Compliance with a government order to vacate

💰 Required Relocation Assistance

  • $ Sacramento's local ordinance does NOT itself require relocation assistance for no-fault evictions — this is a meaningful gap compared to LA, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, West Hollywood, and Culver City, all of which mandate local relocation payments
  • $ A 2020 ballot measure that would have added mandatory relocation assistance to the Sacramento ordinance was placed before voters and failed to pass
  • $ For units also covered by statewide AB 1482, the state law's separate one-month relocation requirement for no-fault evictions may still apply — this is an area where tenants should get direct confirmation from a tenant attorney or the Code Compliance program, since the interaction between the two laws is not entirely settled

⭐ Sacramento-Specific Protections You Won't Find Everywhere

No Local Relocation Assistance Requirement

Unlike most other major California cities with local rent control, Sacramento's ordinance does not require landlords to pay relocation assistance for no-fault evictions. Voters had a chance to add this protection in a 2020 ballot measure, but it failed. If you're facing a no-fault eviction in Sacramento, don't assume you're automatically entitled to a payout the way you would be in LA, SF, Oakland, or Culver City — confirm your situation with a tenant attorney, since AB 1482's separate statewide relocation duty may or may not apply depending on your unit's specific coverage.

Lease Waivers of Tenant Rights Are Void

Sacramento's ordinance explicitly states that any lease provision attempting to waive a tenant's rights under the Tenant Protection Program is void as a matter of public policy. If your lease contains language suggesting you've given up your right to just cause protection or the rent cap, that language has no legal effect — even though you signed it.

Landlord Non-Compliance Is an Automatic Defense

If your landlord fails to comply with any requirement of the Tenant Protection Program — whether it's the notice-to-cease process, the rent cap calculation, or proper just cause documentation — that failure by itself becomes an affirmative defense you can raise in an unlawful detainer lawsuit. This gives Sacramento tenants a direct, built-in way to challenge procedurally defective evictions.

Extensive, Specific Exemption List

Sacramento's ordinance spells out an unusually long and specific list of exempt housing types — including convents, monasteries, fraternity and sorority houses, and transitional homelessness programs — in addition to the more typical single-family home and post-1995 construction exemptions. If you live in an unusual housing arrangement, check this list carefully before assuming you are or are not covered.

Ambiguous Rules on "Banking" Increases

The ordinance does not clearly say whether a landlord who skips a rent increase in one year can "bank" that unused amount and add it to a future increase. If your landlord cites banked increases from prior years to justify a jump above the current year's cap, that claim sits in a legal gray area — have it reviewed by the Code Compliance program or a tenant attorney before assuming it's valid.

🏛 Sacramento Code Compliance — Tenant Protection Program

Hours: Mon–Fri 8am–5pm

What the Rent Board Can Help You With (Free):

✓ Guidance on whether your unit is covered by the local ordinance or falls back to AB 1482
✓ Annual rent adjustment percentage verification
✓ Just cause eviction notice compliance review
✓ Referrals for landlord-tenant disputes and code compliance concerns
✓ General information on the Rental Housing Inspection Program
Contact Code Compliance to verify your unit's coverage under the Tenant Protection Program
Look Up Your Unit →

🆓 Free Legal Aid in Sacramento

Sacramento Renters Helpline Free guidance on rent increases, eviction notices, and TPP coverage
Legal Services of Northern California — Sacramento Free civil legal aid, eviction defense
Sacramento County Bar Association Modest Means Reduced-fee attorney referrals
Tobener Ravenscroft LLP Tenant rights law firm serving Sacramento renters

✊ Tenant Organizations in Sacramento

Sacramento Tenants Union Local tenant organizing, know-your-rights education, and TPP advocacy
Visit →
ACCE Sacramento Housing justice organizing with an active Sacramento chapter
Visit →
Tenants Together Statewide tenant rights hotline and education
Visit →

🏛 Eviction Court in Sacramento

Sacramento County Superior Court — Carol Miller Justice Center

📍 301 Bicentennial Cir, Sacramento, CA 95826

Sacramento unlawful detainer cases are heard at the Carol Miller Justice Center, primarily in Department 88. Court info line: (916) 875-7746. Self-help and mediation program: (916) 875-7843. 10 business days to respond after service (AB 2347, 2025).

⚠ Critical Deadline: You have 10 business days to file a written response after being served with a summons (AB 2347, effective January 2025). Missing this = automatic judgment against you.
Court Website →

Common Questions for Sacramento Renters

It depends on your unit. Under AB 1482 (the Tenant Protection Act), most California landlords can only raise rent once per year, by a maximum of 5% plus local CPI — and never more than 10% total. For the current cycle (August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026), the effective cap in most Bay Area counties is around 6.3%, and in Los Angeles County around 6.9%. A 20% increase almost certainly violates this cap for covered units. AB 1482 applies to most multi-family buildings older than 15 years, but does NOT cover single-family homes or condos where the owner has given proper written notice, or buildings built in the last 15 years. Check your unit at tenantprotections.org. If you are covered, send a written dispute to your landlord immediately — paying the increase without objecting can be treated as acceptance. Many cities (LA, SF, Oakland, Santa Monica) have even stricter local rent caps.
No — a 3-day notice is NOT a court order and you do not have to leave. It is the first step in a legal process. If you pay the full amount owed within the 3-day period, the eviction stops entirely. If you do not pay, your landlord must then file an Unlawful Detainer (UD) lawsuit in court. After you are served with the court summons, you now have 10 business days to file a written response (AB 2347 extended this from 5 days starting January 1, 2025). Only a judge can order you to leave — not your landlord. Do not ignore the summons or you will get a default judgment automatically.
Under California Civil Code §1950.5, landlords can only deduct for cleaning that brings the unit back to the condition it was in when you moved in — not to make it cleaner. They cannot charge for professional cleaning if you left it reasonably clean. Under AB 2801 (effective 2025), landlords must now take photos before and after any cleaning or repairs, and must provide itemized receipts for work over $125. If they failed to follow these requirements, they forfeit their right to deductions entirely. Send a written demand letter disputing the specific deductions. If unresolved, file in small claims court — you can recover the deposit plus up to 2x the amount as a bad faith penalty, plus court costs.
No. California Civil Code §1954 requires landlords to give at least 24 hours written notice before entering for non-emergency purposes, and entry must be during normal business hours (8am–6pm, or agreed hours). Verbal notice is not sufficient — it must be in writing (a text message counts). The only exception is a genuine emergency (fire, flood, gas leak). Repeated unauthorized entries constitute landlord harassment under Civil Code §1940.2. Send your landlord a written letter citing §1954 and demanding they stop. If it continues, document every incident with dates and times, and consult a tenant attorney — you may be entitled to damages.
You have options, but stopping rent cold is risky without legal guidance. Visible mold that poses a health risk is a substandard condition under California Health & Safety Code §17920.3 and your landlord must remediate it. Your safest options are: (1) File a code enforcement complaint with your city or county — this triggers a formal inspection and puts your landlord on legal notice; (2) Repair and deduct — hire a licensed contractor and deduct costs from rent (up to one month's rent, twice per year); (3) Rent withholding into a separate trust account for severe conditions — but consult an attorney first; (4) Sue for damages including rent reduction during the uninhabitable period. Always document with dated photos and send repair requests by certified mail.
Only under very specific conditions. Under AB 1482, "substantial remodel" is a valid no-fault just cause, BUT the landlord must: (1) give you 60 days written notice (if you have lived there 1+ year); (2) pay you relocation assistance equal to one month's rent; (3) the renovation must require permits and be so substantial that you cannot safely occupy the unit during work. Cosmetic upgrades do not qualify. After the work is complete, you typically have the right to return at your original rent. "Ellis Act" evictions (taking the building off the rental market entirely) have even stricter rules. If your landlord claims renovation but the work is minor, this may be a pretextual eviction — contact a tenant attorney immediately.
Lack of heat is a serious habitability violation — California law requires landlords to maintain heating that can reach at least 70°F in living areas. Before withholding rent, take these steps in order: (1) Send a written repair request by text or email AND certified mail; (2) Give your landlord a "reasonable time" to fix it — for heating in cold weather, 24-72 hours is reasonable; (3) File a code enforcement complaint if they don't respond; (4) Use the repair-and-deduct remedy — buy space heaters or hire a contractor, deduct from rent (up to one month's rent). Outright rent withholding should be done carefully, with money held in a separate account, and ideally with an attorney's guidance. Never withhold silently — always notify your landlord in writing.
No. Landlords cannot unilaterally add new fees during an existing lease period without your written consent. Any fee not specified in your signed lease agreement is unenforceable. Common illegal fees include: convenience fees for online payment, administrative fees, move-in/move-out fees beyond the security deposit limit, and excessive late fees (California generally limits late fees to 5-6% of rent). Respond in writing stating that you do not accept the new fee and that it is not part of your lease agreement. If your landlord threatens eviction over the fee, do not pay it without legal advice — an eviction based on a disputed illegal fee is itself potentially illegal.
If you have lived in the unit for less than one year, your landlord must give 30 days written notice. If you have lived there for one year or more, they must give 60 days written notice. However — if your unit is covered by AB 1482 (most multi-family buildings over 15 years old), your landlord also needs a valid "just cause" to end your tenancy after 12 months of residency. You cannot be evicted without cause just because you are month-to-month in a covered unit. Many cities (LA, SF, Oakland, Berkeley, Santa Monica) have even stronger protections. Check your local ordinance.
No — it has been illegal in California since 2020. SB 329 expanded the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to prohibit landlords from refusing to rent based on "source of income," which explicitly includes Section 8 / Housing Choice Vouchers, VASH vouchers, and other government rental assistance. Advertising "No Section 8" is also illegal. If a landlord refuses your voucher, you can: (1) File a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) at calcivilrights.ca.gov — free, within 2 years; (2) File a complaint with HUD; (3) Sue civilly for damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees. You can also file with your local fair housing agency.
Owner move-in (OMI) evictions are a valid no-fault just cause under AB 1482, but they come with strict requirements. The landlord or a qualifying family member must actually intend to live there as their primary residence, must move in within 90 days of your departure, and must live there for at least 12 consecutive months. You must receive 60 days written notice (if 1+ year tenancy) and relocation assistance of one month's rent. If the landlord does NOT move in, or moves out within 12 months, you may have a right to return at your original rent AND damages. OMI fraud — evicting a tenant pretextually — is illegal and increasingly prosecuted, especially in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
As of January 1, 2025 (AB 2347), you now have 10 business days from the date you were served the Unlawful Detainer summons to file a written response with the court — extended from the previous 5-day deadline. This is one of the most critical deadlines in California tenant law. Missing it means automatic judgment against you and the sheriff can remove you without a trial. You do not need a lawyer to file a response, but getting one dramatically improves your outcome. File your response (Form UD-105) at the courthouse that issued the summons. Many courthouses have self-help centers, and many counties have free legal aid for eviction defense.
This is illegal landlord harassment and potentially extortion. Under California Civil Code §1940.35, it is unlawful for a landlord to threaten to report a tenant's immigration status to coerce them into vacating, paying money, or waiving any legal rights. Violators face actual damages, punitive damages, a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation, and attorney fees. Your immigration status does NOT affect your California tenant rights — you have full protections regardless of documentation status. Document the threat (text, email, or write down what was said with the date). Then contact a tenant attorney or legal aid organization immediately. This is a strong case.
California has a strong "duty to mitigate" rule — your landlord is legally required to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit after you leave. If they find a new tenant immediately, you owe nothing for the remaining term. You only owe rent for the period the unit is actually vacant while the landlord is actively trying to re-rent it. You do NOT automatically owe 4 months of rent. To protect yourself: give written notice as early as possible, offer to cooperate with showings, keep records of your departure date and the unit's condition, and follow up to confirm re-rental. Breaking a lease for specific reasons (domestic violence, uninhabitable conditions, active military duty) carries additional legal protections under California law.
Your landlord is in violation of California law. Under Civil Code §1950.5, landlords must return your security deposit — along with a written itemized statement of any deductions and copies of receipts — within 21 calendar days of you vacating. Missing this deadline means they forfeit their right to make ANY deductions and owe you the full deposit back. Under AB 2801 (2025), they must also provide photos of any claimed damage. Send a written demand letter immediately via certified mail stating the deadline has passed, demanding full return, and citing Civil Code §1950.5. If they still do not respond, file in small claims court — the limit is $12,500 and you can claim the full deposit plus up to 2x the withheld amount as a bad faith penalty.
No. Beginning January 1, 2026, California law requires landlords to include all mandatory fees in the advertised rent price upfront. Any optional services or add-on charges must be clearly disclosed before you sign — no surprise "junk fees" after the fact. This applies to fees for trash, parking, amenities, administrative costs, or any other recurring charge. If your landlord is adding fees that were not disclosed at lease signing, those fees are not enforceable. Send a written objection immediately citing the 2026 fee disclosure requirement. If your landlord threatens eviction over an undisclosed fee, contact a tenant attorney — an eviction based on an illegal fee is itself likely unlawful.
Yes — as of 2026, California law now requires landlords to provide a working stove and refrigerator in most rental homes as part of the implied warranty of habitability. This is a new standard that went into effect in 2026, making appliance provision a legal baseline rather than a lease negotiation point. If your landlord fails to provide or maintain a working stove or refrigerator, you can: (1) send a written repair/replacement request; (2) file a code enforcement complaint with your city or county; (3) use the repair-and-deduct remedy (up to one month's rent) if they fail to act within a reasonable time. Note that some shared or exempt housing types may be excluded — contact your local legal aid organization for guidance on your specific situation.
No. Under AB 1414, which took effect in 2025, California landlords are prohibited from requiring tenants to use a particular internet service provider. If your landlord is bundling a mandatory internet subscription into your rent or lease, you have the right to opt out. If they violate this provision, you can deduct the cost of your own internet subscription directly from your rent payment. This law was passed specifically in response to bulk billing arrangements where landlords received kickbacks from ISPs while forcing tenants into overpriced plans with no choice. Send your landlord written notice citing AB 1414 and your intent to deduct if they continue charging for a mandatory ISP subscription.