Rental Property Rules in Davis, CA (2026)
4 verified rental property rules for Davis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Davis has no general rent control ordinance; state law (Costa-Hawkins, AB 1482) governs most rentals citywide. The one local rent rule applies narrowly to buildings being converted to condominiums: rent cannot rise for two years after a conversion application, and any later increase needs planning commission approval.
Davis Rent Freeze on Condo Conversions
Light RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 36.14.070(e)
No increase in rent. A tenant's rent shall not be increased within two months prior to a project application, nor shall the rent be increased for two years from the time of the filing of the project application or until relocation takes place. At the end of the two-year period, any increase in rent shall first be approved by the planning commission.
Just Cause Eviction
Davis bars a landlord from evicting, raising rent on, or cutting services to a tenant in retaliation for exercising landlord-tenant rights, so long as the tenant is current on rent, unless the landlord can show a lawful cause for the action in writing.
Davis Retaliatory Eviction Protection
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 18.02.030
If a landlord's dominant purpose is retaliation against a tenant because of the tenant's exercise of rights under this article, and if the tenant is not in default as to the payment of rent, the landlord may not recover possession of the rental unit in any action or proceeding, cause the lessee to quit the premises involuntarily, increase the rent or decrease any services. ... Notwithstanding t...
Rental Registration
No owner may rent a residential unit in Davis until it's registered with the city under Municipal Code Article 18.11. Multifamily buildings of five or more units register under Section 18.11.040; single-family rentals of one to four units register under Section 18.11.050. Both carry an annual fee and an escalating late-payment penalty.
Davis Rental Unit Registration Rule
Significant RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 18.11.040(a)(1), (b)(2)
Registration of multifamily rental units. Unless exempt pursuant to Section 18.11.030(a), no owner may rent a multifamily rental unit to a tenant unless and until such multifamily rental unit is registered with the city in accordance with this article. ... Each owner shall register the multifamily rental units on a form provided by the city. ... Failure to register the rental unit shall result ...
Repairs & Habitability
Davis's Municipal Code declares that substandard rental housing threatens tenant health, safety, and neighborhood stability, and creates a registration and inspection program to catch it early. The findings behind Article 18.11 define what counts as substandard and set the city's authority to order repairs, on top of the state's separate habitability floor.
Davis Rental Housing Habitability Rules
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 18.11.010(a), (b)
The city council finds and declares that the city's rental housing market is greatly impacted by a reduced vacancy rate. As a result of the low vacancy rate, there is an increased likelihood that tenants fail to report substandard and unsafe conditions existing on rental properties in the City of Davis out of fear of losing their homes. Substandard residential dwelling units may include dangero...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Davis city rules.
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