Rental Property Rules in Sacramento, CA (2026)
12 verified rental property rules for Sacramento, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Sacramento's Tenant Protection Program caps annual rent increases at 5% plus a cost-of-living adjustment, up to a combined 10%, and lets a landlord adjust rent only once every 12 months. Chapter 5.156 covers most rental units citywide; landlords seeking more must win a fair-rate-of-return hearing before a hearing examiner. The program runs through December 31, 2029.
Sacramento Rent Increase Cap Under Chapter 5.156
Significant RestrictionsSacramento City Code §§ 5.156.040, 5.156.050(A)
A. No landlord shall increase the rent for a tenancy in an amount that exceeds the annual rent adjustment unless authorized by a hearing examiner. B. No landlord shall adjust the rent more than once in a 12-month period. C. After a rental unit has been vacated, a landlord may establish the base rent for a tenant under a new rental housing agreement. Thereafter, any increase in the rent for t...
Just Cause Eviction
After 12 months in a rental unit, a Sacramento tenant can only be evicted for one of the specific just-cause reasons Chapter 5.156 lists: nonpayment, lease breach, criminal or nuisance conduct, denied access, owner move-in, substantial repairs, or withdrawal from the rental market. No-fault grounds like owner move-in and market withdrawal require at least 120 days' advance written notice.
Sacramento Just-Cause Eviction Protections
Significant RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 5.156.090(A)
A. Once a tenant has resided in a rental unit for more than 12 months pursuant to the terms of a rental housing agreement, the landlord is prohibited from taking action including, without limitation, making a demand for possession; threatening to terminate the tenancy of that tenant, whether orally or in writing; serving any notice to quit or other eviction notice; or bringing any action to re...
Rental Registration
No one may lawfully rent housing in Sacramento without registering each unit with the city and paying the annual rental housing inspection program fee, under Section 8.120.060. Registration runs five years, requires a named local contact within 35 miles of city hall, and lapses early if the owner misses a fee payment or fails to report changes within 30 days.
Sacramento Rental Property Registration Requirement
Significant RestrictionsSacramento City Code Sec. 8.120.060
No person shall engage in the business of rental housing, unless: 1. Each rental housing unit is registered with the city; and 2. The annual rental housing inspection program fee is paid for each rental housing unit when payment is due. ... It is unlawful for any person to knowingly make a false statement of fact or knowingly omit any information that is required to register a rental housing un...
Relocation Assistance
Sacramento requires landlords to pay relocation assistance equal to roughly two months of rent when terminating a tenancy for no-fault reasons such as owner move-in, withdrawal, or substantial remodel under the Tenant Protection Act.
No-fault eviction relocation payments
Significant RestrictionsCal. Civ. Code § 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act / AB 1482)
(vi) (I) If the intended occupant fails to occupy the rental unit within 90 days after the tenant vacates or fails to occupy the rental unit as their primary residence for at least 12 consecutive months, the owner shall offer the unit to the tenant who vacated it at the same rent and lease terms in effect at the time the tenant vacated and shall reimburse the tenant for reasonable moving expens...
Security Deposit Rules
California Civil Code 1950.5 caps Sacramento security deposits at one month's rent for most tenancies and requires itemized return within 21 days, with strict deductions and tenant inspection rights.
Security deposit caps and accounting
Some RestrictionsCal. Civ. Code § 1950.5
1950.5. (a) This section applies to security for a rental agreement for residential property that is used as the dwelling of the tenant. (b) As used in this section, “security” means any payment, fee, deposit, or charge, including, but not limited to, any payment, fee, deposit, or charge, except as provided in Section 1950.6, that is imposed at the beginning of the tenancy to be used to reimbur...
No-Fault Evictions
Sacramento limits no-fault evictions to four narrow grounds under Title 5 Chapter 5.156: owner or relative move-in, substantial remodel, removal from the rental market, and compliance with a government order requiring vacancy.
No-fault eviction grounds in Sacramento
Some RestrictionsCal. Civ. Code § 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act / AB 1482)
No-fault just cause, which means any of the following: (A) (i) Intent to occupy the residential real property by the owner or the owner’s spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents for a minimum of 12 continuous months as that person’s primary residence. (ii) For leases entered into on or after July 1, 2020, or July 1, 2022, if the lease is for a tenancy in a mo...
Tenant Anti-Harassment
Sacramento prohibits landlord conduct intended to force tenants out, including utility shut-offs, lock changes, threats, and constructive eviction tactics, with civil penalties under the Tenant Protection & Relief Act.
Tenant harassment prohibitions
Heavy RestrictionsCal. Civ. Code § 1940.2
1940.2. (a) It is unlawful for a landlord to do any of the following for the purpose of influencing a tenant to vacate a dwelling: (1) Engage in conduct that violates subdivision (a) of Section 484 of the Penal Code. (2) Engage in conduct that violates Section 518 of the Penal Code. (3) Use, or threaten to use, force, willful threats, or menacing conduct constituting a course of conduct that in...
Source-of-Income Discrimination
California Government Code 12955 bars Sacramento landlords from refusing applicants because they pay rent with Section 8 vouchers, VASH, or other lawful housing assistance, treating source of income as a protected category.
Section 8 voucher non-discrimination
Some RestrictionsCal. Gov. Code § 12955 (Fair Employment and Housing Act)
It shall be unlawful: (a) For the owner of any housing accommodation to discriminate against or harass any person because of the race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status, or genetic information of that person. (b) For the owner o...
Section 8 Voucher Acceptance
The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency administers Housing Choice Vouchers locally, performing initial unit inspections, approving rent reasonableness, and executing HAP contracts before move-in for participating landlords.
Sacramento Housing Authority voucher process
Some RestrictionsCal. Gov. Code § 12955 (Fair Employment and Housing Act)
It shall be unlawful: (a) For the owner of any housing accommodation to discriminate against or harass any person because of the race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status, or genetic information of that person. (b) For the owner o...
AB-1482 Notice Disclosure
California AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act, caps annual rent increases on most Sacramento rentals at 5 percent plus regional CPI, capped at 10 percent total, and requires landlords to give tenants written notice of coverage.
AB 1482 Statewide Rent Cap and Notice
Some RestrictionsCal. Civ. Code § 1947.12 (AB 1482 — Tenant Protection Act of 2019)
1947.12. (a) (1) Subject to subdivision (b), an owner of residential real property shall not, over the course of any 12-month period, increase the gross rental rate for a dwelling or a unit more than 5 percent plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower, of the lowest gross rental rate charged for that dwelling or unit at any time during the 12 months pri...
Rent Increase Notice
Under Sacramento's Tenant Protection Program, a rent increase is not effective until the landlord delivers written notice to the tenant, and that notice must include the information the city's tenant protection program administrative procedures require. Any increase beyond the annual cap also requires the landlord to first go through the §5.156.060 hearing process.
Sacramento Written Notice Required for Rent Hikes
Some RestrictionsSacramento City Code § 5.156.050(C)-(D)
C. Before a landlord can impose a rent increase that exceeds the annual rent adjustment, the landlord shall comply with section 5.156.060. D. An increase in rent in accordance with the annual rent adjustment is not effective until the landlord provides written notice to increase rent as prescribed by law. The content of the notice to increase rent provided to a tenant shall include the inform...
Repairs & Habitability
Sacramento City Code Section 8.100.550 declares any building endangering the life, health, safety or welfare of occupants a "substandard building," and Section 8.100.560 spells out inadequate sanitation -- missing plumbing, no hot water, inadequate heat, rodent infestation, lead hazards -- as one of the disqualifying conditions, backed by the city's notice-and-order and posting enforcement machinery.
Sacramento Substandard Housing Habitability Standards
Significant RestrictionsSacramento City Code Secs. 8.100.550, 8.100.560
Any building or portion thereof including any dwelling unit, guest room or suite of rooms, or portion thereof, or the premises on which the same is located, in which there exists any of the conditions hereinafter set forth in this chapter to an extent that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or the occupants thereof shall be deemed and is declared to be ...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sacramento city rules.
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