Orange, CA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum heat, habitable rooms
- 68°F, § 602.3
- Minimum heat, work spaces
- 65°F while occupied, § 602.4
- Adopted code edition
- Int'l Property Maintenance Code, 2024 Ed.
- Enforcing departments
- Public Works & Community Development
- Weed height limit
- 6 inches, § 302.4
- Insect screen mesh
- Minimum 16 mesh per inch, § 304.14
Summary
Orange's adopted International Property Maintenance Code requires every landlord who furnishes heat to a rental unit to keep habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at a minimum 68°F, and to keep occupied indoor work spaces at a minimum 65°F. The Public Works and Community Development Departments enforce the standard.
602.3 Heat supply. Every owner and operator of any building who rents, leases or lets one or more dwelling units or sleeping units on terms, either expressed or implied, to furnish heat to the occupants thereof shall supply heat to a minimum temperature of 68°F in all habitable rooms, bathrooms, and toilet rooms. 602.4 Occupiable work spaces. Indoor occupiable work spaces shall be supplied with heat to a minimum temperature of 65°F during the period the spaces are occupied.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4796775; v10 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
1 naming the Public Works and Community Development Departments as the code official responsible for implementation, administration and enforcement. 3, Heat supply, requires every owner and operator of a building who rents, leases or lets one or more dwelling units or sleeping units, whether the promise to furnish heat is express or implied, to supply heat to a minimum temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms. 4 sets a separate, lower floor of 65 degrees Fahrenheit for indoor occupiable work spaces, but only during the period those spaces are actually occupied.
14 requires approved, tightly fitting insect screens of at least 16 mesh per inch on every door, window and other outside opening used for ventilating habitable rooms and food areas, with self-closing screen doors kept in good working order. 55 works by adopting the model IPMC and then locally amending specific sections, any provision the City has not separately amended is enforced exactly as printed in the 2024 IPMC, so property owners should read the adopted edition alongside these local sections.
Violations & Fines
Failing to supply the required 68°F minimum heat, or otherwise violating the adopted International Property Maintenance Code, is enforced by the Public Works and Community Development Departments under Chapter 15.55 and is subject to Orange's general penalty at Municipal Code Section 1.08.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail, or an infraction with escalating $100/$200/$500 fines for repeat violations within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum heat an Orange landlord must provide?
Does Orange's heat rule cover offices and other work spaces?
Who enforces Orange's rental property maintenance code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange
California rules heatmap·Compare Orange to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle repairs & habitability.