Paramount, CA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Paramount Municipal Code § 15.04.080
- Trigger
- Final order finding a building substandard or unsafe for habitation
- Rent
- Unlawful to pay or receive it after the order
- Appeal deadline
- 10 days to the City Council (§ 15.04.060)
- Enforcement
- Injunction; misdemeanor for nuisance violations (§ 13.20.620)
- Codes adopted
- 1998 California Housing Code; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code
Summary
In the City of Paramount, California, once a final order of the Building Official or the building rehabilitation appeals board declares a building substandard, damaged, dangerous, or unsafe for human habitation, nobody can lawfully collect or pay rent for it. Paramount Municipal Code § 15.04.080 also bars anyone from staying in the premises after notice, and courts enforce it by injunction.
A. After an order of the Building Official, or the building rehabilitation appeals board, becomes final pursuant to the provisions of this chapter that determines that a building is substandard, damaged, dangerous, or unsafe for human habitation, it is unlawful: 1. For any person, directly or indirectly, to pay any rent, perform any services, or give anything of value whatsoever for the privilege of continuing to reside in, use, or occupy for any purpose of human use, occupation or habitation of any such premises. 2. For any person, firm or corporation to receive any rent, accept any services, or receive anything of value whatsoever for the human use, occupation or habitation of any such premises. 3. For any person, after notice, to continue to reside in, use or occupy such premises, provided, however, this paragraph 3 shall not prevent the owner nor the City from demolishing said premises nor the owner from renovating the same so long as they are not continued to be used in any way for human habitation. B. The provisions of this section shall be enforced by injunction by courts of competent jurisdiction.
Full Breakdown
Paramount handles rental habitability through Title 15 of its Municipal Code. Section 15.04.010 adopts by reference the 1998 edition of the California Housing Code, based on the 1997 Uniform Housing Code, along with the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings and the 2024 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code. Those codes regulate the use, occupancy and maintenance of all buildings, structures and real property in the City of Paramount.
The rent rule sits in §§ 15.04.070 through 15.04.090. The City Council states the purpose directly: to stop owners of unsafe premises from profiting from rental income and to push owners and occupiers to comply promptly with an order declaring a building dangerous, substandard, damaged, or unsafe. Once an order of the Building Official or the building rehabilitation appeals board becomes final, § 15.04.080(A) makes three acts unlawful: paying rent or giving anything of value to keep living there, receiving rent or anything of value for human occupation, and continuing to reside in the premises after notice. An owner can still demolish the building or renovate it, so long as it is not continued in use in any way for human habitation. Section 15.04.090 applies the rule to every final order, whether it became final before or after the sections were adopted.
An owner who disagrees with the Appeals Board can file a written appeal with the City Clerk, directed to the City Council, within 10 days after receiving notice of the action. The filing fee is one-half of the fee required for filing the appeal hearing, and a timely appeal stays the effective date of the Appeals Board decision (§ 15.04.060).
The conditions that lead to a habitability order overlap with § 13.20.470, which applies to any person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of property in the City: broken windows, dry rot, warping or termite infestation, damaged building exteriors, and hazardous pools or excavations. Under § 15.04.040, the Sheriff, the Chief of the Fire Department or the City Building Official can have a building secured at once, without any notice, when immediate action is necessary.
Violations & Fines
Paying, collecting or accepting anything of value for occupying a building under a final substandard order violates § 15.04.080, and the provision is enforced by injunction in a court of competent jurisdiction. Maintaining a property nuisance listed in § 13.20.470, or violating an abatement order, is a misdemeanor under § 13.20.620, and so is removing a posted notice. Administrative citations under Chapter 1.08 carry fines from a schedule the City Council sets by resolution, and each day a violation exists counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Paramount landlord collect rent on a unit under a final substandard order?
Can a tenant keep paying rent after the order becomes final?
Can an owner still repair or demolish the building?
How does an owner appeal an Appeals Board action in Paramount?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paramount
California rules heatmap·Compare Paramount to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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