Glendale, CA Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Glendale, CA, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Origin
- Just cause required since Ord. 5326, 2002
- Grounds
- 12 exclusive grounds listed in Sec. 9.30.030
- Remodel threshold
- Remodel eviction needs cost ≥8x monthly rent
- Move-in rule
- Owner move-in: occupy 1 year within 2 months
- Bad-faith penalty
- Bad-faith eviction: 3x damages plus fees
- State law
- Overrides state TPA per Civil Code 1946.2(i)
- Exemptions
- Excludes hotels, dorms, parcels of 2 units
Summary
Since 2002, Glendale's Rental Rights Program has barred landlords from evicting a covered tenant without a specific cause listed in Municipal Code Section 9.30.030, overriding the plain 30- or 60-day no-cause notice that California's Civil Code Section 1946 otherwise allows. Acceptable grounds include nonpayment, an uncured lease violation, nuisance, owner move-in, demolition, or a substantial remodel requiring the unit be vacated.
Notwithstanding California Civil Code Section 1946, a landlord may bring an action to recover possession of a rental unit as defined herein only upon one of the following grounds: A. The tenant has failed to pay the rent to which the landlord is entitled. B. The tenant has violated a lawful obligation or covenant of the tenancy and has failed to cure such violation after having received written notice thereof from the landlord... C. The tenant is permitting to exist a nuisance in, or is causing damage to, the rental unit... G. The landlord seeks in good faith to recover possession so as to: 1. Demolish the rental unit; or 2. Substantially remodel the building or buildings housing the rental unit or units...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4983441; v20 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
030. A 'substantial remodel' eviction requires the work to cost at least eight times the greater of the monthly rent or HUD fair market rent, replace a structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical system, or abate hazardous materials, and to force a vacancy of 45 days or more; cosmetic work like flooring or paint does not qualify. An owner or relative move-in eviction requires occupancy within two months of the tenant vacating and for at least one full year as a primary residence, and a landlord may use that ground against a given relative only once per rental complex.
2(i)(1)(A) expressly provides that where a city adopted its own just-cause ordinance on or before September 1, 2019, as Glendale did with Ordinance 5326 in 2002, 'the local ordinance shall apply' instead of the state statute. 030.
Violations & Fines
A landlord who acts in bad faith when invoking the demolition, remodel, or owner/relative move-in grounds is liable under Section 9.30.030(H)(6) for three times the tenant's actual damages, plus exemplary damages and attorneys' fees. More broadly, Section 9.30.050 gives any tenant facing an eviction that skips a valid Section 9.30.030 ground an affirmative defense to the unlawful detainer action, the right to injunctive relief, money damages, and attorneys' fees for the prevailing party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Glendale's just cause law replace the statewide Tenant Protection Act?
Can my landlord evict me just because my lease is up?
What rentals are exempt from Glendale's just cause protections?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
California rules heatmap·Compare Glendale to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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Just Cause Eviction in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle just cause eviction.