Sacramento, CA Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Sacramento, CA, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Annual increase cap
- 5% plus CPI, capped at 10% combined
- Increase frequency
- No more than once per 12 months
- Above-cap increases
- Require hearing examiner's fair-rate-of-return approval
- Registration
- Annual registration and fee on rental housing registry
- Sunset date
- Chapter repeals automatically December 31, 2029
- Key exemption
- Single-family homes, condos and co-ops exempt
Summary
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.
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 that tenant must comply with the limitation set forth in subsection A. ... 5.156.050.A. The annual rent adjustment is 5% plus the percentage of the annual increase in the cost of living adjustment, if any, but not to exceed a combined total of 10%. A tenant may not waive this limitation on the increase in rent.
Full Breakdown
040). A). 060, proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the higher increase is necessary for a fair rate of return; the examiner weighs factors like property-tax changes and capital-improvement costs, and cannot consider the landlord's income taxes or debt service. 030). 120). 130). 150).
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 5.156 exposes a landlord to criminal sanctions, civil actions and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28's general penalty provisions (§5.156.120). A landlord's own failure to comply also becomes an affirmative defense a tenant can raise in an unlawful detainer action the landlord files to recover possession (§5.156.110), independent of any city-initiated enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sacramento's rent cap apply to my rental unit?
How much can my landlord raise my rent in Sacramento?
Can my landlord raise rent above the 10% cap?
What happens if my landlord ignores the rent cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
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Rent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle rent control.