Sacramento, CA Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice required
- Written notice before any rent increase takes effect
- Notice content
- Set by tenant protection program administrative procedures
- Above-cap increases
- Must clear §5.156.060 hearing before notice
- Governing section
- Sacramento City Code § 5.156.050(C)-(D)
- Program administrator
- City manager sets procedures under §5.156.070
Summary
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.
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 information as prescribed in the tenant protection program administrative procedures.
Full Breakdown
120). 060 fair-rate-of-return hearing process, so an above-cap notice cannot be served until a hearing examiner has approved the higher rate. For increases that stay within the annual cap, the notice requirement stands alone: it must be in writing, and its required content is fixed by the administrative procedures the city manager adopts rather than left to the landlord's discretion. Because the ordinance ties notice content to procedures published outside the chapter itself, a landlord operating in the city needs to confirm the current administrative-procedures template before serving an increase notice, since a notice missing the prescribed content does not make the increase effective. 150).
Violations & Fines
A rent increase served without the required written notice, or without the content the tenant protection program administrative procedures prescribe, is not effective under §5.156.050.D: the increase simply does not take hold. Beyond that, noncompliance exposes a landlord to the same criminal, civil and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28 that apply to any Chapter 5.156 violation (§5.156.120).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Sacramento landlord have to give written notice before raising rent?
What must the notice include?
Can my landlord skip the hearing and just send a bigger notice?
What if the landlord's notice is missing required information?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
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Rent Increase Notice in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle rent increase notice.