Santa Clara County has not adopted a countywide tenant anti-harassment ordinance for unincorporated areas. Tenants rely on California Civil Code §1940.2 against forcible exclusion plus tort remedies for retaliation or harassment.
Unincorporated Santa Clara County has no tenant anti-harassment ordinance comparable to LA County's Title 8.59 or San Jose's Tenant Protection Ordinance. Statewide protections still apply: Civil Code §1940.2 prohibits forcible entry, threats, utility shutoffs, or fraud aimed at compelling a tenant to vacate, with a fixed civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation. Civil Code §1942.5 forbids retaliation within six months of a protected activity. Tenants may also pursue common-law claims for harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and trespass. San Jose, Mountain View, and Cupertino have their own city-level anti-harassment provisions that operate inside their borders.
Civil Code §1940.2 imposes penalties of up to $2,000 per act of harassment. Retaliation under §1942.5 carries actual damages, civil penalties up to $2,000, and mandatory attorney fees.
See how Palo Alto's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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