California Rent Increase Rules: AB 1482 Caps, Exemptions & Notice
The short answer. For increases effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, California's AB 1482 cap is 8.7% in the Los Angeles Area, 8.1% in the Riverside Area, 8.2% in San Diego County, 8.8% in the San Francisco Area, and 8.6% in all other counties (California Attorney General chart). Where a stricter city ordinance applies — Los Angeles 3%, San Francisco 1.6%, Oakland 2.3%, San Jose 5% — the city cap governs instead. AB 1482 sunsets on January 1, 2030.
This tool is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current law with the official sources cited before acting.
California's statewide rent cap comes from AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (Civil Code §1947.12 for the cap and §1946.2 for just cause), re-enacted by SB 567 and operative April 1, 2024. Check a specific increase with the rent increase checker, and build the written notice with the rent increase notice letter generator.
Current regional caps
| Region (counties) | Maximum increase, Aug 1, 2026–Jul 31, 2027 | CPI component | Prior window, Aug 1, 2025–Jul 31, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Area (Los Angeles, Orange) | 8.7% | 3.7% | 8.0% |
| Riverside Area (Riverside, San Bernardino) | 8.1% | 3.1% (derived as cap minus 5%) | 7.5% |
| San Diego Area (San Diego County) | 8.2% | 3.2% | 8.8% |
| San Francisco Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo) | 8.8% | 3.8% | 6.3% |
| All other counties | 8.6% | 3.6% | 7.7% |
There is no calendar-year "2027 California cap." The cycle resets every August 1 from April CPI data, so the August 1, 2027 reset (April 2027 CPI) is not yet published. The CPI figure uses April Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco, and San Diego areas (March data where April is not published), and the April California CPI published by the California Department of Industrial Relations for all other counties.
How the cap is computed
The cap is 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12-month period, in no more than two increments, measured against the lowest gross rental rate charged in the prior 12 months. The initial rent for a new tenancy is not capped (vacancy decontrol).
Worked example. A covered unit in Los Angeles County (not a City of Los Angeles RSO unit) rents for $2,000 a month. The cap is 8.7%, so the maximum increase is $174.00 and the maximum lawful rent is $2,174. A proposed 9% increase ($180, to $2,180) exceeds the cap by $6 a month. If the same unit were a City of Los Angeles RSO unit, the 3% cap would set the maximum rent at $2,060.
Coverage and exemptions
The cap covers most rental housing more than 15 years old, including corporate-owned single-family homes and condos, mobilehomes rented from park management, and Section 8 voucher housing. Exemptions under §1947.12(d) include:
- Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years (rolling exemption).
- A single-family home or condo alienable separate from title, if the owner is not a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member and the prescribed written exemption notice was given to the tenant.
- An owner-occupied duplex, where the owner occupied one unit at the start of the tenancy and continues to do so, with no ADU or JADU.
- Deed-restricted or subsidized affordable housing, and dormitories.
- Units already under a stricter local ordinance — exempt from the state cap only, because the local cap governs.
Note: the rent-cap and just-cause exemption lists (§1947.12(d) and §1946.2(e)) overlap but differ. Confirm which list applies to your question.
Notice rules
Under Civil Code §827, written notice is required: 30 days if the increase is 10% or less of rent charged at any time in the prior 12 months (alone or combined with other increases in that period), and 90 days if it is more than 10%. An exception allows 30 days even above 10% when the increase results from a recertified income or family-composition change. There is no 60-day rule: AB 1110 replaced the old 60-day standard with 90 days effective January 1, 2020, and sources still stating 60 days are stale.
Section 827 covers week-to-week, month-to-month, and shorter tenancies; fixed-term increases are governed by the lease plus the AB 1482 cap. Section 827(b) prescribes no content list for residential notices — only commercial landlords must include information on the subdivision's provisions. The amount, new rent, and effective date in a notice are therefore best-practice, necessary contents, not a verified statutory checklist. Delivery follows only two procedures under §827(b)(1): personal delivery of a copy to the tenant, or service by mail under Code of Civil Procedure §1013, and the §827 periods are stated to be subject to §1013 if served by mail (§827(b)(2)–(3)). Mailed notices: CCP §1013(a), verified from the official leginfo text on November 12, 2026, provides that service by mail is complete at deposit, but the notice period is extended by 5 calendar days if both the place of mailing and the place of address are within California, 10 calendar days if either is outside California but within the United States, 12 calendar days for a Secretary of State address-confidentiality-program address, and 20 calendar days if either is outside the United States. The mailed copy must bear a notation of the date and place of mailing or be accompanied by an unsigned copy of the affidavit or certificate of mailing (§1013(b)). Longer periods in other statutes, regulations, or contracts control.
City overlays
| City | Cap | Period | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (city) RSO | 3% | Jul 1, 2026–Jun 30, 2027 | Buildings first occupied on or before Oct 1, 1978 |
| San Francisco | 1.6% | Mar 1, 2026–Feb 28, 2027 | Certificate of occupancy on or before Jun 13, 1979 |
| Oakland | 2.3% | Aug 1, 2026–Jul 31, 2027 | Certificate of occupancy before Jan 1, 1983 |
| San Jose | 5% flat | Each 12 months | 3+ units built/occupied before Sep 7, 1979 |
Los Angeles (city) — Rent Stabilization Ordinance
The RSO cap is 3%, and the Los Angeles Housing Department states that 3% holds from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The formula was amended effective February 2, 2026: 90% of average CPI, with a 1% floor and a 4% ceiling (the old formula was 100% of CPI, 3% to 8%). Utility add-ons were eliminated on February 2, 2026, as was the additional-dependent 10%; an additional tenant who is not a dependent still allows 10% within 60 days of the landlord learning of the tenant. Increases are limited to once per 12 months, and registration is required before raising rent. The Attorney General chart's Los Angeles formula description still states the old formula, though its 3% figure matches LAHD — LAHD is authoritative for Los Angeles. Los Angeles notice contents are unverified: no city-specific rent-increase content list was found on LAHD pages reviewed, including a full re-check of the LAHD Renter Protections page on November 12, 2026 (site search returned only surcharge-specific notice contents for smoke detectors and rehabilitation work), so this site asserts none — verify notice contents with LAHD or the local rent board. The Notice of Right to Counsel and the Notice of Renters' Protections apply at tenancy start/renewal and to eviction/termination notices, not to rent increases, on the pages reviewed.
San Francisco
The cap is 1.6% for March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, set at 60% of the Bay Area CPI change with a 7% ceiling. Increases are limited to once per 12 months. Banking is allowed: banked amounts are additive, never compounded, nothing from before April 1, 1982 counts, and banking does not carry to a new tenant; a skipped increase is banked only if at least 24 full months pass without any rent increase, per the official Rent Board banked-increases page. A rent increase license is required before any increase (Housing Inventory reporting, effective July 1, 2022, and March 1, 2023 for condos and 1–9 unit buildings); an unlicensed increase is null and void. Notice is 30 days, or 90 days if the increase alone or combined with another in the same year is more than 10%, plus 5 days if mailed. The notice should include the dollar amount, the percentage amount, the effective date, and which part of the increase is banked (official Rent Board pages). Under Rent Board Rule 4.12(b), verified in the official Rules and Regulations on November 12, 2026, the landlord must inform the tenant, on or before the date legal notice is given, which portion of the increase reflects the banked amount and the dates it is based on; failure to include that information does not by itself render the increase null and void. Banked increases are not compounded and are not rounded up (Rule 4.12(a)). A pending proposal (Board of Supervisors File No. 261020, posted November 9, 2026) would temporarily limit combined banked and capital-improvement increases to 10% a year — it has not been enacted, is subject to change, and is not reflected in any figure on this site.
Oakland
The cap is 2.3% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (prior year 0.8%), set at 60% of the CPI change or 3%, whichever is lower. Increases are limited to once per 12 months. Banking is capped at 5 years from January 1, 2026, a single increase may not exceed 3 times the current annual adjustment (6.9%), and a combined increase with a RAP-approved increase cannot exceed the state cap of 8.8%. A copy of the RAP Notice (in English, Spanish, and Chinese) must be attached to every rent increase notice, the unit must be registered with the Rent Adjustment Program or no increase is allowed, and a business certificate attachment with current business taxes has been required since April 15, 2025. No separate Oakland notice period was found, so the state §827 30/90-day rule is applied — verify with the City of Oakland.
San Jose
The cap is a flat 5%, fixed in the ordinance with no annual cycle, with one increase per 12 months. A capital-improvement passthrough of up to 3% is available by petition, and a joint petition allows 5% per additional occupant. The Apartment Rent Ordinance covers 3 or more units built or occupied before September 7, 1979; exempt properties include single-family homes, ADUs, duplexes, condos, townhomes, and hotels. All San Jose city notice rules are unverified: no official city notice-content or notice-period requirements for Apartment Rent Ordinance (apartment) increases were found, including on re-check of City of San Jose pages and searches on November 12, 2026, so this site asserts no city-specific notice rule and defaults to the state §827 rule — verify with the City of San Jose Housing Department or the local rent board. Do not apply the separate Mobilehome Rent Ordinance notice rules (SJMC Chapter 17.22) to apartment units.
Other California cities on the Attorney General's local chart — more than 30 jurisdictions — are outside the scope of this page, and some recalculate monthly. If your city is not listed here, check with your city before acting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum rent increase in California for August 2026 to July 2027?
For a unit covered by AB 1482, the maximum is 8.7% in the Los Angeles Area, 8.1% in the Riverside Area, 8.2% in the San Diego Area, 8.8% in the San Francisco Area, and 8.6% in all other counties, according to the California Attorney General chart. A stricter local ordinance governs instead of the state cap where one applies.
How is the California rent cap calculated?
The cap is 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12-month period, in no more than two increments, measured against the lowest gross rental rate charged in the prior 12 months. The cost-of-living figure comes from April CPI data for four metro areas, or the California CPI published by the Department of Industrial Relations for all other counties. The cycle resets every August 1.
Which rentals are exempt from California's AB 1482 rent cap?
Exemptions include housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years, a qualifying single-family home or condo whose owner is not a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member and who gave the prescribed written exemption notice, an owner-occupied duplex, deed-restricted or subsidized affordable housing, dormitories, and units already under a stricter local ordinance, which are exempt from the state cap only because the local cap governs.
How much notice is required for a rent increase in California?
California requires 30 days' written notice if the increase is 10% or less, and 90 days' written notice if it is more than 10%, under Civil Code section 827. There is no 60-day rule: AB 1110 replaced the old 60-day standard with 90 days effective January 1, 2020. An exception allows 30 days even above 10% when the increase results from a recertified income or family-composition change.
What happens if my California city has its own rent ordinance?
The local ordinance governs instead of the state cap where it is stricter. Current verified city caps are 3% for Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance units, 1.6% for San Francisco, 2.3% for Oakland, and a flat 5% for San Jose. The Attorney General's local chart lists more than 30 jurisdictions, so check with your city if yours is not listed here.
When does AB 1482 expire?
AB 1482 sunsets on January 1, 2030. Claims of a later extension are incorrect: AB 1157, which would have removed the sunset, died in the Legislature on January 31, 2026.
Related pages
- Rent increase checker — check a specific increase against the California cap.
- Rent increase notice letter generator
- Oregon rent increase rules
- Washington rent increase rules
- Security deposit interest calculator
- Probate fee calculator
Sources
- California Attorney General, statewide and local rent charts — oag.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- California Attorney General press release, updated statewide and local rent resources — oag.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- California Department of Industrial Relations, CPI table — dir.ca.gov (PDF) — accessed November 12, 2026. (Caps on this page follow the Attorney General chart.)
- California Civil Code §827 (notice periods) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- California Code of Civil Procedure §1013 (mail service extensions) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- California Legislature, AB 1157 bill status (sunset correction) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- LA Housing Department, Renter protections — housing.lacity.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- LA Housing Department, RSO overview — housing.lacity.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- City and County of San Francisco, Learn about rent increases — sf.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- SF Rent Board Form 571, Allowable annual increases — sf.gov (PDF) — accessed November 12, 2026.
- City and County of San Francisco, Banked rent increases — sf.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- SF Rent Board Rules and Regulations, §4.12 Banking — media.api.sf.gov (PDF) — accessed November 12, 2026.
- City of Oakland, Allowable rent increases — oaklandca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
- City of San Jose, Rent stabilization — sanjoseca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Rates and rules verified November 12, 2026 from official sources.