Solutions Pricing FAQs Blog Resources
Sign In Resident Sign In Get Started
Sacramento, California

Sacramento Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Sacramento, California.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Sacramento

Sources last checked July 2026

Sacramento adds its own Tenant Protection Ordinance (City Code Chapter 5.156) on top of state rent law, though only for the rent cap category — eviction, notice, and deposit rules here still run on state law. For the year beginning July 1, 2026, the local cap is 8.6%, using the same 5%-plus-CPI formula as AB 1482 but a fixed February 1, 1995 build-date cutoff instead of a rolling 15-year exemption, and it flatly excludes single-family homes and condos rather than exempting them only with owner notice.

  • Sacramento caps annual rent increases on covered units at 8.6%, effective July 1, 2026.
  • Security deposits capped at 1 month's rent
  • 30-day advance written notice required for rent increases
  • Once all tenants have continuously and lawfully occupied a unit for 12 months, or at least one tenant has occupied it for 24 months, the landlord must have just cause to...
  • 30-day move-out notice required for month-to-month tenancies
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Sacramento Local Rules

Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Sacramento?

Sacramento caps annual rent increases on covered units at 8.6%, effective July 1, 2026. The ordinance's formula is 5% plus the annual cost-of-living increase, not to exceed a combined total of 10%; the April 2026 Consumer Price Index figure of 3.6% produces this year's 8.6%. The rate is recalculated every July. What distinguishes the local ordinance from California's statewide AB 1482 — which uses an identical formula — is coverage. Sacramento applies to rental units in buildings built before February 1, 1995, a fixed date rather than AB 1482's rolling fifteen-year new-construction exemption, and it flatly excludes single-family homes and condominiums, where AB 1482 exempts those only if the owner gave a specific statutory notice. Also excluded: stays under 30 days, hospitals and care facilities, dormitories, government-owned or income-restricted units, and units where the landlord or their immediate family lives as a primary residence.

Sacramento City Code ch. 5.156 (Tenant Protection Program)

Applicable California State Rules

These state-level rules apply in Sacramento where no local override exists.

Security Deposit Limits State Law

What is the security deposit limit in Sacramento?

Effective July 1, 2024, landlords may not demand or receive a security deposit exceeding 1 month's rent for residential units, regardless of whether furnished or unfurnished. All deposits (pet, cleaning, last month's rent) count toward this cap. Exception: small landlords who are natural persons or LLCs with all natural-person members owning no more than 2 residential rental properties with a combined total of 4 or fewer units may collect up to 2 months' rent. The exception does not apply if the tenant is a military service member.

California Civil Code § 1950.5 (as amended by AB 12, Stats. 2023, Ch. 659)
Rent Increase Notice Periods State Law

How much notice is required for rent increases in Sacramento?

Landlords must provide written notice before raising rent on a month-to-month tenancy. A minimum 30 days' written notice is required when the increase is 10% or less of the lowest rent charged in the preceding 12 months. A minimum 90 days' written notice is required when the increase exceeds 10% of the lowest rent charged in the preceding 12 months, either individually or cumulatively with prior increases over that period.

California Civil Code § 827
Eviction Notice Requirements State Law

What are the eviction notice requirements in Sacramento?

Once all tenants have continuously and lawfully occupied a unit for 12 months, or at least one tenant has occupied it for 24 months, the landlord must have just cause to terminate the tenancy. Just cause reasons are categorized as 'at-fault' (e.g., nonpayment of rent, lease violation, criminal activity) or 'no-fault' (e.g., owner move-in, substantial repairs, demolition). No-fault terminations require at least 60 days' notice and relocation assistance equal to 1 month's rent. Exemptions include most single-family homes and condos (with proper notice), units built within 15 years, and owner-occupied duplexes.

California Civil Code § 1946.2 (AB 1482, Stats. 2019, Ch. 597)
Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice State Law

What is the move-out notice requirement in Sacramento?

For month-to-month tenancies, tenants must provide at least 30 days' written notice to terminate. Any lease clause requiring more than 30 days' notice from the tenant is void under Civil Code § 1953. Landlords must provide 30 days' notice if the tenant has resided in the unit for less than 1 year, or 60 days' notice if the tenant has resided in the unit for 1 year or more. These are minimum termination notice requirements; separately, just cause eviction requirements under AB 1482 may apply for tenants with 12+ months of occupancy.

California Civil Code §§ 1946, 1946.1

Other California Cities & Counties

Alameda County Los Angeles County Sonoma County Antioch Chula Vista Concord Los Angeles Oakland San Diego San Francisco San Jose All California laws →

Stay compliant without the headache

Trenly tracks the notices, deadlines, and rule changes behind these laws — so you don't have to watch every statute yourself.

See how Trenly handles compliance Start free trial