California Civil Code Section 1954: Entry Rules, Notice, and Remedies

Under California landlord entry rules, your landlord can come into your rental only for a reason listed in Civil Code Section 1954, must give you written notice at least 24 hours in advance, and must enter during normal business hours unless you agree otherwise at the time. Entries that skip those requirements can expose the landlord to claims for trespass, invasion of privacy, and breach of the lease.

Reasons a Landlord Is Allowed to Enter

Section 1954 is a closed list. If the reason for entry doesn’t fit one of these categories, your landlord has no legal right to come in:

Repairs, maintenance, improvements, or services that are necessary or agreed on with you.
Showing the unit to prospective or current buyers, lenders, future tenants, or contractors.
An initial move-out inspection related to the security deposit under Section 1950.5(f).
An emergency such as a fire, gas leak, or flooding.
Abandonment or surrender of the unit.
A court order authorizing entry.

The statute also forbids landlords from abusing the right of access or using entry to harass a tenant.¹ A landlord who schedules daily “inspections” or keeps showing up with thin justifications is violating the law even if each individual visit technically fits a permitted category.

How Much Notice You Must Get

For any non-emergency, non-abandonment entry, the landlord has to give reasonable written notice. The law presumes 24 hours is reasonable.¹ The notice must state the date of entry, the approximate time, and the reason for the visit.

Entry must happen during normal business hours unless you agree to a different time when the landlord shows up. The statute doesn’t define specific clock times for “normal business hours,” so the standard Monday-through-Friday daytime range applies as the practical baseline. A landlord who wants to come at 7 p.m. or on a Sunday needs your consent at the time.

How the Notice Can Be Delivered

Section 1954 spells out the approved delivery methods:

Handed directly to you.
Left with someone of suitable age and judgment at the unit.
Placed on, near, or under the main entry door where a reasonable person would find it.
Mailed to you.

Mailed notice gets a longer lead time. The law presumes six days of mailing time is reasonable rather than 24 hours.¹ Email isn’t listed as an approved delivery method, so a landlord who only sends a text or email has not satisfied the statute’s notice requirement.

Oral Notice When the Property Is for Sale

When the landlord is selling and needs to show the unit to prospective buyers, a shorter process applies. The landlord can give oral notice by phone or in person instead of written notice, but only if they first sent you a written heads-up within the past 120 days explaining that the property is for sale and that you should expect oral contact about showings. Twenty-four hours of oral notice is still presumed reasonable, and the landlord or their agent must leave written proof inside the unit that the entry happened.¹

Oral Agreements for Repair Visits

If you and your landlord verbally agree on a time for repairs or services, no separate written notice is required. The oral agreement has to include a date and approximate time, and the entry must happen within one week of the agreement.¹ This covers the normal situation where you called about a broken faucet and agreed on Tuesday morning.

When Notice Isn’t Required

Three narrow situations eliminate the notice requirement:

Emergency. A landlord can enter immediately to respond to a fire, gas leak, burst pipe, or similar threat. The common thread is imminent danger to people or the property. A landlord who labels a cosmetic issue an emergency to skip notice is misusing the exception.
You’re present and consent. If you’re there and say yes at the time, no prior notice is needed.
Abandonment or surrender. Once you’ve left the unit for good, the landlord can enter without notice.

These exceptions are narrow on purpose.¹ A claim of emergency access to fix a squeaky cabinet door won’t hold up.

Abandonment is also narrower than many landlords assume. Under Civil Code Section 1951.3, a landlord has to send a formal Notice of Belief of Abandonment and wait out the statutory response period before treating the unit as abandoned.² Walking in because rent is late and the place looks empty isn’t enough.

Can You Refuse Entry?

If the landlord has followed the rules, meaning proper notice, a valid reason, and normal business hours, you don’t have a legal right to refuse. Changing the locks, blocking the door, or not being home doesn’t cancel the landlord’s right to enter for a legitimate purpose. Your protection comes from the notice and timing requirements, not from a veto over otherwise lawful entry.

But if the landlord shows up without notice, outside business hours, or for a reason not covered by Section 1954, you can turn them away. There’s a real difference between refusing a properly noticed repair visit and declining a landlord who decided to “check on things” without warning.

What You Can Do If the Landlord Violates the Rules

California tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of their home under Civil Code Section 1927. Repeated unauthorized entries, intimidation, and harassment all violate that right.

Suing in Small Claims or Superior Court

When a landlord enters without following Section 1954, you can sue. The claims that typically apply are trespass, invasion of privacy, breach of the lease, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. You can file in small claims court for amounts up to $12,500 or in Superior Court for larger claims. A court can also issue an injunction ordering the landlord to stop the illegal entries.

California small claims filing fees are low: $30 for claims of $1,500 or less, $50 for claims between $1,500 and $5,000, and $75 for claims between $5,000 and $12,500.³ For many tenants dealing with a landlord who won’t respect boundaries, small claims is the fastest and cheapest path to a court order.

Lockouts and Utility Shutoffs

Some landlords skip entry rules entirely and try to force tenants out by cutting off utilities, changing locks, or removing doors and windows. Civil Code Section 789.3 makes all of that illegal. A landlord who deliberately shuts off water, electricity, gas, or other utilities to force you out faces actual damages plus a penalty of up to $100 per day for each day the violation continues, with a minimum award of $250 per incident. The court also awards reasonable attorney’s fees to the tenant who wins.⁴

The same penalties apply when a landlord changes the locks to keep you out or removes your personal property without written consent. Each separate violation triggers its own minimum $250 award, so a landlord who shuts off water on Monday and electricity on Wednesday faces two separate penalties.

Lease Clauses That Try to Grant Broader Access

Landlords sometimes include lease provisions giving themselves wider access than the law allows, such as clauses saying they can enter “at any time” or “without notice.” Under Civil Code Section 1953, any lease term that waives your rights under Section 1954 is unenforceable.¹ Signing a lease with that language doesn’t mean you gave up your privacy protections. If your lease contradicts Section 1954, the statute wins.

A Note on Move-Out Inspections

The pre-move-out inspection has its own notice rule that differs from the 24-hour standard. If you request it, the inspection happens no earlier than two weeks before your move-out date, and the landlord must give at least 48 hours’ written notice of the scheduled date and time, though both sides can waive that in writing. The inspection lets you see what the landlord plans to deduct from the security deposit and fix those issues before you leave.⁵

1
California Legislative Information. California Code Civil Code 1954 – Right of Landlord to Enter Dwelling Unit
2
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1951.3 – Abandonment of Real Property
3
Superior Court of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026
4
California Legislative Information. California Code Civil Code 789.3
5
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1950.5 – Security Deposits