City of Sacramento Tenant Protection Program: Caps and Just Cause

Sacramento’s Tenant Protection Program caps annual rent increases at 7.7% through June 30, 2026, and requires landlords to have a legally recognized reason before evicting tenants who have lived in a covered unit for more than 12 months.¹ The program covers most apartments, duplexes, and rented mobile homes that received a certificate of occupancy before February 1, 1995.

Which Rentals Are Covered

The program applies to residential rental units with a certificate of occupancy issued before February 1, 1995.² In practice, that means most older apartments, duplexes, rented mobile homes, and single-occupancy hotel rooms rented for 30 days or longer.³

Several categories of housing are excluded:

Single-family homes and condominiums, which the state Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act keeps out of local rent control
Units built on or after February 1, 1995
Government-subsidized housing with income-tied rent restrictions
Hotels and other transient lodgings rented for fewer than 30 days
Hospitals, convents, monasteries, extended care facilities, nonprofit homes for the elderly, and college dormitories
Owner-occupied situations where the owner shares a bathroom or kitchen with the tenant⁴

If your unit is excluded from the local program, California’s statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still apply. More on that below.

How Much Rent Can Go Up Each Year

For covered units, a landlord cannot raise rent by more than the change in the California Consumer Price Index plus 5%, with a hard ceiling of 10% in any single year.⁵ Only one rent increase is allowed per 12-month period, and tenants cannot waive that limit.⁶

The city recalculates the maximum each year using CPI data from the California Department of Industrial Relations, and the new rate takes effect every July 1. For the period beginning July 1, 2025, the maximum allowable increase is 7.7%.¹ On a $1,500 rent, that works out to a maximum of $115.50 added in a year.

Notice the Landlord Must Give You

Any increase requires formal written notice before it takes effect. Increases of 10% or less require at least 30 days’ notice. A phone call, text, or email is not proper notice.⁷

If the Landlord Exceeds the Cap

A rent increase above the allowable maximum is void. Landlords who exceed the cap or impose a second increase within 12 months face administrative penalties of up to $25,000.⁶ The city can also pursue civil actions and criminal sanctions for other program violations.⁸

When Your Landlord Needs Just Cause to Evict

After you have lived in a covered unit for more than 12 continuous months, your landlord must have a legally recognized reason to end your tenancy.² The code splits those reasons into two groups: at-fault, where the tenant did something wrong, and no-fault, where the landlord has a business or personal reason.

At-Fault Grounds

A landlord can start eviction proceedings for tenant conduct in these situations:

Failing to pay rent within three days of receiving a written notice to pay or quit⁹
Continuing to violate a material lease term after written notice of the violation, a reasonable time to fix it, and a warning that continued violation can lead to eviction
Engaging in criminal activity on the property, or, after receiving a notice to stop, continuing conduct that destroys the peace, safety, or comfort of other tenants
Refusing lawful landlord access under California Civil Code Section 1954 after proper notice and three offered dates²

For every at-fault ground except criminal activity on the premises, the landlord must give written notice and a chance to fix the problem before moving to evict. A termination notice that skips the cure period is defective.

No-Fault Grounds

No-fault evictions do not involve any wrongdoing by the tenant. Sacramento’s code recognizes three, and all require at least 120 days’ advance written notice:

The landlord or an immediate family member intends to move in as a primary residence and commits to living there for at least 12 months⁹
Substantial repairs are needed to meet health and safety codes, all permits are in hand, and the work will make the unit uninhabitable for at least 30 days; before you leave, the landlord must offer you the right to move back in at your original rent or into a comparable vacant unit the landlord owns²
The landlord is withdrawing every unit in the building from the rental market for at least 12 months, including by demolition

Sacramento’s 120-day notice period is notably longer than the 60 days typically required under state law for no-fault evictions. Landlords who try to shortcut it will see their notices thrown out.

Relocation Pay for No-Fault Evictions

When a landlord evicts on no-fault grounds, California’s statewide Tenant Protection Act requires the landlord to either waive the final month’s rent or pay relocation assistance equal to one month of the tenant’s current rent. The payment must be made within 15 calendar days of serving the termination notice.¹⁰ If the landlord picks the waiver, the last month before move-out is free.

A no-fault termination notice issued without the required relocation assistance is legally defective. If you receive one and no payment or waiver follows within the required window, the notice has no legal effect and you are not required to vacate.

If Your Unit Is Not Covered

California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) and Sacramento’s local program cover overlapping but different pools of housing. The rent cap formula is nearly identical, but the coverage and eviction rules diverge.

The local program is narrower: it reaches only units with a certificate of occupancy before February 1, 1995 and excludes single-family homes and condos. AB 1482 is broader, covering most California rentals more than 15 years old, including single-family homes unless the owner has provided a required written notice of exemption. When both apply, the more protective rule governs. The clearest local advantage is the 120-day notice for no-fault evictions, against the state’s 60-day baseline.

If your unit falls outside the local program, say because it was built after 1995 or is a single-family home, AB 1482 likely still protects you. The state law is a floor.

How to Report a Violation

If you believe your landlord has exceeded the rent cap, imposed a second increase within 12 months, or evicted without just cause, you can file a petition or violation report with the City of Sacramento’s Community Development Department. Petition and reporting forms are posted in the Tenant Protection Program section of the city’s website.¹

Have these on hand before you submit:

Your current monthly rent and the date of your last increase
A copy of your lease or rental agreement
Any written notices from your landlord, including rent increase notices, eviction notices, and demands to vacate
The property owner’s or management company’s name and contact information
Payment receipts or bank records showing your rent history

You can submit online or mail documents to the Code Compliance Division. Once the city receives your filing, it notifies the landlord and begins an administrative review. If that review does not resolve the matter, an administrative hearing may be scheduled, and the hearing officer’s decision is binding.

Extra Protections for Active-Duty Military

Active-duty servicemembers renting in Sacramento have a layer of federal protection on top of the local and state rules. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act bars eviction of a servicemember or their dependents without a court order when the unit is a primary residence and the monthly rent is $10,542.60 or less, which is the 2026 threshold adjusted annually for housing inflation.¹¹¹² Servicemembers can also terminate a residential lease without penalty when they receive permanent change-of-station orders, by providing written notice and a copy of their military orders to the landlord. A landlord who suspects a tenant may be an eligible servicemember and cannot confirm their status must get a court order before proceeding with any eviction.

1
City of Sacramento. Tenant Protection Program
2
American Legal Publishing. Sacramento City Code 5.156.090 – Tenant Eviction Protections
3
City of Sacramento. Tenant Protection Program Update
4
American Legal Publishing. Sacramento City Code 5.156.030 – Exemptions
5
American Legal Publishing. Sacramento City Code 5.156.050 – Annual Rent Adjustment; Notice of Rent Increase
6
City of Sacramento. 2024 Annual Rent Adjustment Maximum Rate
7
California Department of Justice. Know Your Rights as a California Tenant
8
City of Sacramento. Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.156 – Tenant Protection
9
City of Sacramento. Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.156 – Tenant Protection
10
California Legislative Information. California Code, Civil Code – CIV 1946.2
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3951 – Evictions and Distress
12
Federal Register. Notice of Publication of Housing Price Inflation Adjustment