Where sex offenders can live in California depends on three things: whether you are currently on parole or probation, your registration tier under Penal Code 290, and the city or county you want to live in. The often-cited rule that registrants cannot live within 2,000 feet of a school or park still exists in statute, but a 2015 California Supreme Court decision ended its use as an automatic blanket ban. Today, the restrictions that actually control your address come from individualized supervision conditions, a permanent federal ban on subsidized housing for lifetime registrants, and local ordinances that vary from one jurisdiction to the next.
What the 2,000-Foot Rule Means Today
Proposition 83, passed by California voters in 2006 and known as Jessica’s Law, added subdivision (b) to Penal Code 3003.5. The statute says any person required to register under Penal Code 290 cannot live within 2,000 feet of any public or private school, or any park where children regularly gather, measured from the primary entrance of the residence to the nearest property boundary of the school or park.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 3003.5
Enforced literally, that rule puts most of urban California off-limits. The California Supreme Court said as much in In re Taylor (2015), holding that blanket enforcement against all registered sex offenders on parole in San Diego County was unconstitutional because it “hampered efforts to monitor, supervise, and rehabilitate such parolees” and had “no rational relationship to advancing the state’s legitimate goal of protecting children from sexual predators.”2Justia Law. In re Taylor 2015 Supreme Court of California Decisions
The decision was limited on its face to San Diego parolees, but the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has applied its reasoning statewide and now uses individualized assessments rather than automatic enforcement. The statute itself has not been repealed. In practice, parole agents and courts apply the 2,000-foot restriction case by case, which means the rule still matters when it is written into your specific conditions, but it is no longer an automatic bar on every registrant’s address.2Justia Law. In re Taylor 2015 Supreme Court of California Decisions
Stricter Rules While You Are On Parole or Probation
If you are currently under supervision, your housing options are narrower than if you have completed your term. The supervising agency or court can impose conditions that go beyond the baseline statute, and those individualized conditions are what govern where you can live.
Address Pre-Approval
Before you move, you must give your proposed address to your parole agent. The agent uses GPS measuring tools to verify the distance from the entrance of the residence to the nearest boundary of any restricted school or park. If the location fails, you will be told the actual distance and the name of the location that caused the problem. Finding compliant housing is your responsibility; the state does not provide it.
Distance Rules for Offenses Involving Children
Offenders convicted of lewd acts with a child under Penal Code 288 or 288.5 cannot live within one-quarter mile of any K–8 school during parole, under Penal Code 3003(g). Those the Department of Corrections determines pose a high risk cannot live within one-half mile of any K–12 school. For high-risk sex offenders generally, California regulations require the parole agent to check for schools within roughly half a mile of any proposed residence before giving approval.
Living With Another Registrant
While on parole, you cannot share a single-family dwelling with another person required to register under Penal Code 290 unless you are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. A residential facility serving six or fewer people is not a single-family dwelling for this purpose, so smaller group living arrangements are not automatically barred.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 3003.5
What Happens If You Live Somewhere Unapproved
Supervision conditions commonly add GPS monitoring, internet-use limits, and curfews on top of distance rules. Living at an unapproved address, tampering with a GPS device, or failing to report a move can lead to arrest, a revocation petition in superior court, and a return to custody.3Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 15 3562 – Global Positioning System Monitoring Device Placement Criteria Parole agents treat address violations seriously because the whole supervision system depends on knowing where you are.
Federal Public Housing and Section 8 Are Permanently Off-Limits for Lifetime Registrants
Federal law bars any household that includes a lifetime sex offender registrant from all federally assisted housing. That includes public housing projects, Section 8 vouchers, and other HUD-subsidized programs. Under 42 U.S.C. § 13663, public housing agencies must run criminal history background checks and contact state and local agencies to find out whether an applicant is subject to a lifetime registration requirement.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 13663 – Ineligibility of Dangerous Sex Offenders for Admission to Public Housing
In California, Tier 3 offenders have lifetime registration, so they are permanently ineligible for federal housing assistance. Before an agency denies your application it must give you a copy of the registration information and a chance to dispute its accuracy, but that only lets you challenge whether the record is correct. If your lifetime status is correct, the ban applies regardless of your rehabilitation history, time since the offense, or current risk level.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 13663 – Ineligibility of Dangerous Sex Offenders for Admission to Public Housing
Tier 1 and Tier 2 offenders do not have lifetime registration, so this federal ban does not automatically apply to them. Individual public housing authorities, however, can impose their own screening policies that go further than the federal minimum, so checking the local authority’s admission criteria is a necessary step before applying anywhere.
Local Ordinances Can Add Buffer Zones
Penal Code 3003.5(c) expressly allows cities and counties to enact their own ordinances that further restrict where registrants can live.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 3003.5 Some municipalities add buffer zones around daycare centers, school bus stops, or libraries. Others require more frequent address verification with local law enforcement than the state minimum. These rules vary widely. A residence that is compliant in one city may violate an ordinance a few miles away, so verifying the local municipal code before signing a lease is essential.
Renting From Private Landlords
California Civil Code 2079.10a requires every residential lease or rental agreement to include a notice telling tenants about the Megan’s Law database. The notice must appear in at least 8-point type and provide the website address where registrant information is available.5California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 2079.10a That statute is a disclosure rule for tenants and buyers, not a protection for registrants.
Registered sex offenders are not a protected class under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. Landlords can legally refuse to rent to you based on your registration status, and most run background checks that will surface it. In practice, this is the hardest part of finding housing for many registrants, especially in tight rental markets.
Ending Registration to End the Restrictions
For Tier 1 and Tier 2 offenders, housing restrictions tied to Penal Code 290 end when registration ends. California’s three-tier system, in effect since January 1, 2021 under SB 384, created a path to petition off the registry after a minimum period: 10 years for Tier 1 and 20 years for Tier 2.6California Department of Justice. SB 384 Sex Offender Tiering Effective Date
You file the petition (Form CR-415) in the county where you are registered, with no filing fee. Law enforcement verifies eligibility, and the district attorney has a chance to request a hearing. If no one objects and you meet the requirements, which include having no pending charges that could change your tier and not being in custody or on supervision, the court can grant the petition without a hearing. A denial means waiting at least one year to try again.7California Courts. How to Ask to End Sex Offender Registration Requirement
Tier 3 offenders generally cannot petition off the registry, which means their housing restrictions and the federal subsidized housing ban remain permanent.
Check Any Address Before You Commit
The California Department of Justice maintains the Megan’s Law website at meganslaw.ca.gov, which maps registered sex offender locations relative to schools and parks. Running any prospective address through that tool before you sign a lease or make an offer tells you whether the location sits inside a restricted zone.8California Department of Justice. Summary of California Registration Laws If you are on supervision, your parole agent will verify the distance independently, but doing your own check first saves you from the disruption of having a proposed move rejected after you have already committed to it.