Walnut Creek, CA local landlord rules
State law also applies. See California landlord-tenant law and the California landlord FAQ. State rules: Security deposit limit · Deposit return deadline · Notice to enter · Late fees · Eviction notice (nonpayment) · Rent increase notice.
Quick facts
| Topic | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Tenant relocation assistance | Low-income tenants displaced by a development project get advance notice (120 days in the West Downtown Specific Plan area, 60 days elsewhere), housing lists, and a cash payment of four months' rent (West Downtown) or two months' rent (elsewhere), one payment per unit. The code states: "The owner shall deliver to each displaced person who declares that he or she is a low-income tenant the following no later than sixty (60) days prior to the date such displaced person is required to vacate the real property for development projects located within the boundaries of the West Downtown Specific Plan, and thirty (30) days prior to the date such displaced person is required to vacate the real property for development projects located elsewhere: a. A comprehensive list, including address and telephone number, of low-income rental housing units available in the Central Contra Costa County area; b. A list of nonprofit housing service agencies or housing placement services in Contra Costa County; and c. The sum, payable in cash, equal to four (4) times the current monthly rental of the real property being vacated for development projects located within the boundaries of the West Downtown Specific Plan, and two (2) times the current monthly rental of the real property being vacated for development projects located elsewhere; provided, that the owner is only required to make one (1) such payment for each dwelling unit on the real property." (§ 9-15.05). |
Details & sources
Tenant relocation assistance
Low-income tenants displaced by a development project get advance notice (120 days in the West Downtown Specific Plan area, 60 days elsewhere), housing lists, and a cash payment of four months' rent (West Downtown) or two months' rent (elsewhere), one payment per unit. The code states: "The owner shall deliver to each displaced person who declares that he or she is a low-income tenant the following no later than sixty (60) days prior to the date such displaced person is required to vacate the real property for development projects located within the boundaries of the West Downtown Specific Plan, and thirty (30) days prior to the date such displaced person is required to vacate the real property for development projects located elsewhere: a. A comprehensive list, including address and telephone number, of low-income rental housing units available in the Central Contra Costa County area; b. A list of nonprofit housing service agencies or housing placement services in Contra Costa County; and c. The sum, payable in cash, equal to four (4) times the current monthly rental of the real property being vacated for development projects located within the boundaries of the West Downtown Specific Plan, and two (2) times the current monthly rental of the real property being vacated for development projects located elsewhere; provided, that the owner is only required to make one (1) such payment for each dwelling unit on the real property." (§ 9-15.05).
Verified Source: Walnut Creek Municipal Code § 9-15.05 · last checked 2026-10-16
Back to quick facts ↑Research coverage
0 of 13 topics checked at the local level (state law is covered on the state page). A topic counts as checked only when every subtopic in it is checked or no additional requirement was found after a recorded full read. How coverage works.
| Topic | Status | Subtopics done |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Deposit return deadlines | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Rent increases and rent control | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Late fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Landlord entry | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Repairs and habitability | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Screening and application fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Fair housing and assistance animals | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Disclosures | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Renewal and termination | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Eviction | Partially researched | 1 of 3 |
| Registration and licensing | Not researched | 0 of 3 |
| Short-term rentals | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
Also applies statewide
California rules that also apply in Walnut Creek:
- Security deposit limit
- The landlord may not collect a security deposit of more than one month's rent in addition to the first month's rent. Some small landlords and service-member tenants fall under exceptions. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California security deposit limit page
- Deposit return deadline
- No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, the landlord must send an itemized statement of deductions and return any remaining deposit (by personal delivery, first-class mail, or electronically where rent or deposit was paid that way). Since April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit after it is returned and before repairs or cleaning that will be deducted, and again after those are done. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g)(2), (h) · last checked 2026-10-23 · Full California deposit return deadline page
- Notice to enter
- Written notice of the date, approximate time, and purpose of entry, and entry only during normal business hours (except in emergencies). 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice; if mailed, at least 6 days before. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1954(d) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California notice to enter page
- Late fees
- Under § 1671(c)(2) and (d), a liquidated-damages clause in a residential lease is void unless the parties agree to an amount presumed to be the damage, and only where actual damages would be impracticable or extremely difficult to fix. Courts apply this to late fees (Harbor Island Holdings v. Kim, 2003). No statute caps residential late fees. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1671(b)–(d); Harbor Island Holdings, LLC v. Kim (2003) 107 Cal.App.4th 79 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California late fees page
Other California cities
- Alameda landlord rules
- Aliso Viejo landlord rules
- Anaheim landlord rules
- Antioch landlord rules
- Avalon landlord rules
- Azusa landlord rules
- Bakersfield landlord rules
- Baldwin Park landlord rules
- Barstow landlord rules
- Bell Gardens landlord rules
- Berkeley landlord rules
- Beverly Hills landlord rules
- Bishop landlord rules
- Burbank landlord rules
- Camarillo landlord rules
- Capitola landlord rules
- Carpinteria landlord rules
- Chula Vista landlord rules
- Citrus Heights landlord rules
- City of Calabasas landlord rules
- Coachella landlord rules
- Colton landlord rules
- Commerce landlord rules
- Concord landlord rules
- Contra Costa County landlord rules
- Covina landlord rules
- Cudahy landlord rules
- Culver City landlord rules
- East Palo Alto landlord rules
- El Cerrito landlord rules
- Emeryville landlord rules
- Folsom landlord rules
- Fremont landlord rules
- Fresno landlord rules
- Gardena landlord rules
- Glendale landlord rules
- Gonzales landlord rules
- Half Moon Bay landlord rules
- Hayward landlord rules
- Healdsburg landlord rules
- Hemet landlord rules
- Hesperia landlord rules
- Highland landlord rules
- Hollister landlord rules
- Huntington Park landlord rules
- Inglewood landlord rules
- La Mesa landlord rules
- La Quinta landlord rules
- Laguna Hills landlord rules
- Lake Elsinore landlord rules
- Lancaster landlord rules
- Larkspur landlord rules
- Lomita landlord rules
- Long Beach landlord rules
- Los Angeles landlord rules
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated) landlord rules
- Los Gatos landlord rules
- Lynwood landlord rules
- Manhattan Beach landlord rules
- Maywood landlord rules
- Menlo Park landlord rules
- Merced landlord rules
- Millbrae landlord rules
- Milpitas landlord rules
- Mono County landlord rules
- Monterey County landlord rules
- Mountain View landlord rules
- National City landlord rules
- Newport Beach landlord rules
- Oakland landlord rules
- Oakley landlord rules
- Ojai landlord rules
- Oxnard landlord rules
- Pacific Grove landlord rules
- Pacifica landlord rules
- Palm Springs landlord rules
- Palmdale landlord rules
- Pasadena landlord rules
- Perris landlord rules
- Pittsburg landlord rules
- Pomona landlord rules
- Redwood City landlord rules
- Rialto landlord rules
- Richmond landlord rules
- Riverside landlord rules
- Rocklin landlord rules
- Sacramento landlord rules
- Salinas landlord rules
- San Carlos landlord rules
- San Diego landlord rules
- San Francisco landlord rules
- San Jose landlord rules
- San Leandro landlord rules
- San Pablo landlord rules
- Santa Ana landlord rules
- Santa Barbara landlord rules
- Santa Barbara County (unincorporated) landlord rules
- Santa Cruz landlord rules
- Santa Monica landlord rules
- Sausalito landlord rules
- Solana Beach landlord rules
- Sonoma County (unincorporated) landlord rules
- Sonora landlord rules
- Tehachapi landlord rules
- Thousand Oaks landlord rules
- Twentynine Palms landlord rules
- Vallejo landlord rules
- Ventura landlord rules
- Watsonville landlord rules
- Weed landlord rules
- West Hollywood landlord rules
- Whittier landlord rules
- Woodlake landlord rules
Back to California landlord-tenant law
Get alerts when California's landlord laws change
A short email when a rule on this site changes. Free, unsubscribe anytime.