California Rent control / state preemption

Can cities in California pass rent control?

State law (Costa-Hawkins) limits local rent control: owners may set the initial and all later rents for units with a certificate of occupancy issued after Feb. 1, 1995, and for separately alienable units such as single-family homes and condos (with exceptions). Owners may also set a new initial rent between tenants (vacancy decontrol), except in listed cases such as after a § 1946.1 no-fault termination. The statewide cap in § 1947.12 still applies to covered units.

Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1954.50-1954.535 (mainly §§ 1954.52, 1954.53) · last checked 2026-10-23