Unincorporated Santa Cruz County · State cap (no local rent control)
8.6%
Unincorporated Santa Cruz County has no local rent control, so the statewide AB 1482 cap applies: for increases starting August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, covered rents in Santa Cruz County can rise at most 8.6% in any 12-month period.
The statewide AB 1482 cap for Santa Cruz County ("All Other Counties" on the Attorney General's chart) for increases starting August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027.
Attorney General's chart, "All Other Counties" (increases starting Aug 1 each year).
Source: State of California, Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (Limits on Rent Increases).
| Period | Allowed | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 | 7.7% | State of California, Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General |
| Aug 2026 – Jul 2027 | 8.6% | State of California, Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General |
Recent changes
For increases starting between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, the Attorney General's chart lists 8.7% (Los Angeles Area), 8.1% (Riverside Area), 8.2% (San Diego Area), 8.8% (San Francisco Area) and 8.6% for all other counties.
Official source: California Attorney General: Limits on Rent Increases ↗
The County's Mobile and Manufactured Home Commission set the 2027 CPI rent adjustment for mobile home parks under county code chapter 13.32 at 157.52% or less, applied to each space's 1982 base rent under the ordinance's formula. It is not a 157.52% increase on current rent, and it doesn't apply to apartments or houses.
Official source: Santa Cruz County Mobile and Manufactured Home Commission: 2027 CPI rent adjustment letter (July 29, 2026) ↗
§ 1 · The formula
5% + CPI, max 10% (statewide)
No local rent control applies, so the statewide Tenant Protection Act cap governs: 5% plus the change in the cost of living, up to a maximum of 10%, over any 12-month period. Santa Cruz County isn't one of the four BLS metro areas the Attorney General lists, so it falls under "All Other Counties", which uses the April California CPI from the Department of Industrial Relations. Increases starting August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026 were capped at 7.7%; from August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027 it is 8.6%.
Law: California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482), Civil Code § 1947.12.
§ 2 · Coverage
§ 3 · Timing
Notice: At least 30 days' written notice for an increase of 10% or less over 12 months (Civil Code § 827); add 5 days if mailed.
Next change: The statewide figure resets for increases starting August 1, 2027, based on April 2027 CPI. The Attorney General's chart lists it once published.
§ 2a · Local rules
County code chapter 8.45 requires relocation payments when tenants must leave because of unsafe or hazardous conditions or illegal use: the greater of three months' fair market rent or three months of the tenant's actual rent. It isn't triggered by rent increases.
Source: “three months of the tenant's actual rent at the time of relocation, whichever is greater”
§ 2b · Mobile home park spaces (separate ordinance)
Park owners may make one general rent adjustment per calendar year. The CPI part of the adjustment is measured against the 1982 base rent, not last year's rent.
Source: “General rent adjustments may be made once each calendar year by the owner without notice to the County.”
Residents must get a written notice, on the county's form, 90 days before a general rent adjustment takes effect. A notice not on that form is invalid.
Source: “The owner shall give residents of each mobile home space a written notice 90 days before the general rent adjustment is due to go into effect.”
The County's Mobile and Manufactured Home Commission set the 2027 CPI rent adjustment at 157.52% or less, applied to the base rent under the ordinance's formula. This is not a 157% increase on current rent; ask the Commission how it applies to your space.
Source: “Fifty percent of 315.0427% = 157.52% (2027 CPI Rent Adjustment)”
§ 4 · Sources
“All Other Counties 7.7% 8.6%”
“For all other counties, the change in the cost of living is measured using the April California consumer price index data published by the California Department of Industrial Relations.”
“the notice shall be delivered at least 30 days before the effective date of the increase”
“Housing that has been issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years, unless the housing is a mobilehome.”
“three months of the tenant's actual rent at the time of relocation, whichever is greater”
“The owner shall give residents of each mobile home space a written notice 90 days before the general rent adjustment is due to go into effect.”
“Fifty percent of 315.0427% = 157.52% (2027 CPI Rent Adjustment)”
See something out of date? The methodology page explains how we check figures.
§ 5 · Questions
Unincorporated Santa Cruz County has no local rent control, so the statewide AB 1482 cap applies: for increases starting August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, covered rents in Santa Cruz County can rise at most 8.6% in any 12-month period.
No local rent control applies, so the statewide Tenant Protection Act cap governs: 5% plus the change in the cost of living, up to a maximum of 10%, over any 12-month period. Santa Cruz County isn't one of the four BLS metro areas the Attorney General lists, so it falls under "All Other Counties", which uses the April California CPI from the Department of Industrial Relations. Increases starting August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026 were capped at 7.7%; from August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027 it is 8.6%.
Housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years (mobilehomes excepted). A single-family home or condo whose owner isn't a corporation, a REIT or an LLC with a corporate member, if the tenant got the written exemption notice. An owner-occupied duplex where the owner lived in one unit at the start of the tenancy.
The statewide figure resets for increases starting August 1, 2027, based on April 2027 CPI. The Attorney General's chart lists it once published.
From State of California, Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General: “Limits on Rent Increases”, which we last checked on October 17, 2026. Always confirm with the agency before relying on it.
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