Rent control in Berkeley, CA

2 rules apply — the local one first, then the county and state rules that bind alongside it.

Research, not legal advice

These summaries are compiled from ordinance text and public sources and are dated at the point they were last checked. Rules change between checks — Newark replaced its whole registration regime in a single month — so confirm anything you are about to underwrite against the primary source or the municipal office named in the citation.

Berkeley controls most pre-June-1980 multifamily rentals

Berkeleyhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 43 days ago.

Berkeley's Rent Ordinance fully covers most units in multifamily properties built before June 1980; separately alienable homes and newer construction are commonly only partially covered.

Berkeley has tenancy- and property-specific exceptions, including historic single-family tenancies and owner-occupied duplex/ADU rules. Use the Rent Board coverage lookup rather than inferring from type alone.

Exemptions

Most post-June-1980 new construction is outside the local rent ceiling.
Most single-family homes and condominiums are partially covered rather than rent controlled.

Construction: Built before 1981

Sources

Berkeley Rent Board — Unit coverage — Berkeley Municipal Code ch. 13.76

AB 1482 caps increases at 5% plus CPI, to a 10% ceiling

Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 60 days ago.

The Tenant Protection Act caps annual rent increases at 5% plus CPI, with a hard ceiling of 10%, on housing built more than 15 years ago.

The 15-year window rolls forward, so a building drifts into coverage with age rather than being fixed by its construction date at purchase.

Annual cap: 10%
Construction: Built before 2011

In effect since 2020-01-01.

Sources

California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) — Cal. Civ. Code §1946.2, §1947.12

Every rule for Berkeley, CA