Rent control in Oakland, 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.

Oakland's Rent Adjustment Ordinance covers older non-exempt units

Oaklandhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 1 day ago.

Oakland's Rent Adjustment Ordinance limits increases for covered rental units; newly constructed units receiving a certificate of occupancy on or after 1 January 1983 and Costa-Hawkins-exempt units are outside the local ceiling.

Use Oakland's programme record to settle coverage; a construction year or an owner-occupancy claim alone is not a certificate of exemption.

Exemptions

New construction receiving a certificate of occupancy on or after 1 January 1983.
Units exempt under Costa-Hawkins.
A property divided into no more than three units with an owner of record occupying one as a principal residence can qualify for the ordinance's stated exemption.

Construction: Built before 1983
Owner-occupied exemption: Yes

Sources

Oakland Residential Rent Adjustment Program Ordinance — Oakland Municipal Code ch. 8.22, art. I

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

Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 18 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.

Exemptions

Housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years.
An owner-occupied duplex is exempt when the owner occupied one unit as their principal residence at the tenancy's start and remains there.
A separately alienable single-family home or condominium is exempt only when the owner is not a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member and the tenant received the statutory exemption notice.

Annual cap: 10%
Owner-occupied exemption: Yes

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 Oakland, CA