Salinas | Rent and Tenant Rules

Salinas Rent Stabilization, Just Cause Eviction and the November 2026 Referendum

Salinas has its own rent limit on top of state law. Rent stabilization is a cap on how much rent may rise each year on a covered unit. Just cause eviction means a landlord may end a tenancy only for a reason the law lists. These rules matter to anyone who buys a rented house to replace or add homes, because they set what tenants are owed when they must move. This page reads Chapter 17 of the Municipal Code and the City Council records on the 2026 vote. See the Salinas overview for the whole guide.

Four Ordinances and a Pending Vote

Sources: City Attorney impartial analysis, June 2, 2026 Council report and Salinas Municipal Code Chapter 17.

The City Attorney's impartial analysis sets out the history. "On April 4, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2663 (Rental Registration)." On September 24, 2024 it adopted Ordinance No. 2681 on rent stabilization, No. 2682 on just cause eviction and No. 2683 on tenant harassment. Each article says its operative date "shall be January 1, 2025."

On June 3, 2025 the Council adopted Ordinance No. 2687 to repeal all four. The June 2, 2026 Council report explains what happened next: the repeal "was due to become effective thirty (30) days after its adoption (July 3, 2025); however, a referendum petition containing a sufficient number of signatures was timely submitted and certified." The September 9, 2025 report adds that once the City Clerk accepted the petition, "the effective date of Ordinance No. 2687 was automatically suspended by operation of law." The four ordinances therefore remain in the code and in force while the vote is pending.

The measure is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The impartial analysis says: "A 'YES' vote is to vote in favor of the measure and to repeal the four Rent Ordinances. A 'NO' vote is to vote against the measure and to keep the four Rent Ordinances in effect." It passes with "a simple majority (50% + 1) of 'YES' votes." A buyer closing before or after the election should check the result, because a YES majority ends the local rent cap, just cause rules, relocation pay and registry once the repeal takes effect.

The Rent Cap

Section 17-02.04 says "Increases in Rent on residential real property in the city may not exceed the lesser of 2.75% or 75% of the most-recent 12-month increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)" for the West region. "Only one rent increase in any 12-month period is permitted," and "A reduction in Housing Services is an increase in Rent." Housing services include parking, laundry, storage and utilities the landlord pays. The cap applies "to all Rent increases occurring on or after December 31, 2023."

• Costa-Hawkins units. Rental units exempt "pursuant to the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act" are exempt. Civil Code 1954.52 lets an owner set all rents for a unit that "has a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995," or that is "alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit," such as a single house or condominium, with limits.
• Affordable homes. Units "deed restricted as affordable housing by a regulatory agreement" are exempt, so inclusionary units follow their own agreement.
• Historic buildings. Units in a building on the National Register, the State Historic Landmark Register or the California Register are exempt.
• Others. Some government and subsidized units, hospitals and dormitories, short stays of 28 days or less, and institutional facilities.

A landlord who says the cap blocks a fair return may petition a hearing officer for relief, and a landlord may petition to pass through the cost of approved capital improvements. Tenants may petition for a rent reduction. The rent program fee is charged on "each Controlled Rental Unit," and "A Landlord may not recover any portion of the Rent Program Fee" from tenants. The FY 2026-27 fee schedule lists it at $112.00.

For a builder, the Costa-Hawkins rule is the central point. By the Civil Code text, new homes with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995 sit outside the Salinas cap, and so does a single house that can be sold on its own, with the exceptions the statute lists. An older duplex or apartment building bought to add ADUs keeps its existing units under the cap. State law sets a separate statewide cap; the California rent and tenant rules page explains it.

Just Cause, Demolition and Relocation Pay

Article IIB "applies to all residential Rental Units" except the listed exemptions, so it reaches new homes too. Exempt are hotel stays of 28 days or less, hospitals and dormitories, rooms where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with an owner who lives there, and "Single-family owner-occupied residences which the owner maintains as their Primary Residence, including a residence in which the owner-occupant rents or leases no more than two units or bedrooms, including, but not limited to, an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit."

• At-fault causes. Nonpayment, breach of the lease after notice, nuisance, waste, criminal activity, unlawful subletting, refusing access and illegal use. Curable violations need a written warning with at least ten days to cure.
• Owner move-in. Only a natural person with "at least fifty-one percent recorded ownership interest," who moves in within ninety days and stays thirty-six months. For leases signed on or after January 1, 2025, the tenant must agree in writing or the lease must allow it.
• Demolition or substantial repairs. Allowed "after having obtained all necessary permits from the City." Repairs need thirty days written notice, and the tenant gets "the right of first refusal to re-occupy the Rental Unit" when the work is done.
• Relocation. For every no-fault cause the landlord pays "an amount equal to three months of actual Rent," "regardless of the Tenant's income or length of tenancy," on top of the deposit.
• Filing. The landlord files a copy of every termination notice "with the City Attorney ... within three days of service."
• Right to return. If the unit is offered for rent again "within five years," the former tenant gets the first offer at the old rent.

"A Landlord's failure to strictly comply with this section shall render void any notice of termination." For a redevelopment, budget three months of rent for each household and the time for permits before notices go out. SB 9 adds its own limit: under Government Code 66411.7 and Salinas Section 37-50.335, a lot with housing "occupied by a tenant in the last three years" cannot use SB 9 to demolish or alter it.

Taking a Building Off the Rental Market

The state Ellis Act lets an owner leave the rental business. Salinas Section 17-02.57 applies it to "the concurrent withdrawal of all Rental Units in all buildings or structures on a parcel." The owner gives the City and every tenant notice at least 120 days before withdrawal, records a notice with the County, and pays relocation of three months of rent. A tenant who is "at least sixty-two years old or disabled" and has lived in the unit a year may stay up to one year from the notice.

Re-renting is limited. Units offered for rent again within two years go back at the old terms with a first offer to former tenants, within five years at the old terms plus allowed increases, and within ten years with a right of first refusal. If units return to the market within two years, a displaced tenant may also sue for damages within three years of displacement.

The Rental Registry

Section 17-01.03 says "A landlord must register every residential rental unit that is subject to the provisions of this article," renew "annually between July 1 and July 31," and list the landlord's contact details, the address or parcel number, bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage, and any business license. Rent amounts are optional. The City keeps the data confidential except for grouped reports.

Legal ADUs and junior ADUs are exempt from the registry fee "if the primary dwelling is owner-occupied." A late fee draws a delinquency notice, then a penalty of ten percent every forty-five days, and a citation after 180 days. The FY 2026-27 fee schedule lists the residential rental registration fee at $29.00.

Where City Documents Disagree

• Registry fee basis. Section 17-01.04 says the registry fee "shall be imposed annually for each rental property owned by the landlord." The 2026 fee resolutions prepared for the Council set it at "$29.00 per Rental Unit." Ask the City which basis it bills on.
• Section number. The fair return section is printed as "Sec. 117-02.05," between 17-02.04 and 17-02.06; the code text itself refers to the rent cap as "section 17-02.04 of this article."
• Referendum date. The June 2, 2026 report says the Council took action "On September 9, 2025" to send the repeal to voters. The Council's matter history shows the item was continued on September 9 and the resolution approved on September 23, 2025.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Salinas overview, the California rent and tenant rules page and the SB 9 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)