Rent increases in Richmond: the local rules

Each rule below links to the section of the Richmond Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Richmond's code says

Richmond code What Richmond's code adds
Annual increase limit	60 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index, or three percent, whichever is lower Applies: Chapter 11.100 controlled rental units; annual general adjustment, CPI all urban consumers San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose or successor region for the 12 months ending March, with a zero-percent floor § 11.100.070 · code text The annual general adjustment shall be equal to 60 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (all urban consumers, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region, or any successor designation of that index that may later be adopted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) as reported and published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the 12-month period ending as of March of the current year, or three percent, whichever is lower.
Floor or ceiling on the increase	Annual general adjustment ceiling: three percent Applies: Chapter 11.100 controlled rental units; the lesser-of-CPI formula still applies § 11.100.070 · code text The annual general adjustment shall be equal to 60 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (all urban consumers, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region, or any successor designation of that index that may later be adopted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) as reported and published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the 12-month period ending as of March of the current year, or three percent, whichever is lower. Annual general adjustment floor: zero percent Applies: Chapter 11.100 controlled rental units § 11.100.070 · code text Subsection (1) of this section notwithstanding, in no event shall the annual general adjustment be less than zero percent.
Units covered	Richmond residential units except transient lodging under 14 days, specified institutional units, legally exempt subsidized units, Costa-Hawkins units, permitted small second units and homeowner-exempt units Applies: Controlled Rental Unit definition; rent-control scope § 11.100.030 · code text (d) "Controlled Rental Units": All Residential Rental Units in the City of Richmond, except those Rental Units exempt under one or more of the following provisions: (1) Rental Units in hotels, motels, inns, tourist homes and rooming and boarding houses which are rented primarily to transient guests for a period of fewer than fourteen (14) days. (2) Rental Units in any hospital, convent, monastery, extended medical care facility, asylum, non-profit home for the aged, or dormitory owned and operated by an accredited institution of higher education. (3) Rental Units which a government unit, agency or authority owns, operates, manages, or in which governmentally subsidized Tenants reside only if applicable federal or state law or administrative regulation specifically exempt such units from municipal rent control. (4) Rental units exempt from rent control pursuant to the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (California Civil Code § 1954.52). (5) Any permitted small, second housing unit built in compliance with the Small, Second Unit Ordinance of the City of Richmond (Richmond Municipal Code § 15.04.810). (6) Any units exempted by the Homeowner Protections in Section 11.100.040.
Petitions and pass-throughs	Board or hearing examiner may refuse a new hearing or adjustment if an individual hearing and decision occurred in the previous 12 months Applies: Controlled Rental Units; individual rent-adjustment petitions § 11.100.070 · code text Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Board or hearing examiner may refuse to hold a hearing and/or grant a rent adjustment if an individual hearing has been held and decision made with regard to the maximum allowable rent within the previous twelve (12) months. Individual controlled rental units may have their maximum allowable rent adjusted upward or downward upon a landlord or tenant petition, subject to the procedures in the section. Applies: Individual controlled rental unit petition; upward adjustment only as necessary for fair return and no continued noncompliance with board orders or habitability § 11.100.070 · code text Upon receipt of a petition by a Landlord and/or a tenant, the maximum allowable rent of individual controlled rental units may be adjusted upward or downward in accordance with the procedures set forth elsewhere in this section.

The California rule underneath

Where Richmond's rule above does not cover a situation, state law still applies. For the statewide rule on its own, see California's statewide rent cap.

CA state law The statewide rule underneath
Rent cap right now	8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.8% inflation) Applies: Covered units only. Inflation is the BLS consumer price index for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area, April to April, as the statute requires; the figure is recomputed every year. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), (g)
Statewide rent increase cap (AB 1482)	5% plus the change in cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12 months Applies: Covered units only; measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1)
Number of rent increases	No more than two increases in any 12-month period Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(2)
Rent cap — new construction exemption	Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years is exempt (rolling) Applies: Mobilehomes excepted. Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(4)
Rent cap — single-family home or condo exemption	A home or condo that can be sold on its own is exempt when the owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant was given the written exemption notice Applies: The same exemption applies to the just-cause rule (§ 1946.2(e)(8)). Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(5)
Rent cap — owner-occupied duplex exemption	A duplex in one building is exempt when the owner lived in the other unit at the start of the tenancy and still does, unless either unit is an ADU or JADU Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(6)
New tenancy resets the rent	When no prior tenant remains, the owner may set the initial rent; the cap applies to later increases Civ. Code § 1947.12(b)
Rent cap sunset	§ 1947.12 is repealed on January 1, 2030 unless extended Civ. Code § 1947.12(o)

Who this affects

TenantsLandlordsProperty managers

Frequently asked questions

How much can rent go up in Richmond?

Richmond's code: 60 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index, or three percent, whichever is lower (Chapter 11.100 controlled rental units; annual general adjustment, CPI all urban consumers San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose or successor region for the 12 months ending March, with a zero-percent floor) (§ 11.100.070); Annual general adjustment ceiling: three percent (Chapter 11.100 controlled rental units; the lesser-of-CPI formula still applies) (§ 11.100.070). State law: 8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.8% inflation) (Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), (g)).

General information, not legal advice.

Rent increases in Richmond

What Richmond's code says

The California rule underneath

Who this affects

Frequently asked questions

Ask about a specific Richmond property

More on renting & eviction in Richmond