Santa Monica · Foreclosure & auctions

Foreclosure and auctions in Santa Monica

Santa Monica requires the owner or person in control of any vacant property, not only foreclosures, to register it within 30 days after it becomes vacant. Foreclosure steps and auctions follow state law.

Ask about foreclosure & auctions in Santa Monica See coverage

Key points

Registration: Register within 30 days after a property becomes vacant, and again within 30 days of an ownership change or material change to the form.
Fees: City Council resolution sets the registration fees, and each vacant parcel needs its own registration and fee.
Monitoring fee: A vacant property monitoring fee, set by City Council resolution, is also due and is paid quarterly.
Fencing: If the Director orders fencing, it must be six feet tall with 50 percent visibility, and damaged fencing must be repaired within 72 hours.
Signs and plants: A No Trespassing sign at least 17 by 22 inches; groundcover no taller than six inches; hedges and shrubs no higher than 42 inches.
State timeline: State law: at least 3 months pass from the recorded notice of default to notice of sale, posted at least 20 days before sale.

Each rule below is marked Santa Monica code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Registering vacant and foreclosed homes

Santa Monica code What Santa Monica's code adds
Local contact	The registration form must give contact phone numbers for the owner and for the person responsible for maintenance and security. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. § 13.04.045 · code text A contact phone number for the property owner and for the person responsible for the maintenance and security of the property;
Upkeep duties	Six-foot-tall, non-view-obscuring fence of wood, wrought iron or similar material. No temporary chain-link unless developing under a building permit. Applies: Applies to any vacant property, if the Director orders fencing. § 13.04.040 · code text Enclosure of the vacant property by a six feet tall and non-view-obscuring fence that is made of wood, wrought iron, or similar materials. A No Trespassing sign at least seventeen by twenty-two inches, with lettering at least one inch high. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. § 13.04.040 · code text The sign must be no smaller than seventeen by twenty-two inches in size, with lettering no smaller than one inch in height. Repair or replace missing or damaged fencing within seventy-two hours. Applies: Applies to any vacant property where the Director ordered fencing. § 13.04.040 · code text Missing or damaged fencing shall be repaired or replaced within seventy-two hours of such damage occurring. Fences must allow fifty percent visibility into the property. Applies: Applies to any vacant property where the Director orders fencing. § 13.04.040 · code text All fences surrounding any vacant property shall be non-view-obscuring, allowing fifty percent visibility into the interior of the property. Groundcover plants may not grow taller than six inches. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. § 13.04.040 · code text Plants used for groundcover shall not be allowed to grow taller than six inches; Hedges, bushes and shrubs no higher than forty-two inches, for a clear view of the interior from the public right-of-way. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. § 13.04.040 · code text all hedges, bushes, and shrubs on every vacant property shall be maintained no higher than forty-two inches to allow for a clear view from the public right-of-way to the entire interior of the property.
Penalty	Administrative citation under Municipal Code Chapter 1.09. Each day or part of a day is a separate violation. Applies: Applies to any violation of the vacant property chapter. § 13.04.050 · code text Any person (whether an individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, or other entity) who violates any of the provisions of this Chapter is subject to the administrative citation provisions of Municipal Code Chapter 1.09. Each day or portion thereof wherein the violation is committed, continued, or permitted constitutes a separate and distinct violation.
Deadline to register	Within thirty days after a property becomes vacant. The first deadline for existing vacant properties was July 1, 2026. Applies: Applies to the owner or person in control of any vacant property (not only foreclosures). § 13.04.045 · code text By July 1, 2026 or within thirty days after a property becomes vacant, whichever is later, every person who owns or has control of a vacant property shall register the property with the City Within thirty days, submit a new registration and pay the fees. Applies: Applies to the owner of any vacant property after a change of ownership or a material change to the registration form. § 13.04.045 · code text Within thirty days of a change of ownership of any vacant property, or when a material change to any item on vacant property registration form occurs, a new vacant property registration shall be submitted to the City and the fees paid.
Registration fee	Fees set by City Council resolution. Each vacant parcel needs its own registration and fee. Applies: Applies to the owner or person in control of any vacant property, at registration. § 13.04.045 · code text Such fees shall be established by resolution of the City Council. A separate registration and fee shall be paid for each parcel that is vacant. A vacant property monitoring fee in an amount set by City Council resolution. Applies: Applies to every owner of a vacant property, in addition to registration. § 13.04.047 · code text Every owner of a vacant property shall pay to the City a vacant property monitoring fee, in an amount established by resolution of the City Council. The monitoring fee is paid quarterly. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. Not charged for a tier 1 vacant property unless it was previously in another tier under the same ownership. § 13.04.047 · code text Vacant property monitoring fees shall be paid on a quarterly basis.
Registration	Required. Applies: Applies to the owner or person in control of any vacant property (not only foreclosures). § 13.04.045 · code text By July 1, 2026 or within thirty days after a property becomes vacant, whichever is later, every person who owns or has control of a vacant property shall register the property with the City

Foreclosure steps and deadlines

CA state law California law sets this statewide. Time between notice of default and sale: At least three months after the notice of default is recorded before notice of sale; the sale itself no earlier than three months and 20 days after the notice of default (Civ. Code § 2924(a)(2), (a)(4)). Notice of trustee's sale: Posted, published and recorded at least 20 days before the sale (Civ. Code § 2924f(b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Homeowner protections

CA state law California law sets this statewide. No foreclosure while a loan modification is pending: If a complete first-lien modification application is submitted at least five business days before a sale, the servicer may not record a notice of default or sale, or hold the sale, while it is pending (Civ. Code § 2923.6(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

The trustee's sale (auction)

CA state law California law sets this statewide. When and where sales are held: At public auction in the county where the property is, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a business day (Civ. Code § 2924g(a)(1)). Tenant and owner-occupant priority after a sale (SB 1079): On 1–4 unit property, a trustee's sale is not final for 15 days; eligible tenant buyers and eligible bidders who give notice of intent may bid within 45 days (Civ. Code § 2924m(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Tenants in a foreclosed home

CA state law California law sets this statewide. Tenants in a foreclosed property: A month-to-month tenant must get at least 90 days' written notice to quit; a tenant with a fixed-term lease signed before the sale may stay to the end of the lease (Code Civ. Proc. § 1161b(a), (b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Debt after the sale

CA state law California law sets this statewide. No deficiency after a trustee's sale: After a nonjudicial trustee's sale, the lender cannot collect any shortfall from the borrower (Code Civ. Proc. § 580d(a)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →

Who this affects

Homeowners behind on a loanBuyers of bank-owned homesLenders and servicers

Frequently asked questions

Must a lender or owner register a vacant or foreclosed home in Santa Monica?

Register within 30 days after a property becomes vacant, and again within 30 days of an ownership change or material change to the form. City Council resolution sets the registration fees, and each vacant parcel needs its own registration and fee. A vacant property monitoring fee, set by City Council resolution, is also due and is paid quarterly. If the Director orders fencing, it must be six feet tall with 50 percent visibility, and damaged fencing must be repaired within 72 hours. A No Trespassing sign at least 17 by 22 inches; groundcover no taller than six inches; hedges and shrubs no higher than 42 inches.

General information, not legal advice.

Ask about a specific Santa Monica property

Ask GoCodebook how these rules apply to your address and get an answer that cites the section.

Ask your question

More on Santa Monica

Santa Monica Municipal Code — full text

Renting & eviction in Santa Monica

Buying & selling in Santa Monica

Building on your lot in Santa Monica

Property taxes in Santa Monica

Santa Monica overview