Answer seven questions about the rental and the increase, and the calculator tells you which rule covers it (AB 1482, the City of Sacramento's Tenant Protection Program or neither), the cap for the date the increase takes effect, the highest new rent, and how many days' notice Civil Code 827 needs, with the date to serve it by. With the defaults (a 1978 house outside city limits, owned by people, no exemption statement in the lease, a lowest rent of $2,040 and a proposed $2,150), AB 1482 applies at 8.6%, the cap for any increase taking effect through July 31, 2027, so the highest new rent is $2,215.44. The $2,150 is a 5.4% raise, inside the cap, and needs 30 days' written notice.
You own a rental house, condo or small multifamily in or around Sacramento, you're thinking about raising the rent (maybe ahead of a sale), and you want the legal number and the notice date before you write the notice.
How the rent increase calculator picks AB 1482, the City TPP or no cap
The first answer is the one owners most often get wrong, so the calculator settles it before any math. It checks the rules in this order and stops at the first that fits.
City of Sacramento TPP for older apartments and duplexes
If the rental is inside Sacramento city limits, is a duplex, triplex or apartment, and the year built is 1994 or earlier, it goes to the City's Tenant Protection Program (City Code chapter 5.156). Single-family houses and condos are exempt from the City program, so a house in city limits skips this step.
AB 1482 exemption for rentals under 15 years old
Civil Code 1947.12(d)(4) exempts housing with a certificate of occupancy issued in the previous 15 years. The calculator subtracts the year built from the year of the effective date: under 15, no cap.
AB 1482 exemption for an owner-occupied duplex
Pick "a duplex where I've lived in the other unit since this tenancy began" and, outside the City program, the result is exempt, following 1947.12(d)(6).
AB 1482 single-family exemption: owner and statement
A house or condo that can be sold on its own is exempt only when both answers line up: the owner is a person, a family trust or an LLC with no corporate member, and the tenant got the statutory exemption statement in writing. A corporation, a REIT or an LLC with a corporate member is covered whatever the lease says. "No, or not sure" counts as no, because a house without the statement word for word is covered.
Everything else lands on AB 1482. Who qualifies for each exemption, and the exact statement wording, are in the AB 1482 guide for Sacramento owners.
California rent increase caps the calculator uses, by effective date
The cap comes from the date the new rent takes effect, not the date you write the notice. The calculator holds two tables, one per rule, taken from the Attorney General's rent cap page and the City's 2026 notice:
| Increase takes effect | AB 1482 (Sacramento County) | City TPP |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 to Jul 31, 2025 | 8.8% | 7.7% |
| Aug 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026 | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Jul 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2026 | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| Aug 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 | 8.6% | 8.6% |
| Jul 1, 2027 to Jul 31, 2027 | 8.6% | Not published yet |
| From Aug 1, 2027 | Not published yet | Not published yet |
The AB 1482 column also reaches back: 10% from August 2022, 9.2% from August 2023 and 8.8% from August 2024, for checking an old increase. The City column starts at July 1, 2025.
Why Sacramento's rent increase cap is 8.6%
Sacramento isn't one of the four metro areas the statute names, so the Attorney General lists it under "All Other Counties", where the cost of living comes from the California CPI that the Department of Industrial Relations publishes. Its April 2026 figure was 3.6% over April 2025, and 5% plus 3.6% is 8.6%. The City's program uses the same April figure but resets on July 1, which is why the two rules disagree for one month each summer.
Rent increase dates past the published caps
For a date after the last published cap, the calculator shows "Not published yet" and won't call the rent legal or illegal. Next year's caps depend on April 2027's CPI. Check the Attorney General's table before you serve an increase dated that far out.
The rent increase base and notice in the calculator
Lowest rent in 12 months as the rent increase base
Section 1947.12(a)(1) measures the cap from the lowest gross rent charged in the 12 months before the increase takes effect, so the calculator asks for that figure, not today's rent. If you raised the rent in March, the March increase and the new one share one cap. The highest new rent is that lowest rent times one plus the cap, to the cent.
One rent increase a year under the City program
AB 1482 allows two increases in 12 months inside the one cap. The City's code allows one. Answer "yes" to the earlier-increase question on a City TPP unit and the calculator stops: not allowed until 12 months have passed, whatever the amount.
Civil Code 827 rent increase notice: 30 or 90 days
Every month-to-month increase needs written notice, capped or exempt. The calculator compares your new rent with the lowest rent you entered: 10% or less needs 30 days, more than 10% needs 90. Choose "mail it" and it adds five days, because Code of Civil Procedure 1013 extends a notice period by five calendar days when it's mailed within California. It then counts back from the effective date to the day the notice has to reach the tenant.
A worked $1,950 example, notice wording and the mistakes that cost owners money are in the California rent increase limits guide.
Should you take the full rent increase before selling a Sacramento rental?
The calculator answers "how much can I charge?" For an owner about to list, the better question is who will buy the house, because the answer flips the value of the increase.
An investor buyer prices the rent
An investor who buys with the tenant in place values the house on the lease, and takes over your 12-month window and your base rent with it. On the default $2,040 rent, the full 8.6% adds $175.44 a month, about $2,105 a year. That's real to a buyer who reads the rent roll, but only if the tenant is still paying it at closing.
An owner-occupant buyer ignores the rent
A buyer who will live in the house wants it empty and doesn't care what the tenant pays. To that buyer, a higher rent is worth nothing.
A tenant served the maximum rent increase may leave or dig in
A raise can prompt a tenant to give notice, which helps if you planned to sell vacant. It can also leave you with a tenant who stays, pays and stops cooperating with showings, which hurts every buyer. Zillow's typical Sacramento asking rent rose 1.2% in the 12 months to September 2026, so 8.6% may price your tenant above what a similar house now rents for.
The pick: if you'll sell within a year, decide occupied or vacant first, then size the increase to that buyer. A modest raise that keeps a paying tenant suits an investor sale; none at all may suit a vacant one. Justin prices the house both ways, so you can see what the tenancy is worth before you serve anything. Ask for a rental valuation.
What this rent increase calculator doesn't handle
It's built for the common case: a month-to-month tenancy in Sacramento County. These are the shortcuts and gaps to know about:
- Year built stands in for the certificate of occupancy date. Both the 15-year exemption and the City's February 1, 1995 line run on that date. A house finished late in a year, or a building with a 1995 certificate dated before February 1, may land on the wrong side. Use the date on the certificate, or the final inspection, if you're near either edge.
- An owner-occupied duplex in city limits built by 1994 is treated as a City TPP unit. The City's code exempts the unit you live in but has no owner-occupied duplex exemption for the tenant's side, so the calculator applies the City cap. Ask the TPP before relying on anything looser.
- No fixed-term leases. Section 827 covers month-to-month tenancies. A lease for a set term fixes the rent unless the lease says otherwise.
- Two AB 1482 rent increases, not three. The calculator measures the cap from your lowest rent, which catches earlier raises, but doesn't count how many you've made.
- No retaliation or habitability check. Civil Code 1942.5 bars raising rent within 180 days of a tenant's repair complaint, and the calculator can't see one.
- A serve-by date can already have passed. If it has, move the effective date later.
This is general information, not legal advice. Have a landlord-tenant attorney read the lease before you serve an increase on a house you plan to sell.
After the rent increase: selling a California rental with a covered tenant
Under the result, the calculator adds one line about ending the tenancy. If the rental is covered and the tenant has lived there 12 months, a sale isn't a just cause, so a rent increase won't clear the house for you. Your options are to sell with the tenant in place, wait for a cause that fits, or agree a move-out.
The tenant move-out planner dates each route to an empty house and sets a cash-for-keys offer against what vacancy is worth. Selling occupied is covered in selling a rental with the tenant in place, the City's registration and inspection rules in the Sacramento rental rules guide, and every other calculator is on the rental owner tools page. If the rent math is telling you it's time to get out, start with selling a Sacramento rental.
Rent increase calculator: questions Sacramento owners ask
How do I calculate a rent increase in California?
Find the rule that covers the unit, take the cap for the date the increase takes effect, and multiply the lowest gross rent from the past 12 months by one plus that cap. For a Sacramento County rental under AB 1482 taking effect between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, that's 8.6%: $2,040 becomes at most $2,215.44. Then give 30 days' written notice, or 90 if the raise is over 10%.
Is a 10% rent increase legal in Sacramento?
Not on a covered rental right now. AB 1482 and the City's program both cap increases at 8.6% for current dates, so 10% on $2,040 ($2,244) is $28.56 over the limit. On an exempt house there's no cap, and exactly 10% still needs only 30 days' notice under Civil Code 827, because the 90-day rule starts above 10%.
Does the rent increase calculator work for a rental inside Sacramento city limits?
Yes. Choose "Inside City of Sacramento limits" and the calculator sends duplexes, triplexes and apartments built by 1994 to the City's Tenant Protection Program, with its 8.6% cap from July 1, 2026 and one increase every 12 months. Houses and condos in city limits are exempt from the City program, so they're checked against AB 1482 like any county rental.
How much notice does a rent increase need if I mail it?
Five more days than the normal period. Civil Code 827 lets you serve a rent increase by mail under Code of Civil Procedure 1013, which adds five calendar days when the notice is mailed within California. A 30-day notice becomes 35 and a 90-day notice becomes 95. Choose "Mail it" in the calculator and the serve-by date moves back to match.
Can the calculator tell me if my house is exempt from AB 1482?
It flags the three exemptions most Sacramento houses can use: a certificate of occupancy under 15 years old, an owner-occupied duplex, and the single-family exemption, which needs a non-corporate owner and the exact exemption statement given to the tenant in writing. It uses the year built as a stand-in for the certificate date. If you're near an edge, confirm the facts with an attorney.
Does a higher rent increase what my rental sells for?
Only to an investor who buys it with the tenant in place, and only if the tenant keeps paying. An owner-occupant buyer wants the house empty and ignores the rent. A large raise just before listing can also push a tenant to leave or stop cooperating with showings. Decide which buyer you're selling to before you size the increase.
Sources
- California Attorney General: rent increase caps (statewide and local tables)
- California Civil Code 1947.12 (rent cap, lowest-rent base, exemptions)
- California Civil Code 1946.2 (just cause and the exemption statement)
- California Civil Code 827 (notice of rent increase)
- California Code of Civil Procedure 1013 (five days for service by mail)
- California Civil Code 1942.5 (retaliation)
- California Department of Industrial Relations: California Consumer Price Index
- City of Sacramento: Tenant Protection Program
- City of Sacramento: 2026 TPP annual rent adjustment notice
- Sacramento City Code chapter 5.156 (Tenant Protection)
- Zillow Research: Observed Rent Index (September 2026)
Reviewed by Justin Vierra
Justin reviewed this page for accuracy on October 29, 2026. Figures come from the sources listed above. Our research process.
Justin Vierra is a Sacramento Realtor® with GUIDE Real Estate and Principal of the Vierra Group who sells rental homes for their owners, with tenants in place or vacant. He spent six years in Midtown property management before he began selling homes in 2010.
- Since 2010Licensed in California, DRE #01880488
- 6 yearsManaging Midtown rental property before he sold homes
- 447Vierra Group team sales on Zillow, 26 in the past 12 months
- 440+Career sales, as reported by Justin
- Six years in property management: Midtown Sacramento: older buildings, multifamily property, maintenance and tenants
- Principal, Vierra Group: His team at GUIDE Real Estate, 3001 I Street, Sacramento
- Sacramento Real Producers: Top 250 agent for 2025, as reported by Justin
Realtor®, DRE #01880488. Vierra Group, GUIDE Real Estate, 3001 I St, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95816. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
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