AB 1482 Solano County: What Landlords Must Know
AB 1482, California's Tenant Protection Act of 2019, caps rent increases at 5% plus regional CPI (max 10% per year) and requires just-cause for evictions on covered units. Most Solano County rentals built before 2009 are covered unless a specific statutory exemption applies and written notice is given.
What does AB 1482 mean for Solano County landlords?
AB 1482, California's Tenant Protection Act of 2019, caps annual rent increases at 5% plus the regional cost-of-living change, with a hard ceiling of 10% in any 12-month period, and requires landlords to have just cause before ending a tenancy once a tenant has lived in the unit for 12 months. The law is statewide, so county lines do not change the core framework. Whether your rental is in Fairfield, Vallejo, Benicia, or Vacaville, the same rent-cap and just-cause rules apply to covered units.
The Core Rules and Who They Cover
The two pillars of AB 1482 are simple to state, but the details matter enormously for how you manage your portfolio.
The rent cap
According to the California Department of Justice's tenant-rights guide, covered landlords may not raise rent by more than 5% plus the regional Consumer Price Index change in any rolling 12-month period, and the total increase can never exceed 10% in that window. That ceiling applies per 12-month period, not per calendar year. We walk our clients through this distinction regularly, because the timing of a prior increase affects when and how much you can raise rent next.
One common question we hear: can you raise rent twice in one year? The answer is technically yes, but the combined total of both increases still cannot exceed the 5% + CPI cap (or 10% hard ceiling) within any 12-month lookback period. Stacking two increases to get around the cap is not permitted.
Just-cause eviction
Once a tenant has occupied your unit for 12 months, you need a legally recognized reason to end the tenancy. The California Department of Justice's tenant-protection page breaks just-cause grounds into two categories: at-fault (nonpayment, lease violations, criminal activity) and no-fault (owner move-in, substantial renovation, withdrawal from the rental market). No-fault terminations generally require relocation assistance equal to one month's rent.
This is where landlords in Solano County most often get tripped up. If you want to move a family member into the property or take it off the rental market entirely, you still need to follow the statutory process. Skipping the relocation-assistance step can expose you to significant liability.
What AB 1482 does not cover
The law is residential only. Commercial leases are outside its scope entirely, per the California Apartment Association's AB 1482 resource page. On the residential side, several categories of units are exempt:
- Units built within the last 15 years (the 15-year window rolls forward each year, so a unit that was exempt last year may become covered this year)
- Single-family homes and condos where the owner is a natural person (not a corporate entity) AND the required written exemption notice has been properly given to the tenant
- Certain affordable-housing units already subject to deed restrictions
- Duplexes where the owner occupies one unit
That exemption for single-family homes is the one we see misunderstood most often in smaller local portfolios across Solano County and American Canyon. The exemption is not automatic. The California Apartment Association is clear: the written notice must be given, using the statutory language, or the exemption does not apply. If you own a single-family rental in Fairfield or Vacaville and you have never given that notice, you may already be subject to the rent cap without knowing it.
The 15-year age test in practice
As of 2026, units first issued a certificate of occupancy on or after January 1, 2011 are generally exempt. That date moves forward each year. If you are unsure where your property falls, pull the original certificate of occupancy or building permit date from the county records. Do not guess. A one-year error in either direction changes whether the cap applies.
What This Means If You Are Thinking About Selling
AB 1482 compliance is increasingly a factor in rental-property sales across Solano County. A buyer doing their due diligence will ask whether the unit is covered, whether proper exemption notices were given, whether any rent increases in the last 12 months were within the cap, and whether any pending tenancy terminations were handled correctly.
If you are weighing whether to hold or sell, our post on selling versus renting out your home in American Canyon, Vallejo, and Napa walks through the financial and practical tradeoffs in this specific market.
When a sale does move forward, there are process steps specific to Solano County worth knowing. The Solano County Recorder accepts documents for recording between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with same-day recording cut off at 3:30 p.m. If your closing is tight on timing, that window matters. California residential sales also require a Transfer Disclosure Statement, a Seller Property Questionnaire, and a Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement. Our post on what you have to disclose when selling a house in California covers those requirements in detail.
For context on where the local market stands: recent Zillow market data (trailing 90 days, as of August 2026) shows median sale prices across the region ranging from $598,000 in Fairfield to $894,000 in Napa. These are area-level figures. An individual property's value depends on condition, street, build year, and current timing.
Area | Median Sale Price | Median Days on Market |
|---|---|---|
American Canyon | $690,000 | 36 |
Fairfield | $598,000 | 36 |
Napa | $894,000 | 41 |
Vacaville | $626,000 | 22 |
On the rental side, market aggregators show elevated rents in this corridor. Zumper's August 2026 data listed an average rent of $2,420 per month in American Canyon. Apartments.com showed $2,333 per month as of February 2026. These are aggregator figures using different methodologies, not official government statistics, but they do confirm that rents in this market remain well above the statewide average. Nationally, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a rental vacancy rate of 7.3% in Q2 2026, a figure that reflects continued demand pressure in most Western markets.
Every situation is different, and the only way to know what your specific rental property is worth, and what AB 1482 compliance means for a potential sale, is to run the numbers with someone who knows this market. That is exactly what we do.
Curious what other clients say about working with our team? Read our reviews on Google, Zillow, and Realtor.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AB 1482 apply to my Solano County single-family rental?
It depends on two things: whether you are a natural person (not an LLC or corporation) and whether you have given your tenant the required written exemption notice using the statutory language. If both conditions are met, your single-family home or condo is likely exempt. If you have never given that notice, the rent cap and just-cause rules may already apply to your tenancy. Confirm your situation with a California real estate attorney before making any rent-increase or termination decisions.
What written notice is required if my American Canyon property is exempt from AB 1482?
California law requires landlords claiming the single-family home or condo exemption to provide a written notice to the tenant, using specific statutory language, stating that the unit is not subject to the rent-cap and just-cause protections of the Tenant Protection Act. That notice must be included in the lease or given as a separate written addendum. Without it, the exemption does not protect you even if the property would otherwise qualify.
How do I know whether my unit is covered by the 15-year age test?
As of 2026, units first issued a certificate of occupancy on or after January 1, 2011 are generally exempt from AB 1482. That cutoff date advances by one year each January, so a unit that was exempt in 2025 may become covered in 2026. Pull the original certificate of occupancy or building permit date from your county records to confirm. If the date is close to the threshold, verify with a California landlord-tenant attorney before your next rent increase.
Can I raise rent twice in one year under AB 1482?
You can give two separate increases in a 12-month period, but the combined total of both increases cannot exceed the 5% plus regional CPI cap, with a hard ceiling of 10%, within any rolling 12-month lookback window. Splitting one large increase into two smaller ones does not allow you to exceed the cap. According to the California Department of Justice, the limit applies to the aggregate of all increases in the period, not to each increase individually.
What counts as just cause for ending a tenancy in California?
California law recognizes two categories of just cause under AB 1482. At-fault grounds include nonpayment of rent, violation of a material lease term, criminal activity, and similar tenant conduct. No-fault grounds include owner or owner-family member move-in, substantial renovation requiring the unit to be vacated, and withdrawal of the unit from the rental market. No-fault terminations generally require the landlord to pay the tenant one month's rent in relocation assistance. The California Department of Justice's tenant-protection page lists the full set of recognized grounds.
The Bottom Line
AB 1482 is not going away, and getting the details wrong, whether on exemption notices, rent-cap timing, or just-cause procedures, carries real financial and legal risk. If you own rental property in Solano County and are weighing your options, we are here to help you think through the full picture, from compliance to what the property could net you in today's market.
Get a free home valuation to see what your rental property is worth right now, or schedule a conversation with our team to talk through your specific situation.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Kasama Lee, CA DRE# 01408667, licensed by the California Department of Real Estate. This article is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Laws change; confirm your specific situation with a California real estate attorney, tax advisor, or qualified property-management professional before acting. Consent required to be contacted by Kasama Lee via call, email, and text for real estate services; reply 'stop' to opt out.
