Lancaster · Foreclosure & auctions

Foreclosure and auctions in Lancaster

Lancaster requires the owner, possessor or person in control of any vacant property to register it on a city form and pay fees set by city council resolution. Foreclosure steps and auctions follow state law.

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Key points

Registration: Vacant property must be registered on a city form with a phone number for the owner and the person responsible for maintenance and security.
Inspections: City staff inspect and document any vacant property. The owner pays the city's rental inspection fee; the chief may require more inspections.
Securing: As the chief and building official determine, buildings are secured and locked; openings are boarded with polycarbonate sheeting at least one-quarter inch thick.
Cleanup: The owner must remove trash, debris and discarded furniture and equipment, and all furniture and personal property from vacant building interiors.
Penalties: Violations carry administrative penalties under Municipal Code Section 1.16, each day a separate violation. Two or more violations may bring a performance bond.
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 Lancaster 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

Lancaster code What Lancaster's code adds
Local contact	Give a contact phone number for the property owner and the person responsible for maintenance and security. Applies: Part of the registration form for any vacant property. § 9.55.020 · code text A contact phone number for the property owner and individual responsible for the maintenance and security of the vacant property;
Upkeep duties	Install and maintain groundcover, hardscape or softscape. Groundcover plants must be no taller than six inches. Keep adequate irrigation. Applies: Applies throughout the vacancy. Landscaping needs community development director approval. § 9.55.020 · code text Groundcover, hardscape, or softscape shall be installed and maintained on all vacant property throughout the duration of the vacancy. Remove trash, debris, rubbish, discarded furniture, defective or discarded equipment or appliances, and similar items. Applies: Applies to the person who owns, possesses or controls a vacant property. § 9.55.020 · code text All trash, debris, rubbish, discarded furniture or defective or discarded equipment or appliances or items of similar nature shall be removed from the property. Install No Trespassing signs. Additional signs may name a responsive individual. Applies: Applies at locations the chief determines. § 9.55.020 · code text "No Trespassing" signs shall be installed at locations on the property as determined by the chief. Keep the property free of parked, abandoned or inoperable vehicles unless the city approves. Applies: Applies unless a parking permit or other appropriate city approval has been obtained. § 9.55.020 · code text The property shall be kept free of parked, abandoned, or inoperable vehicles except where a parking permit or other appropriate approval has been obtained from the city. Drain swimming pools, keep them free of standing water, and fill them with approved fill or cover them. Applies: Applies to any swimming pool on a vacant property. § 9.55.020 · code text Any swimming pool on a vacant property shall be drained, kept free of standing water, and comply with following: City staff inspect the property and document the inspections. The owner pays the city's rental inspection fee. Applies: Applies to any vacant property. The chief may require more frequent inspections. § 9.55.020 · code text The property shall be inspected by city staff and these inspections documented and submitted in writing to the satisfaction of the chief. Property owner shall pay the city's rental inspection fee. Install and maintain motion-activated security lighting at all entrances and exits from dusk until dawn. Applies: Applies if the chief deems it necessary. § 9.55.020 · code text Motion-activated security lighting shall be installed and maintained in working condition at all entrances and exits of the property to the satisfaction of the chief from dusk until dawn if deemed necessary by the chief. Install and maintain extra building locks and entry controls, including window bars, to prevent unauthorized access. Applies: Applies as the chief determines. § 9.55.020 · code text Additional building locks and entry control including bars on windows shall be installed and maintained as determined by the chief to prevent unauthorized access to the property and any structure. Abate pest and rodent infestations and provide documentation from a licensed professional. § 9.55.020 · code text Pest and rodent infestation(s) shall be abated on the property and documentation shall be provided verifying the abatement from a licensed professional. Eliminate or trim unsafe landscaping. Applies: Applies to the satisfaction of the chief. § 9.55.020 · code text Landscaping that contributes to an unsafe condition on the property shall be eliminated or trimmed to the satisfaction of the chief. Remove curtains, blinds and window coverings to allow clear interior views. Applies: Applies to windows on the ground level of a structure. § 9.55.020 · code text All curtains, blinds, and window coverings shall be removed from all windows located on the ground level of a structure allowing for a clear view to the interior of vacant buildings and units. Remove all furniture and personal property from the interiors of vacant buildings. Applies: Applies to the person who owns, possesses or controls a vacant property. § 9.55.020 · code text All furniture and personal property shall be removed from the interior of vacant buildings. Secure portable restrooms with locks. Removal may be required. Applies: Applies if trespassers have intruded on the property. Removal is at the chief's discretion. § 9.55.020 · code text All portable restrooms shall be secured with locks and may be required to be removed at the discretion of the chief if evidence of intrusion by trespassers occurs on the property. Secure, lock and close all buildings and structures. Board unsecured windows, doors and openings with compliant sheeting. Applies: Applies as the chief and the building official determine and approve. § 9.55.020 · code text All buildings and structures upon the property shall be secured, locked, and closed as determined and approved by the chief and the building official. Use clear or semi-clear shatter-proof polycarbonate sheeting at least one-quarter inch thick. Applies: Applies to sheeting used to secure windows, doors and other openings. § 9.55.020 · code text As used herein, "sheeting material" or "sheeting" means a minimum of one-quarter-inch-thick clear or semi-clear shatter-proof polycarbonate material with strength capable of sustaining impact without breaking or shattering, absent excessive force.
Penalty	Administrative penalties under Municipal Code Section 1.16. Each day or part of a day is a separate violation. Applies: Applies to a violation of the chapter or failure to correct violations. § 9.55.030 · code text Any person (whether an individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, or other entity) who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or who does not correct violations in compliance with the requirements of this chapter, is subject to the administrative penalty provisions of Municipal Code Section 1.16. Each day or portion thereof wherein the violation is committed, continued, or permitted constitutes a separate and distinct violation. The chief may require a performance bond, in an amount the chief sets, for the city to abate future violations. Applies: Applies to the owner or person in control who violated the chapter two or more times. § 9.55.030 · code text In the event the chief determines that a vacant property has violated this chapter two or more times, the chief may require the person who owns, possesses or is in control of vacant property to submit a performance bond that the city may use to abate any future violations of this chapter or other municipal code sections.
Registration fee	Any required fees are set by city council resolution. Applies: Fees cover administration of the chapter, including monitoring the property and city site inspections. § 9.55.020 · code text Register the property, on a form provided by the city, and pay any required fees for the administration of this chapter, including, but not limited to, monitoring the subject property and city site inspections. Such fees shall be established by city council resolution.
Registration	Register the vacant property with the city on a city form and pay the required fees. Applies: Applies to all vacant properties: the owner, possessor or person in control. § 9.55.020 · code text The registration requirements in subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), and (b)(3) of this section shall apply to all vacant properties.

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 Lancaster?

Vacant property must be registered on a city form with a phone number for the owner and the person responsible for maintenance and security. City staff inspect and document any vacant property. The owner pays the city's rental inspection fee; the chief may require more inspections. As the chief and building official determine, buildings are secured and locked; openings are boarded with polycarbonate sheeting at least one-quarter inch thick. The owner must remove trash, debris and discarded furniture and equipment, and all furniture and personal property from vacant building interiors. Violations carry administrative penalties under Municipal Code Section 1.16, each day a separate violation. Two or more violations may bring a performance bond.

General information, not legal advice.

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