Rent increases in Modesto: the local rules

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

What Modesto's code says

Modesto code What Modesto's code adds
Units covered	Mobile home park spaces that are not exempt from the city's mobile home rent stabilization rules. Applies: Mobile home park spaces only. § 4-19.11 · code text A mobile home park owner who seeks to increase the rent of any mobile home park space which is not exempted from this chapter, by an amount in excess of the amounts authorized by this chapter may file a petition pursuant to this section. Mobile home parks annexed into the City later are covered; their base rent is the rent in effect at annexation. Applies: Mobile home park spaces only. § 4-19.06 · code text With regard to those mobile home parks that may be annexed into the City, the applicable base year and rent shall be that rent in effect at the time of the annexation.
How often rent can go up	A park owner may file only 1 fair-return petition per park within a 12-month period, except in extraordinary circumstances. Applies: Mobile home park spaces only. The extraordinary circumstances must be ones that could not reasonably be foreseen when the prior petition was filed. § 4-19.11 · code text Only one (1) petition pursuant to this section may be filed for a mobile home park within a twelve (12) month period.
Petitions and pass-throughs	A mobile home park owner may petition for an increase above the other allowed increases to get a fair return. Applies: Fair return: base-year net operating income adjusted by 100% of CPI increase. First petition base year 2007; later ones use the prior petition's current year. § 4-19.10 · code text In addition to the rent increases authorized by Sections 4-19.08 and 4-19.09 of this chapter, a park owner may petition for a rent increase in order to obtain a fair return. Capital replacement costs plus interest count as operating expenses only if amortized over at least 36 months; rent drops afterward. Applies: Mobile home park spaces; fair-return petitions only. Cost must also be at least $100 per affected unit or $5,000 total, whichever is lower. § 4-19.10 · code text Costs of capital replacements plus an interest allowance to cover the amortization of those costs. 100% of new capital improvement costs, with financing, charged as pro-rata shares, listed separately on rent statements with end dates. Applies: Mobile home spaces only; not replacements or legally required work. Owner first describes work and cost and gets written consent from a majority of spaces. § 4-19.12 · code text A park owner may pass through to mobile home owners one hundred (100) percent of the cost of new capital improvements. The park owner may petition for a new capital improvement pass-through using the fair-return petition process. Applies: Mobile home spaces only; a majority of owners did not consent, and the improvement is reasonably necessary to protect health, safety, property or park infrastructure. § 4-19.12 · code text the park owner may petition for a new capital improvement pass through under the procedures in Section 4-19.11 of this chapter.

Also in Modesto's code: Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Program (§§ 4-19.06–4-19.12) — mobilehome park spaces only. This page does not summarize it yet.

The California rule underneath

Where Modesto'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	8.6% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.6% inflation) Applies: Covered units only. Inflation is the California consumer price index (Department of Industrial Relations), used for counties outside the four metro areas, 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

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Frequently asked questions

How much can rent go up in Modesto?

Modesto's rent stabilization covers only mobile home park spaces; state law limits increases on covered units to 8.6% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

General information, not legal advice.

Rent increases in Modesto

Key points

What Modesto's code says

The California rule underneath

Who this affects

Frequently asked questions

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