Updated October 6, 2026
The RSTPO is the Los Angeles County rent-control law for unincorporated areas: the parts of the county outside any of its 88 cities. It caps annual rent increases, requires a valid reason to evict, and requires owners to register every rental unit with the county each year. For fully covered units, the maximum increase through June 30, 2027 is 1.919%.
Unincorporated does not mean remote. It means places like Altadena, East Los Angeles, Florence-Graham and Ladera Heights, which sit inside the county but outside every city government, so the County writes the rules. The ordinance is enforced by the LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), which runs the Rent Stabilization Program.
The County sorts units into two groups. Fully covered units get both the rent cap and eviction protection. They are units in a property with two or more units and a certificate of occupancy issued on or before February 1, 1995. Partially covered units get eviction protection only. That group includes most other rentals, such as single-family homes and condos, unless an exemption applies.
For fully covered units, the allowable increase is 60% of the change in the average Consumer Price Index over the twelve months ending in September, and it can never exceed 3%. The County resets the number every July 1. Here is the current cycle:
On a $2,000 unit, 1.919% is $38.38 a month. Most owners never run that number against their own expense growth until a buyer does it for them.
A small property landlord qualifies in one of three ways. The owner has a homeowners' property tax exemption on the property, or owns only one rental property with no more than ten units, or owns no more than three rental properties with ten units combined. Small landlords must file a self-certification with DCBA every year and state in each increase notice that they qualify. A luxury unit has two bedrooms or fewer, sits in a building of 25 or more units, and was renting for at least $4,000 a month as of September 11, 2018. Luxury notices need their own disclosure.
Increases require at least 30 days' written notice. Partially covered units have no County cap; the state limit of 5% plus local CPI, never more than 10%, applies, which DCBA put at 8.7% beginning August 1, 2026.
Every owner of a rental unit in unincorporated LA County registers through the County's Rent Registry and pays an annual fee: $90 per fully covered unit and $30 per partially covered unit. The deadline is September 30. After that, a 10% late fee may be assessed. Owner-occupied units and units used for non-rental purposes can be exempt, and exemption requests go through the registry. New tenancies must be registered within 30 days of the start date.
Here is the part that surprises owners. An owner who is not current on registration fees cannot raise rent or pass costs through to tenants. DCBA says so in plain terms. A missed September 30 payment does not just cost a late fee. It freezes the rent roll until it is fixed, on a building where the allowed increase was already under 2%.
The other half of the ordinance is just cause. Evictions need a listed reason, at-fault (such as nonpayment above a threshold, a material lease breach, or a nuisance) or no-fault (such as an owner or family move-in, or withdrawing the unit from the rental market). Nonpayment only counts once the amount owed passes a Fair Market Rent threshold, which DCBA says rose to two months of FMR on April 16, 2026. Some no-fault cases carry relocation assistance. Take the notice wording to your attorney before you serve anything.
A buyer underwrites what the building can legally earn, not what the neighborhood rents for. In a fully covered building, that means a rent trajectory of under 2% a year, a registry history that needs to be clean, and tenants who can only be removed for cause. Whether a vacated unit can be re-rented at a higher rent depends on the unit's status under the ordinance and state law. Confirm that with DCBA and your attorney before you put a number in an offering memo.
For county owners weighing a sale, see how rent control affects your apartment building's sale price and how to sell an apartment building in Los Angeles.
Two lookups settle it. First, confirm the address is unincorporated: the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk site has a "District Map Look Up By Address" tool. Second, search the address or Assessor Parcel Number in the County's Rent Registry, which shows whether the property is covered under the RSTPO. Do this before you assume anything from the neighborhood name.
What is the RSTPO?
It is the Los Angeles County Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance. It limits annual rent increases on many rental units in unincorporated LA County, requires just cause to evict, and requires owners to register units with DCBA each year.
Does LA County have rent control?
Yes, in unincorporated areas. The RSTPO applies there, and the County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs enforces it. Incorporated cities such as the City of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood run their own rules.
How much can I raise rent under the RSTPO?
For fully covered units, 1.919% through June 30, 2027. Qualifying small property landlords can add 1 point, for 2.919%, and luxury units can add 2 points, for 3.919%. The County resets the figure each July 1.
Which areas are covered by the LA County RSTPO?
Unincorporated LA County, meaning places outside the county's 88 cities. Examples include Altadena, East Los Angeles, Florence-Graham and Ladera Heights. Check your address with the County Registrar-Recorder's district map lookup.
Is my building fully covered or partially covered?
Fully covered means two or more units on the property and a certificate of occupancy issued on or before February 1, 1995. Most other rentals, including single-family homes and condos, are partially covered, with eviction protections but no County rent cap, unless exempt.
What happens if I miss the registration deadline?
Fees are due September 30 each year: $90 per fully covered unit and $30 per partially covered unit. After that date a 10% late fee may be assessed, and you cannot raise rent or pass through costs until you are current.
Is the RSTPO the same as the City of Los Angeles RSO?
No. RSO is the City of Los Angeles ordinance, run by LAHD. The RSTPO covers unincorporated county areas and is run by DCBA. Different agencies, different registration systems, different percentages.
Does the state's AB 1482 still apply in unincorporated LA County?
Where the RSTPO is stricter, it takes priority over the statewide limit. For partially covered units with no County cap, AB 1482 is the relevant rent limit.
Most owners find out which ordinance governs their building when a tenant mentions it. The ones who price a sale well found out a year earlier.
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