Residential Tenancy Protections Ordinance

On September 17, 2024, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance that provides new obligations for landlords and new rights to tenants for rental properties in the unincorporated area of Sonoma County.  This ordinance augments the protections of the California Tenant Protection Act (the Act) by removing certain exemptions from the Act, limiting certain reasons for evictions, and in some cases, augmenting relocation benefits for no-fault evictions.

New protections in addition to those created by the Act include:

• Commencement of Just Cause protections day one of covered tenancy
• Expansion of Just Cause protections to tenants in income-restricted properties
• Limitation of eviction for nonpayment of rent to where past-due rent exceeds thirty day’s rent (applicable no more than twice per calendar year)
• Payment of great of actual rent or Fair Market Rent when relocation payments required by the Act

The ordinance requires landlords to provide certain information to tenants and provide a copy of a County-approved notice form to all tenants protected by just cause protections under the ordinance and under the Act. 

The ordinance also requires landlords to submit information regarding termination of tenancy’s for all terminations in unincorporated Sonoma County, regardless of whether just cause protections apply.

When invoked by the Board of Supervisors upon declaration of a state of emergency, the ordinance may be used to create additional, emergency protection from eviction for tenants county-wide.

Landlord forms and requirements can be found HERE »

Tenant resources can be found HERE »

Applicable law can be found HERE »

On Feb. 25, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved temporary limitations on evictions in the Lower Russian River area neighborhoods where residents were most impacted by flooding during the February 2025 winter storms. This replaces countywide emergency eviction protections that were activated on Feb. 11 when the Board ratified a declaration of emergency due to the floods.