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Clovis sits in the eastern San Joaquin Valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills, sharing a border with Fresno and serving as one of the Central Valley's fastest-growing suburban communities. With a population exceeding 130,000, Clovis has long been marketed as a family-friendly alternative to Fresno — featuring highly rated schools, master-planned neighborhoods, and a lower crime rate. But rapid growth has driven up housing costs, and renters make up a significant share of the population, particularly in older apartment complexes near Herndon Avenue and along the Shaw Avenue corridor.
Clovis has no local rent control ordinance of its own. The city has never passed one, and California's Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act significantly limits what any city can do — it prohibits local rent control on single-family homes, condominiums, and any unit built after February 1, 1995. The sole rent protection available to most Clovis renters is California's statewide Tenant Protection Act of 2019, commonly known as AB 1482, which imposes a rent cap and just-cause eviction requirements on eligible units.
This article explains how AB 1482 applies to renters in Clovis: which units are covered, how much a landlord can legally raise the rent, what just-cause eviction protections mean in practice, and where to get help if your landlord is not following the law.
AB 1482 covers residential rental units in Clovis whose certificate of occupancy was issued 15 or more years ago. Because the rule is rolling, the cutoff advances each year — as of 2026, units generally must have been built before 2011 to qualify. The unit must also be used as a primary residence, and the tenant must have lived there for at least 12 months before either the rent cap or just-cause eviction protections kick in.
Many Clovis rentals — particularly older apartment complexes near downtown Old Town Clovis or along major corridors like Shaw and Herndon — likely qualify. However, a large number of units are exempt. The following types of rentals are not covered by AB 1482:
If you are unsure whether your unit qualifies, use the RentCheckMe address lookup tool or contact Central California Legal Services for a free assessment.
For covered units, AB 1482 limits annual rent increases to 5% plus the local Consumer Price Index (CPI), with an absolute maximum of 10% per year. Clovis falls within the Fresno metropolitan statistical area for CPI purposes. Based on recent CPI data for the Fresno region, the allowable cap for 2025 is approximately 8.8% (5% + roughly 3.8% CPI), though this figure is updated annually and tenants should verify the current figure with the California Department of Housing and Community Development or a legal aid provider.
Key rules governing rent increases under AB 1482:
Because Clovis has no local rent board, there is no agency to file a rent overcharge complaint with directly. Tenants who believe their landlord has exceeded the AB 1482 cap must self-enforce — typically by sending a written objection, withholding the excess portion, or seeking assistance from Central California Legal Services.
Once a tenant has lived in a covered unit for 12 months, the landlord must have a legally recognized just cause to terminate the tenancy under AB 1482. This applies to both month-to-month and fixed-term leases after the first 12 months. Just-cause reasons fall into two categories:
At-fault just cause (tenant is responsible):
No-fault just cause (tenant is not at fault):
Relocation assistance: For no-fault evictions, the landlord must pay the displaced tenant one month's rent as relocation assistance — or, alternatively, waive the final month of rent. This assistance must be provided at the time the notice is served. Failure to pay it can invalidate the eviction notice.
As with the rent cap, there is no local rent board in Clovis to receive complaints about wrongful evictions under AB 1482. Tenants who receive an unlawful eviction notice should immediately contact Central California Legal Services or call the Housing Is Key hotline.
Clovis has no local rent control ordinance and no municipal rent board. The city has never adopted its own tenant protection laws beyond what California state law requires. This means renters in Clovis cannot look to any city-specific agency to enforce rent caps, adjudicate disputes, or require landlord registration — those tools simply do not exist here.
The absence of a local ordinance is not accidental. California's Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Civil Code §§ 1954.50–1954.535) sharply limits what cities can do: it bars local rent control on single-family homes, condos, and any unit built after February 1, 1995. Because most of Clovis's rental stock was built after 1995 — the city grew rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s — a large portion of units would be exempt from any local ordinance even if the city council passed one. This structural reality has contributed to Clovis not pursuing local rent control legislation.
AB 1482 is the only rent protection in place. Because it is a state law with no local administrator, enforcement falls entirely on tenants. If your landlord violates AB 1482 — by exceeding the rent cap, evicting without just cause, or failing to pay relocation assistance — you must take action yourself: document the violation, send written notice to your landlord, and seek legal assistance.
The City of Clovis Housing Division (cityofclovis.com/housing) administers some local housing programs but does not handle tenant-landlord disputes or rent oversight. The Housing Authority of the County of Fresno (fresnohousing.org) administers Section 8 vouchers for the region and may be a resource for renters in subsidized housing. For direct legal help, Central California Legal Services provides free civil legal assistance to low-income Central Valley residents.
Use the RentCheckMe address lookup at rentcheckme.com to check whether your specific Clovis rental unit is likely covered by AB 1482. Enter your address and the tool will assess eligibility based on unit age and type.
Additional resources for Clovis renters:
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Rent control laws, CPI figures, and AB 1482 coverage rules change over time — the information here reflects conditions as of May 2026. Whether AB 1482 applies to your specific unit depends on facts that only a qualified attorney or legal aid provider can fully evaluate. If you are facing an eviction, an unlawful rent increase, or any other housing dispute in Clovis, consult a licensed California attorney or contact Central California Legal Services for free assistance.
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