The California pet rent ban bill was Assembly Bill 2216, introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney during the 2023–2024 legislative session. It would have barred landlords from charging separate monthly pet rent and from refusing to let tenants keep a common household pet without reasonable justification. It did not become law. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2024, never received a hearing, and is considered failed. Despite circulating online under other names, no identical successor had been introduced as of early 2025.
What AB 2216 Would Have Required
The bill had two main pieces. First, landlords could not prevent a tenant from keeping a “common household pet,” a term California law already defines as a domesticated animal like a dog or cat kept for companionship rather than commercial purposes.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets Landlords also could not impose unreasonable restrictions on the breed, size, or number of pets.
Second, landlords could not charge separate or additional monthly rent for the pet itself. Pet rent in California typically runs $25 to $75 per animal per month, and the bill treated those recurring charges as an unjustified cost layer on top of base rent.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets
The bill applied to “dwelling units” under existing Civil Code definitions, which covers most standard rental housing. It did not set a minimum property size or unit count.
Screening and the 72-Hour Disclosure
AB 2216 would have changed how pets came up during the application process. A landlord could not ask whether a prospective tenant planned to keep a pet before accepting that person’s rental application.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets The idea was to stop pet ownership from working as an informal screen while the landlord still evaluated finances, rental history, and credit.
The tenant then carried a disclosure duty. A prospective renter had to tell the landlord about plans to keep a pet no later than 72 hours before signing the lease.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets That left room to work out pet-related logistics before the lease was finalized.
When a Landlord Could Still Say No
The bill did not create an absolute right to keep any animal. A landlord could refuse a pet with “reasonable justification,” defined to include compliance with state laws and local ordinances covering public health, animal control, and animal cruelty.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets A local dangerous-dog ordinance, a city ban on certain exotic species, or a county health regulation could all qualify.
The bill did not list conflicts with a landlord’s insurance policy as a specific exception. Many standard landlord policies exclude or surcharge for breeds like pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, Doberman pinschers, and Akitas, and whether that exposure would have counted as “reasonable justification” was left unresolved in the bill text. That ambiguity was one of the reasons property owner groups opposed the measure.
Who Would Have Been Covered, and When
AB 2216 included grandfathering for existing leases. The ban on preventing pet ownership would not have applied to any lease entered before January 1, 2025, that already prohibited pets. The ban on monthly pet rent would not have applied to any lease entered before that same date that already authorized the charge.1California Legislative Information. California Code – AB 2216 Tenancy: Common Household Pets Only new or renewed leases going forward would have been covered. Tenants sitting under a no-pet clause would have had to wait for renewal.
What California Renters With Pets Actually Have Right Now
No California statute currently guarantees the right to keep a pet in a rental. Two existing protections still matter, though.
Security Deposit Cap Under AB 12
Since AB 12 took effect on July 1, 2024, most landlords cannot collect a security deposit exceeding one month’s rent, whether or not the tenant has pets.2California Legislative Information. AB-12 Tenancy: Security Deposits A narrow exception lets landlords who are natural persons owning no more than two rental properties with four or fewer total units collect up to two months’ rent.3California Attorney General. Know Your Rights as a California Tenant Security Deposits A landlord can use that deposit to cover actual pet damage at the end of the lease, but cannot stack a separate “pet deposit” on top of the capped amount. Pet rent itself is not currently banned.
Federal Rules for Assistance Animals
Service animals and emotional support animals are not pets under federal law. Under the Fair Housing Act, a landlord must make reasonable accommodations for a person with a disability who needs an assistance animal, even in buildings with strict no-pet policies.4U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Assistance Animals
Landlords cannot charge pet deposits, pet fees, or monthly pet rent for assistance animals, and breed or size restrictions do not apply.5U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fact Sheet on HUD’s Assistance Animals Notice A landlord can only deny the animal if it would pose a direct threat to others’ health or safety, cause significant property damage no other accommodation could prevent, or impose an undue financial burden.4U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Assistance Animals
To request the accommodation, a tenant needs documentation from a healthcare professional who has personal knowledge of the individual’s disability and the need for the animal. HUD has warned that certificates or registrations purchased from websites that sell them to anyone willing to pay a fee are not reliable documentation.5U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fact Sheet on HUD’s Assistance Animals Notice A landlord who refuses a legitimate assistance animal request risks a housing discrimination claim with potential liability for actual damages, attorney’s fees, and injunctive relief.
If a similar pet rent ban is reintroduced in a future session, it will likely follow the AB 2216 template, so the structure above is a useful reference point. For now, pet rent remains legal in California, and tenants’ strongest leverage is either the security deposit cap or, where applicable, assistance animal protections under federal law.