Colusa and Williams on the Sacramento River, rice and orchard agriculture, extreme summer heat, and one of California’s smallest and most purely agricultural counties where AB 1482 applies with no standalone MSA CPI requiring active index verification
📍 County Seat: Colusa — Colusa County Superior Court 👥 ~21K residents — California’s 47th most populous county ⚖️ Superior Court • 532 Oak St, Colusa, CA 95932 🏘️ No rent control • No standalone MSA CPI (verify) • Rice/orchard ag • Sacramento River • Extreme heat
Colusa County sits in the central Sacramento Valley between Glenn County to the north and Yolo and Sutter counties to the south, with Lake County to the west across the Coast Range. The Sacramento River forms the county’s eastern boundary, and the flat valley floor between the river and the western foothills is among the most productive rice-growing terrain in the United States. The county seat and largest community is Colusa, a small city of roughly 6,000 on the Sacramento River. Williams, at the junction of Interstate 5 and Highway 20, is the county’s commercial crossroads and the southern gateway to the county from the valley floor. Colusa County is among California’s least populous counties, with roughly 21,000 residents spread across a predominantly rural and agricultural landscape.
The rental market in Colusa County is among the most purely agricultural in California: rice farming and orchard production (almonds, walnuts, sunflowers) anchor the economy, with county government, healthcare, and I-5 commercial activity providing the remaining employment base. Rents are among the lowest in the state. No rent control exists anywhere. AB 1482 applies with the standard no-MSA CPI verification requirement. Extreme summer heat — the Sacramento Valley here reaches 105°F+ regularly — makes air conditioning a habitability standard for valley floor rental properties.
Most Colusa County rental housing built before 2010 and not otherwise exempt is subject to AB 1482’s 5%+CPI rent cap (max 10%) and just-cause eviction requirement after 12 months. Colusa County does not have a standalone BLS metropolitan statistical area. Landlords must verify the applicable CPI index with current HCD guidance or a licensed California attorney before calculating any AB 1482 annual rent increase. Key exemptions: units built within 15 years, SFRs/condos not owned by corporations/REITs (written exemption notice required), owner-occupied duplexes. AB 1482 expires January 1, 2030.
No Local Rent Control
Colusa County has no county-wide rent control and no city within the county — including Colusa and Williams — had enacted local rent stabilization as of early 2026. AB 1482 is the sole regulatory framework for eligible units throughout the county.
Rice & Orchard Agriculture
Colusa County is one of California’s premier rice-producing counties, with flood-irrigated paddies covering vast areas of the flat valley floor. The county also produces almonds, walnuts, sunflowers, and other Sacramento Valley crops. Agricultural workers — rice operations, orchard labor, and harvest crews — are the primary tenant segment outside of county government and healthcare. Annual W-2 or prior-year tax return is the correct income documentation standard for seasonal agricultural workers. Rice harvest (September–October) and orchard harvests produce pay stubs that overstate reliable annual income if used as the primary qualification basis. Bank statements covering 6–12 months provide important context for income management patterns.
Extreme Summer Heat & A/C Habitability
Colusa and the surrounding Sacramento Valley floor communities regularly experience temperatures above 105°F in summer, with peak readings sometimes exceeding 110°F. Functional air conditioning is a habitability standard for valley floor rental units where A/C systems are landlord-maintained. Document A/C condition at move-in; specify maintenance responsibility clearly in the lease; schedule annual pre-summer HVAC maintenance; respond to summer A/C failure reports within 24 hours. Valley floor temperatures at these levels create genuine health risk without functional cooling.
Healthcare & Government Anchors
Colusa Medical Center and Colusa County government are the county’s most stable non-agricultural employers. Healthcare and government workers have W-2 income profiles that are the most straightforward to qualify in the county. Standard qualification criteria apply.
Williams & I-5 / Highway 20 Junction
Williams sits at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Highway 20, functioning as a truck stop and commercial services hub for north-south I-5 traffic and the east-west Lake County/Colusa County connector. Commercial, logistics, and trucking employment at this junction provides year-round W-2 income for a segment of the county’s workforce. The Granzella’s complex (a well-known Williams institution) and other commercial highway services employ local workers.
Sacramento River & Flood Awareness
The Sacramento River runs along Colusa County’s eastern boundary, and flood-irrigated rice paddies demonstrate how much of the county’s landscape is in or near the flood plain. Verify FEMA flood zone designations for rental properties near the river or in low-lying areas. Flood insurance requirements may apply to properties in designated flood zones.
SFR Exemption Notice Requirement
Single-family residences and condominiums not owned by a corporation, REIT, or LLC with a corporate member are exempt from AB 1482’s rent cap and just-cause eviction requirements — but only with the required written exemption notice in the lease or as a separate addendum. Include in every eligible SFR or condo lease.
Security Deposit Cap
1 month’s rent maximum for most landlords (Civil Code § 1950.5; effective July 1, 2024). Small landlords (≤2 properties, ≤4 units) may charge up to 2 months. No nonrefundable deposits. Return within 21 days with itemized statement, documentation, and photos.
Habitability & Climate
Extreme summer heat (105°F+) makes functional air conditioning a habitability standard for valley floor properties. Cool winters require functional heating. Tule fog in winter can be dense and persistent. For leases entered, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026, stove and refrigerator are required habitability elements statewide.
DV Early Termination
Victims of DV, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, elder abuse, or specified violent crimes may terminate with written notice and documentation within 180 days of the qualifying event. Rent obligation ends no more than 14 calendar days after notice (Civil Code § 1946.7).
AB 1482 (Tenant Protection Act) requires just cause for evictions of tenants in place 12+ months. 3-day notice can only include rent - no late fees, utilities, or other charges. AB 2347 (eff. Jan 2025/2026) doubled tenant response time from 5 to 10 business days. Notice excludes weekends and court holidays.
Serve the required notice based on the eviction reason (nonpayment or lease violation).
Wait for the notice period to expire. If tenant cures the issue (where allowed), the process stops.
File an eviction case with the Superior Court (Unlawful Detainer). Pay the filing fee (~$385-435).
Tenant is served with a summons and has the opportunity to respond.
Attend the court hearing and present your case.
If you prevail, obtain a writ of possession from the court.
Law enforcement executes the writ and removes the tenant if necessary.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This page provides general information about California eviction laws and does not constitute legal advice.
Eviction procedures can vary by county and may change over time. Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements or tenant protections.
For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified California attorney or local legal aid organization.
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🏘️ Communities & Screening Tips
CPI index verification: No standalone MSA. Verify the applicable BLS CPI index with HCD guidance or a licensed California attorney before any AB 1482 rent increase. Document the source.
Healthcare and government workers: Colusa Medical Center staff and county government employees have stable W-2 income. Standard qualification criteria. Most reliable income profiles in the county.
Rice and orchard workers: Annual W-2 or prior-year tax return for seasonal agricultural workers. Rice harvest (September–October) and almond/walnut harvest (August–October) pay stubs overstate reliable annual income. Bank statements covering 6–12 months add important context. Many agricultural households have multiple income contributors; document all sources.
I-5 / Williams commercial workers: Stable year-round W-2 employment for truck stop, logistics, and commercial service workers. Annual W-2 recommended for OTR truck drivers with variable weekly earnings.
Extreme heat & A/C: Document A/C system condition at move-in with photos. Specify maintenance responsibility in every lease. Respond to summer A/C failure within 24 hours — 105°F+ valley temperatures make A/C failure a health emergency.
Background checks, eviction history, credit reports — get the full picture before handing over the keys.
Colusa County Landlord-Tenant Law: Rice Paddies, Sacramento Valley Heat, and California’s Most Agricultural Small County
Colusa County is so thoroughly agricultural that it is tempting to describe it as a farming operation that happens to have a county government attached. The flat Sacramento Valley floor stretching from the Sacramento River westward toward the Coast Range foothills is covered in rice paddies during the growing season — flooded fields that turn the landscape into a reflective mosaic of sky and water — and almond and walnut orchards that line the county roads in disciplined geometric rows. The entire economy of this 21,000-person county orbits around what grows in those fields and orchards, with county government, a small hospital, and an I-5 truck stop economy filling in the employment gaps that agriculture leaves. For landlords, this means an almost entirely agricultural tenant pool, uncomplicated regulations, extreme heat that creates a genuine habitability standard, and rents that are among the lowest in California.
Rice Country: The Annual Income Cycle and How to Document It
California’s Sacramento Valley produces a significant share of the nation’s domestic rice, and Colusa County is one of the valley’s premier rice-producing counties. The rice calendar runs from spring land preparation and flooding through summer growing season to fall harvest in September and October, with winter field drainage and preparation for the next season. This cycle means that rice farming is not purely seasonal in the way that a single-harvest crop might be — there is meaningful agricultural employment in most months — but harvest time does produce peak earnings that dwarf the rest of the year in pay per period. A rice combine operator or harvest crew member earning substantial daily wages during the September-October harvest will show a pay stub in October that would qualify them for housing at levels their overall annual income cannot sustain.
The correct income verification approach for Colusa County agricultural workers is the same one applied throughout this series: prior year’s W-2 or complete tax return as the primary qualification document, divided by twelve to calculate monthly income equivalent, supplemented by bank statements covering six to twelve months to provide context for how the household manages the annual income cycle. Many Colusa County agricultural households have multiple income contributors — a household where two family members each work in agricultural operations may have combined annual income that comfortably exceeds what any single earner’s pay stub would show. Documenting all household income sources consistently is both legally appropriate under fair housing standards and financially prudent for income reliability assessment.
The Heat and the No-MSA CPI
Colusa County’s Sacramento Valley location produces the same extreme summer climate documented throughout this series for the valley counties: temperatures above 105°F are routine in July and August, with peaks above 110°F occurring in most years. There is no coastal moderation here — the Coast Range to the west blocks marine air, and the valley floor heats rapidly under summer sun. Functional air conditioning is a habitability standard for valley floor rental properties where A/C systems are included and maintained by the landlord. The same operational practices recommended for Redding, Red Bluff, and Willows apply here: move-in documentation of A/C condition, annual pre-summer maintenance, and a 24-hour response standard for summer A/C failure reports.
On the regulatory front, Colusa County has no standalone BLS metropolitan statistical area, placing it in the same AB 1482 CPI verification situation as the series of small rural counties documented in the preceding pages. Verify the applicable index with HCD guidance or an attorney before calculating any AB 1482 increase, document the source, and retain that documentation. The dollar amount of any AB 1482-permitted increase in Colusa County will be modest given the county’s very low base rent levels — but the compliance obligation is unchanged by the affordability of the market.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Colusa County landlord-tenant matters are governed by California Civil Code §§ 1940–1954.071 and the AB 1482 Tenant Protection Act (Civil Code §§ 1946.2 and 1947.12). Colusa County does not have a standalone BLS MSA; landlords must verify the applicable CPI index for AB 1482 calculations with current HCD guidance or a licensed California attorney before calculating any rent increase. Colusa County has no local rent control ordinances as of early 2026. Extreme summer heat (105°F+) makes functional air conditioning a habitability standard for valley floor rental properties. Unlawful detainer actions are filed in Colusa County Superior Court, 532 Oak St, Colusa, CA 95932. Security deposit cap: 1 month’s rent (Civil Code § 1950.5; effective July 1, 2024). Deposit return: 21 calendar days. AB 1482 rent cap: 5%+CPI (verify applicable index), max 10%; expires January 1, 2030. Just cause required after 12 months for covered units. Consult a licensed California attorney for specific guidance. Last updated: March 2026.
⚠️ Legal Disclaimer: This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Colusa County landlord-tenant matters are governed by California Civil Code §§ 1940–1954.071 and AB 1482 (Civil Code §§ 1946.2 & 1947.12). Colusa County has no standalone BLS MSA — verify the applicable CPI index for AB 1482 with HCD guidance or a licensed attorney before calculating any rent increase. No local rent control exists as of early 2026. Extreme heat makes functional A/C a habitability standard for valley floor properties. Unlawful detainer filed in Colusa County Superior Court, 532 Oak St, Colusa, CA 95932. Security deposit cap: 1 month’s rent (effective July 1, 2024). AB 1482 rent cap: 5%+CPI (verify applicable index), max 10%. Just cause required after 12 months. Expires January 1, 2030. Consult a licensed California attorney for specific guidance. Last updated: March 2026.
