Not legal advice. This is a free reference compiled from official government sources. Laws change and local details matter. Confirm every deadline with the official source or a licensed attorney before you rely on it.
Last verified: · Confidence: medium
When is rental registration or license renewal due in Los Angeles?
Short answer
Annual rental registration: pay RSO or JCO fee and SCEP fee (delinquent after the last day of February)
When: Every year by the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years)
Every year, pay the per-unit RSO or JCO registration fee and the SCEP fee (bills go out around January; due January 1, delinquent after the last day of February). A Registration Certificate is required to legally collect rent, and not receiving a bill does not excuse late fees.
"Annual registration is mandatory for all residential rental units in the City of Los Angeles." housing.lacity.gov
"The annual (calendar) fee is due in January of each year and is assessed a delinquent fee if payment is not received by the last day of February." housing.lacity.gov
"A Registration Certificate is required to legally collect rent; these are issued only after all requirements are met." housing.lacity.gov
Annual rental registration: pay RSO or JCO fee and SCEP fee (delinquent after the last day of February) Verified
Deadline: Every year by the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years)
Every year, pay the per-unit RSO or JCO registration fee and the SCEP fee (bills go out around January; due January 1, delinquent after the last day of February). A Registration Certificate is required to legally collect rent, and not receiving a bill does not excuse late fees.
Who it covers: All residential rental units in the City of Los Angeles. RSO units pay the RSO fee ($38.75/unit); non-RSO units pay the Just Cause (JCO) fee ($31.05/unit); properties in SCEP scope also pay the SCEP fee ($67.94/unit). Fees are per unit and not prorated. Leap years: the last day of February is the 29th.
"Annual registration is mandatory for all residential rental units in the City of Los Angeles." housing.lacity.gov
"The annual (calendar) fee is due in January of each year and is assessed a delinquent fee if payment is not received by the last day of February." housing.lacity.gov
"A Registration Certificate is required to legally collect rent; these are issued only after all requirements are met." housing.lacity.gov
"This fee shall be due and payable on the first day of January of each year, and shall be deemed delinquent if not paid on or before the last day of the month of February of each year." codelibrary.amlegal.com
Notes: LAMC §151.05 (RSO). Delinquent amounts per LAHD: RSO $58.13, JCO $46.58, SCEP $135.88 per unit. Landlords may pass 50% of the RSO fee through as a monthly surcharge after 30 days' notice (§151.05 F). Fee is due in January; delinquent if not paid by the last day of February.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: high · Status: verified · Report a correction
City business tax: owners renting 4+ units need a Business Tax Registration Certificate; renew by end of February Verified
Deadline: Every year by the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years)
If you rent out four or more residential units in Los Angeles, register with the Office of Finance and file the annual business tax renewal (based on prior-year gross rents) by the end of February.
Who it covers: Counts residential units across all of the owner's properties in the City, not just this building: four or more in total requires the certificate; three or fewer in total are not liable under this classification. Rate $1.27 per $1,000 of prior-year gross receipts (LAMC 21.43). February 29 in leap years.
"If you rent out 4 or more residential units from properties within the City limits, you are required to obtain a business tax certificate from the Office of Finance." finance.lacity.gov
"**Timely filing of annual business tax renewals must be filed prior to the last day of February." finance.lacity.gov
Notes: Medium: the Office of Finance page says both 'February 28' and 'prior to the last day of February'; file early to be safe. Tax amount not computed here. Office of Finance: renewals must be filed prior to the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years).
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: medium · Status: verified · Report a correction
Exemption declaration for unregistered units due by the last day of January Verified
Deadline: Every year by January 31
If you claim an exemption for a unit you do not register, file the LAHD declaration with supporting documents by the last day of January each year, or the unit is deemed subject to the RSO.
Who it covers: Only if you claim a unit is not subject to the RSO (e.g., owner-occupied, vacant with recorded notice). Otherwise the unit is treated as covered and fees are non-refundable.
"If a landlord fails to submit a written declaration and supporting documents by the last day of the month of January of each year, the unit shall be deemed to be subject to the provisions of this Chapter and any fees collected shall be non-refundable." codelibrary.amlegal.com
"Property owners may request annual temporary exemptions each year." housing.lacity.gov
Notes: LAMC §151.05 G.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: high · Status: verified · Report a correction
JCO (non-RSO) Rent Registry: complete the Rent Registry with the annual registration by the last day of February Verified
Deadline: Every year by the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years)
LAHD's JCO page says landlords of JCO properties must complete the Rent Registry form in addition to paying the annual registration fee. Registration, and the Registration Certificate needed to collect rent, is complete only once fees are paid and the Rent Registry is submitted, so file it with the annual registration by the last day of February.
Who it covers: Non-RSO rental units in the City of Los Angeles covered by the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO): most units built after October 1, 1978, single-family homes and condos, and other units not under the RSO. Applies whatever the building year; RSO units file under the RSO Rent Registry rule instead (do one registry per unit).
"In addition to paying the annual registration fee, landlords are required to complete the Rent Registry form." housing.lacity.gov
"All properties rented or offered for rent must be registered annually." housing.lacity.gov
"To comply, landlords must pay fees for the Rent Stabilization (RSO), Just Cause (JCO), and Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP) ordinances and submit a Rent Registry." housing.lacity.gov
"The annual (calendar) fee is due in January of each year and is assessed a delinquent fee if payment is not received by the last day of February." housing.lacity.gov
Notes: Medium: LAHD's JCO and annual-bill pages say a Rent Registry is required for JCO properties, but LAMC §151.05 J and the Rent Registry form describe the registry for RSO units only, and no separate JCO registry deadline is published. The date shown is the annual registration delinquency date (computed: last day of February). LAHD does not state a separate JCO registry date; the date is taken from the annual registration deadline (delinquent after the last day of February), which requires the Rent Registry.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: medium · Status: verified · Report a correction
New owners: register the rental units (or file exemptions) within 45 days Verified
Deadline: Within 45 days after acquiring the property
After buying a rental property in Los Angeles, register its units with LAHD, and file any temporary exemptions, within 45 days.
"New property owners have 45 days to register their rental property and if applicable, file Temporary exemptions." housing.lacity.gov
Notes: LAHD RSO Overview page. If a previously exempt unit's status changes, notify LAHD and pay fees within 10 days (same page).
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: medium · Status: verified · Report a correction
RSO Rent Registry: report rent and tenancy information for each RSO unit by the last day of February Verified
Deadline: Every year by the last day of February (February 28, or 29 in leap years)
Each year submit the Rent Registry (rent amount, move-in date, last increase, emergency contact) for every RSO unit, online at registerLArent.org or by mail. Registration is complete, and a certificate issued, only once fees are paid and the registry is filed.
Who it covers: Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) units: generally buildings first built on or before October 1, 1978 with two or more units on the parcel (apartments, duplexes, two+ houses on a lot, ADUs on such lots), plus some condos/townhomes and replacement units. Check ZIMAS (zimas.lacity.org, Housing tab). Calendar filter uses built before 1979 as an approximation of the October 1, 1978 cutoff, and 2+ units on the property. Condos: an individually owned condo or townhome is not caught by this filter even though some are RSO (for example, condos rented as apartments before conversion); if ZIMAS or LAHD says your condo is RSO, these rules apply to it too.
"A landlord shall provide rent amount and tenancy information for every rental unit subject to this chapter on a form prescribed by the Department. This information shall be submitted annually by the last day of February of each year." codelibrary.amlegal.com
"The Rent Registry Form must be completed for every rental unit subject to the RSO on an annual basis, and received by LAHD on or" housing.lacity.gov
Notes: LAMC §151.05 J (Rent Registry Ordinance 184529). Non-RSO (JCO) units: see the separate JCO Rent Registry rule. Last day of February (29th in leap years).
Last verified 2026-10-20 · Confidence: high · Status: verified · Report a correction