Palo Alto Rental Registry Program

Welcome to the City of Palo Alto’s Rental Registry Program online portal.

The Rental Registry Program annual open registration period for Program Year 3 (FY 2026-2027) begins October 1, 2026, and runs through January 19, 2027. The online portal also remains open and available for ongoing event based reporting and for non-registered properties to register/pay citations.

Contact City staff at rentalregistry@paloalto.gov if you have questions.

Who Can Use the Portal:

• Rental property owners and property managers use this portal to create accounts, register properties, and report events throughout the year.
• Renters and other members of the public can search for basic information, including the registration status of a rental unit.

What Rental Properties Need to Register:

• Properties with Three or More Units: Per Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 9.65, all residential properties with three or more units under one ownership must complete annual registration with the City, regardless of unit occupancy type. This includes units that are vacant, under renovation, rented, or owner occupied. In Program Year 3, most properties will be completing registration renewal and a few properties will be completing initial registration. The registration fee is $40/unit with registration fee exemptions available for owner-occupied units and units on 100% affordable properties.

What Properties Do Not Need to Register:

• Rental Properties with Two or Fewer Units: Residential properties with two or fewer units are currently not required to register during Program Year 3 (FY 2026-2027);
• Non-Residential Properties; and
• Hospitals, extended medical care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, health facilities, or continuing care retirement communities.

What Events Need to be Reported:

Some properties may have no required reportable events in a given year. However, if any of the following events occur at a rental unit, it is either required or requested to report them within 10 calendar days of occurrence throughout the year:

• Changes in rental property ownership;
• Rent increases;
• Notices to quit;
• Unlawful detainer filings;
• Evictions;
• Rent decreases;
• *NEW* Occupancy updates and changes (such as a unit turnover to a new renter); and
• *NEW* Lease updates and changes (such as if an incentive or discount is no longer applied to the unit rent or if the lease changes from 1-year to month to month).
  

Additional Information:

Participation in the Rental Registry Program satisfies the separate Landlord Registry requirement under Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 9.72. Rental properties that are not registered in the Rental Registry Program may still need to complete the Landlord Registry Form via the City’s Landlord Resources webpage.

The City will use the data collected by the Rental Registry Program to inform a wide range of rental housing policies.

Thank you to Palo Alto’s rental property owners for providing essential housing to our community.

Please bookmark this page for easy access in the future.

The Rental Registry Program Team – rentalregistry@paloalto.gov

This portal is securely operated by a trusted third-party vendor on behalf of the City of Palo Alto.

To learn more about the Rental Registry Program, please visit www.paloalto.gov/rentalregistry or email rentalregistry@paloalto.gov.