Los Angeles County Eviction Moratorium: An Update for 2022-2023

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic took center stage in March 2020, the LA County Eviction Moratorium–now referred to as the COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution–went into effect. The moratorium provided specific protections to residential tenants, commercial tenants, and mobile home space renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the eviction moratorium has been in place for over two and half years, many tenant protections were set to expire on December 31, 2022. As a result, many people who call Los Angeles home were left wondering how this will impact them. In late December of 2022, however, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to once again extend the eviction moratorium and tenant protections until  March, 2023 (for now).

As a law firm in Los Angeles that works with both tenants and landlords, Forward Law Group possesses tremendous knowledge of eviction laws, tenant protections, landlord rights, and unlawful detainers in LA. In this article, our attorneys provide a closer look at the LA County COVID Eviction Moratorium. Although the article focuses largely on the current status and the future of the eviction moratorium, we begin by providing a brief background on the history of the eviction moratorium in LA County. By having this information, readers will be more informed about upcoming changes to the moratorium.

A Background on the Los Angeles County COVID Eviction Moratorium

The Los Angeles County COVID Eviction Moratorium executive order was officially signed by LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger on March 19, 2020 (though it was retroactive to March 4, 2020). Most notably, the eviction moratorium protected residential and commercial tenants from eviction for nonpayment of rent because of economic hardship due to pandemic-related reasons. It also provided other protections to tenants such as a freeze on rent increases and additional anti-harassment and retaliation protections. 

One key detail to note is that the moratorium only applied to unincorporated LA County areas, excluding incorporated cities. That said, many cities followed suit with their own tenant protections, including the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena, and others (we’ll cover these later on). Since March 2020, the moratorium has been extended multiple times, due largely to the onset of different variants of COVID-19 such as omicron and delta.  The LA County COVID Eviction Moratorium was officially set to expire on December 31, 2022–marking the end of pandemic-era tenant protections. However, due to the potential spike in evictions that it would cause, the LA County Board of Supervisors once again voted to extend it until March 31st, 2023.

For both tenants and landlords, understanding and staying current with the constant changes to the eviction moratorium has been confusing, to say the least. Unfortunately, based on how things have been going, this trend can be expected to continue until the day that the moratorium is officially no longer enforced. With all this uncertainty, tenants, landlords, and property owners can ensure they stay in the clear by working with a qualified lawyer. 

Has the Los Angeles County Eviction Moratorium Been Extended? (2023 Update)

Simply stated, the LA County eviction moratorium has been extended multiple times since 2020, and it got extended again in late January of 2023. Although the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to end pandemic-related tenant protections for the region at the end of 2022, they extended it again during the final days before it was set to expire. In late January 2023, as the moratorium was once again set to expire, the Board of Supervisors extended for another two months. As of now, the eviction moratorium in LA County is continuing until March 31st, 2023.

According to LA County officials, some tenant protections are set to stay in place for at least another year, even when the moratorium ends. As stated in a resource from the LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, some of the ongoing tenant protections include

• Anti-harassment and retaliation protections for all residential, mobile home space renters, and commercial tenants during the Resolution’s (also known as the eviction moratorium) protected periods
• No-fault eviction protections as a baseline within LA County for tenants who utilized the County’s non-payment of rent protections from July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 and are still within the 12-month repayment period

Eviction Moratoriums for Cities in Los Angeles

In LA County, the eviction moratorium (i.e. the COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution), has applied to all residential tenants, commercial tenants, and mobile home space renters in unincorporated LA County, as well as cities in the County that do not have any moratorium in place. As mentioned previously, many cities within LA County have their own eviction moratoriums in place. In this section, we will take a look at the different eviction moratoriums for various cities within the region. 

City of Los Angeles COVID Eviction Moratorium

As of now, the LA County COVID Moratorium will end on March 31st, 2023. As stated by the That said, some LA County Supervisors have also been considering the option of extending the protections through the first half of the year until the end of June. As more information becomes available in the coming weeks, Forward Law Group will provide the latest updates.

City of Santa Monica COVID Eviction Moratorium

Currently, Santa Monica follows the following COVID eviction moratoriums:

• A city moratorium for nonpayment that applies only to rent-controlled tenants under a set of specific circumstances (only covers rent that becomes due between September 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023)
• The LA County moratorium for nonpayment for qualifying tenants who meet income and other requirements (for rent due from July 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022)
• A city moratorium restricting eviction for reasons other than nonpayment (e.g. nuisance, unauthorized occupant or pets) until February 28, 2023

More information about the Santa Monica COVID eviction moratorium can be found here. 

City of Pasadena COVID Eviction Moratorium

In April 2022, the Pasadena City Council voted to end the city’s eviction moratorium on June 30, 2022–approximately two years after they were first established. Tenants in the City of Pasadena had six months from the end date to pay all back rent that they owe to their landlords. Despite ending the eviction moratorium, the city did highlight plans to provide $3 million in rental assistance for low-income residents for the purposes of both back rent and up to two years of additional temporary rental assistance. More details related to the Pasadena City Council’s to sunset the eviction moratorium can be found here. 

Incorporated Cities in LA With Expired Eviction Moratoriums

Similar to Pasadena, many other incorporated cities with Los Angeles County previously had COVID-related eviction moratoriums in place that are now expired. Tenants in these cities do not have specific COVID-related protections in place. These cities include:

• Alhambra
• Burbank
• Culver City
• Gardena
• Glendale
• West Hollywood

While the list above highlights some of the cities that had their own eviction moratoriums in place, it is not exhaustive. Additionally, while other cities did not approve their own eviction moratorium, they adopted the LA County moratorium. 

California State COVID Eviction Moratorium

Many people may also be wondering whether or not the state of California currently has a COVID eviction moratorium in place. Although California had the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (CTRA) and the COVID-19 Rental Housing Recovery Act in place for close to two years, these pieces of legislation expired on June 30, 2022. As of July 1, 2022 the eviction requirements and procedures originally enacted by the CTRA and the Rental Housing Recovery Act no longer apply. 

Call Forward Law Group For Professional Help for All Eviction Related Matters

As we move into 2023, both landlords and tenants can expect a lot of changes related to how evictions are handled compared to the past couple of years. Although this article can be used to get information about the LA County eviction moratorium and where things are currently at with it, things may still change. For both groups, our team at Forward Law Group always recommends staying up-to-date with the latest news and information from official government agencies, particularly those dedicated to housing. 

Forward Law Group is here to help tenants, landlords, and property owners across Los Angeles County with all eviction-related matters. With our extensive knowledge of California eviction laws and unlawful detainers, our dedicated attorneys will help you achieve the outcome that you desire. As pandemic-era eviction moratoriums end, we anticipate many lingering issues for both landlords and tenants. Call us today at (818) 471-8389 to learn more about how our team can help you with your case.