LA County Eyes First-of-Its-Kind Cooling Ordinance for Rentals Amid Rising Heat Risks

Los Angeles County Supervisors are preparing to vote on a groundbreaking ordinance that would require landlords to maintain rental units at or below 82°F. The proposed measure—scheduled for a Board vote next month—would apply to homes in unincorporated areas and cities that adopt the County’s code, according to LAist.

The ordinance, if approved, would take effect in September, with enforcement delayed until 2027 to allow time for landlord compliance. Investigations would be triggered by tenant complaints through the Rental Housing Habitability Program, which inspects rental units in unincorporated Los Angeles County every four years, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported.

While it does not mandate air conditioning, the proposal allows landlords flexibility to meet the required temperature using heat pumps, insulation, shade structures, and cool roofs, so long as indoor temperatures stay at or below the threshold.

This approach differs from cities such as Palm Springs, where landlords must provide air conditioning capable of keeping units no warmer than 80°F.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the motion with Supervisor Hilda Solis, described the urgency of the measure.

“Indoor heat is deadly,” Horvath told LAist. “There have been many older adults who have been particularly vulnerable and at risk… without this kind of mandate, they don’t necessarily have the legal protection that they need.”

The ordinance would cover approximately 72,665 rental units in unincorporated Los Angeles County, broken down as follows:

• 4,429 single-family rental units
• 35,356 multifamily units with two to four units
• 32,880 multifamily units with five or more units

Tenant protections are also built in: Landlords would be prohibited from preventing tenants from installing their own cooling devices, such as air conditioning units or fans.

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy’s director of policy and advocacy, Chelsea Kirk, voiced cautious support. “It has no enforcement teeth,” Kirk said of the ordinance’s structure. From the group’s July 8 report, she stated, “During heat waves, access to air conditioning is a matter of life and death.”

Some local landlord groups have opposed the ordinance, citing high retrofitting costs. Enforcement would be managed through a small fee increase to the County’s existing Rental Housing Habitability Program to cover inspection costs.

The ordinance also aligns with state-level guidance issued by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which recommended the 82°F indoor temperature threshold under Assembly Bill 209 in February.

To assist both tenants and landlords, Los Angeles County has launched a resource website: www.CoolHealthyHomes.org.