San Jose Mun. Code Chapter 17.23 § 17.23.122
Consumer price index (San Jose Apartment Rent Ordinance and Tenant Protection Ordinance)
Operative Text
"Consumer Price Index" means the Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers in the San Francisco-Oakland-San José all items index (1982-84 equals 100), as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor. In the event a successor index to the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for all items for the San Francisco-Oakland-San José area or comparable area is established by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this definition may be updated accordingly in the Regulations.
Section 17.23.122 of the San Jose Municipal Code establishes which specific inflation measure is used as the reference point for rent-related calculations under the city's rent regulations. The designated index is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) covering the San Francisco-Oakland-San José metropolitan area, as published by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, benchmarked to the 1982–84 base period. If the Bureau of Labor Statistics ever replaces this index with a successor measure, the regulations allow the definition to be updated to reflect that change.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers subject to San Jose's rent regulations should be aware that any rent adjustment calculations tied to inflation under Chapter 17.23 are anchored to the CPI-U for the San Francisco-Oakland-San José area, as defined in § 17.23.122. Compliant operators generally track the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases for this specific index when evaluating permissible rent adjustments, rather than relying on national or other regional CPI figures. If the BLS ever introduces a successor index, operators would look to updated Regulations for guidance on which measure applies going forward.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 17.23.122 of the San Jose Municipal Code, the inflation benchmark used in the city's rent regulations is specifically the CPI-U for the San Francisco-Oakland-San José area — not a national or generic cost-of-living figure. Tenants who believe a rent increase was calculated using an incorrect or inapplicable index may have grounds to raise that concern, including by filing a complaint with the San Jose Housing Department or raising the issue before the applicable rent board. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Chapter 17.23 can help explain how this definition interacts with allowable rent increase calculations.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 6, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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