Berkeley Housing Ordinances

There is no single public source that cleanly lists all Berkeley “housing‑related” ordinances by year since 2017, and the city does not publish an official annual tally. [1][2] What follows is a partial list built from prominent housing ordinances and measures; a complete list would require systematic coding of the City Council’s ordinance log.

2017

• Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) – Adopted 2017; adds BMC Chapter 13.79 to prohibit landlord harassment and certain bad‑faith behaviors used to force tenants out, and requires a standard notice of protections at the start of tenancies and with eviction notices. [3][4]

2018–2020 (selected)

Publicly accessible summaries highlight new tenant and rental rules, but do not enumerate every ordinance:

• Rent Ordinance amendments & rent board regulations – Multiple updates to BMC 13.76 and Rent Board regulations over these years adjust definitions, registration rules, allowable rent increases, and eviction protections; they are tracked in aggregate by the Rent Board rather than by a simple list by year. [5][6]

• Local COVID‑era measures (2020) – Berkeley adopted a local eviction moratorium and related protections in 2020; these later expired but are summarized in secondary sources rather than as a simple year‑by‑year ordinance index. [7]

2021–2023 (selected)

• Affordable Housing Requirements update (Ord. 7,853‑N.S., effective April 1, 2023) – Amends BMC 22.20.065 and related zoning sections to revise inclusionary housing requirements, in‑lieu fee structure (net residential floor area), exemptions for very small projects, and anti‑piecemealing rules. [8]

• Inclusionary Housing in‑lieu fee adjustments – Council actions in 2023–2025 refine the implementation of BMC Chapter 23.328 (Inclusionary Housing), including in‑lieu fee calculations and exemptions; these are framed as amendments to an existing inclusionary ordinance rather than brand‑new code chapters. [9][8]

2024–2025 (selected)

• Measure BB (2024 local ballot measure) – Amends the Rent Ordinance with new compliance rules for housing providers (narrowing exemptions, expanding registration, limiting some eviction grounds, capping AGAs, and modifying relocation payments). [10][11]

• Middle Housing Ordinance (2025) – Council packet describes a “Middle Housing Ordinance” and related Zoning Ordinance/General Plan amendments implementing state middle‑housing reforms (e.g., SB 9 and related laws) into Berkeley’s zoning code; the exact ordinance number and final language are in 2025 council actions. [12]

• Further Inclusionary Housing Ordinance amendments (2025) – A 2025 item proposes amending BMC 23.328(F) to remove the exemption for projects under 5,000 square feet from inclusionary requirements, aligning local code with recent state law changes under AB 1505 and updating in‑lieu fee rules. [9]

Why there is no complete year‑by‑year list here

• The Berkeley Municipal Code page confirms the code is current through Ordinance 7978‑NS (as of July 8, 2025), but it does not categorize ordinances by topic or provide an exportable list labeled “housing‑related.” [2][1]

• The Rent Board’s “New Laws Affecting Rental Properties” and similar pages flag major changes (e.g., Tenant Protection Ordinance, Measure M, Measure BB, eviction moratorium), but they aggregate state and local changes and do not present a comprehensive city‑ordinance count by year. [10][11]

To build the rigorous list you are asking for, you would need to:

• Pull all ordinances from the City Clerk/municipal code site for 2017–2025. [2][1]

• Code each ordinance by whether it affects housing, zoning, planning, permitting, or tenant protections.

• Then summarize by year.

If you want, the next step can be an outline for that coding workflow (including fields to capture, e.g., ordinance number, date, BMC sections, topic tags, and whether it’s driven by state preemption).

Sources
[1] Berkeley Municipal Code https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/public-records/berkeley-municipal-code
[2] Berkeley Municipal Code https://berkeley.municipal.codes
[3] Tenant Protection Ordinance https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/laws-regulations/city-berkeley-ordinances-affecting-rental-properties/tenant-protection-ordinance
[4] 13.79.060 Tenant protections - Berkeley Municipal Code https://berkeley.municipal.codes/BMC/13.79.060
[5] Rent Ordinance & Rent Board Regulations https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/laws-regulations/rent-ordinance-rent-board-regulations
[6] rent control & eviction protection - Berkeley Rent Board https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/Rent%20Board%20Guide%202022%20for%20new%20website_0.pdf
[7] Eviction Moratorium - Berkeley Property Owners Association https://www.bpoa.org/eviction-moratorium
[8] City of Berkeley Affordable Housing Requirements https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Attachment%20J%20-%20City%20of%20Berkeley%20Affordable%20Housing%20Requirements.pdf
[9] Inclusionary Housing Ordinance In-Lieu Fee https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-02-25%20Item%2014%20Inclusionary%20Housing%20Ordinance.pdf
[10] Laws, Ordinances & Reports - Berkeley Property Owners Association https://www.bpoa.org/laws-and-ordinances
[11] New Laws Affecting Rental Properties - Berkeley Rent Board https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/laws-regulations/new-laws-affecting-rental-properties
[12] Middle Housing Ordinance https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-06-26%20Special%20Item%2001%20Zoning%20Ordinance%20and%20General%20Plan_0.pdf
[13] Administrative Plan 2017 https://bha.berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017%20Administrative%20Plan.pdf
[14] Department of Housing and Community Development https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/APR_Berkeley_Final_2017.pdf
[15] Ch. 19.40 Berkeley Housing Code https://berkeley.municipal.codes/BMC/19.40