Evicting a Tenant in the Inland Empire: A Landlord's Guide (Riverside & San Bernardino)

The Inland Empire covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties, from Corona and Riverside out to the high desert and the Coachella Valley. If you own a rental there and need to remove a tenant, the statewide eviction rules apply, but local, mobilehome, subsidized-housing, and federal rules can add requirements before notice, filing, relocation, or lockout. For eviction purposes, the useful starting points are the county, the city, the property type, the ownership and AB 1482 exemption status, any subsidy or federal-program status, and the tenancy facts, not the regional label. The sections below cover the recurring issues that affect Inland Empire eviction notices and filings: county venue, city overlays, AB 1482 and SB 567 coverage, notice language, response deadlines, and sheriff timing.

What the Inland Empire covers

The Inland Empire is the two-county region east of Los Angeles and Orange counties:

• Riverside County: Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Perris, and the Coachella Valley cities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, and Coachella.
• San Bernardino County: San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Rialto, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, Redlands, Yucaipa, and the high-desert cities of Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley.

An unlawful detainer, the formal name for an eviction lawsuit, is filed in the Superior Court of the county where the property sits.

The statewide rules still apply

Statewide California unlawful detainer rules apply throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties, but local, mobilehome, subsidized-housing, and federal rules can add requirements:

• Effective January 1, 2025, AB 2347 gives a tenant 10 court days to respond after personal service of the unlawful detainer summons and complaint. For substituted service or posting and mailing, service is generally complete 10 days after the mailing, and the tenant then has 10 court days to respond, so the effective deadline is later.
• The Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) requires a just cause to end a covered residential tenancy, generally after the tenant has lawfully occupied the unit for 12 months, and it caps rent increases on covered units. If additional adult tenants were added before an existing tenant reached 24 months, a 12-month or 24-month rule can apply. Many properties are exempt, including certain newer construction and some single-family homes and condominiums when the owner gives the proper notice, so confirm whether your unit is covered.
• SB 567, effective April 1, 2024, tightened certain no-fault eviction rules (mainly owner or relative move-ins and substantial remodels) and expanded enforcement for both just-cause and rent-cap violations, including actual damages, possible attorney fees, up to three times the actual damages in specified circumstances, and punitive damages. See our guide to SB 567 and no-fault evictions.
• In Eshagian v. Cepeda (B340941), a published Court of Appeal opinion issued June 26, 2025, the court held that a defective three-day notice to pay rent or quit, one that did not make clear the deadline, how and where to pay, and that the tenant would lose possession, can leave the case without a valid cause of action.

For the full rundown, see our guide to the 2026 California eviction law changes.

Local rules in the Inland Empire

Do not assume an Inland Empire property has no local overlay. Some cities have no separate residential rent-control or just-cause ordinance beyond state law; others have local rules for residential units, mobilehome spaces, or both. Check the city code before serving a notice. Examples to check (this is not an exhaustive list) include:

• Palm Springs has a local rent-control ordinance for covered units, including special rules for mobilehome spaces and certain older residential units. For a covered residential unit, the municipal code requires the landlord to allege substantial compliance with the ordinance in a possession complaint.
• Perris adopted Ordinance No. 1469 on January 13, 2026, addressing just-cause eviction protections on top of AB 1482. Confirm the current codified text and effective date before relying on it.
• Several Inland Empire jurisdictions have mobilehome-park rent-stabilization ordinances, including Riverside County, the cities of Riverside, San Bernardino, Menifee, and Corona.

Local rules also change as cities adopt or amend them. Before you serve any notice, check the current rules for the specific city your property is in, and confirm the operative date of any ordinance.

Where your case is filed

An unlawful detainer is filed in the Superior Court for the county where the rental is located, in the courthouse assigned to that property's area.

Each county assigns unlawful detainer cases to a specific courthouse by the property's location, and each county's Superior Court site has a where-to-file lookup by city or ZIP, so confirm the correct filing court before you file.

The process, step by step

1. Serve the correct notice for the situation (a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, a notice for a lease violation, a no-fault notice, and so on), served properly under the rules. For three-day pay-or-quit and perform-or-quit notices, exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays from the three days. Do not assume the same counting applies to every quit notice or to 30-day, 60-day, or federal notices.
2. After the notice period expires, file the unlawful detainer in the right county Superior Court.
3. The tenant's deadline to respond depends on how they were served: generally 10 court days after personal service. For substituted service or posting and mailing, service is generally complete 10 days after the mailing, and the 10 court days run from there, so the effective deadline is later.
4. If the tenant does not respond in time, you can request a default judgment. If the tenant files an answer, either side can ask the court to set the case for trial, and a jury trial is available if properly requested and the fees are handled.
5. After a judgment for possession, you obtain a writ of possession and the sheriff schedules the lockout.

Even an uncontested case can take longer than landlords expect. California's courts estimate roughly 30 to 45 days or more from the time the court papers are served to the move-out, and that is on top of the pre-lawsuit notice period. Service method, the court's calendar, sheriff scheduling, local rules, and any tenant filings can extend it. No timeline or outcome is guaranteed. For a week-by-week breakdown, see the California eviction timeline.

Before you serve a notice

Wherever the property sits, confirm these first:

1. The city, and whether it has a local rent-control or just-cause ordinance (for example, Palm Springs or Perris).
2. Whether the unit is covered by AB 1482 or exempt, and whether an exemption notice is required.
3. The notice type for your situation, and the correct way to count the notice period.
4. An accurate rent ledger and the exact amount demanded, with no improper charges.
5. The payment address and method, and clear loss-of-possession language, in any pay-or-quit notice.
6. The named tenants and occupants, and the correct service method.
7. The right county courthouse, and any local forms or relocation requirement.

Talk to an eviction attorney serving Inland Empire landlords

Steven D. Silverstein represents landlords in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and in Orange County, and has been a member of the California State Bar since 1979 (Bar No. 86466). If you want advice on the correct notice, the filing court, the local rules for your city, or the next step in your case, call 714-832-3651. No attorney can guarantee a timeline or an outcome. You can also read more about evictions in Riverside County and San Bernardino County.

Last reviewed June 2026. This article is general information for California landlords and is not legal advice for your situation. Confirm the current local rules for your property before you act.