How it works

What is Measure ULA, and where does its money go?

Measure ULA, approved by City voters in November 2022, adds a tax of 4% or 5.5% on sales of real property above an inflation-adjusted threshold, now $5.4 million, and the law requires the revenue to go into the House LA Fund for affordable housing and homelessness prevention.

Checked against official sources · As of Oct 1, 2026

What is taxed

The City already taxes every sale of real property at $2.25 per $500 of value, about 0.45%. Measure ULA, which 58% of City voters approved in November 2022, added a second tax, the “Homelessness and Housing Solutions Tax,” on sales from April 1, 2023:

  • 4% of the price on sales above the lower threshold and below the upper one;
  • 5.5% on sales at or above the upper threshold.

The thresholds started at $5 million and $10 million and are adjusted each year for inflation. For sales closing after June 30, 2026, the Office of Finance sets them at $5.4 million and $10.9 million. The tax applies to the whole price, not just the part above the threshold, and some buyers, including qualified affordable-housing organizations, are exempt.

Where the money goes by law

All of the tax goes into the House LA Fund, a special trust fund. Its money may be used only for the program the measure set out; interest stays in the fund, and money not spent in a year carries over rather than going to the City's Reserve Fund.

The measure also fixes how the fund is divided. No more than 8% a year may go to administration, including tax collection and the Citizens Oversight Committee, and at least 92% goes to programs. Of the program money, 70% is for the Affordable Housing Program (building, rehabilitating and preserving affordable housing) and, as the Housing Department describes it, 30% for the Homelessness Prevention Program, which includes short-term emergency assistance for tenants, income support for rent-burdened seniors and people with disabilities, and eviction defense.

The Los Angeles Housing Department administers the fund and each year prepares a three-year expenditure plan by July 1.

Can it change?

The Council may amend the program, but only in ways that further the measure's stated purposes; it cannot raise the tax without voter approval, and the Citizens Oversight Committee reviews proposed amendments first. If the committee finds an amendment inconsistent with those purposes, the Council must adopt written findings to proceed.

In the City budget

The FY2026-27 adopted budget lists $515.7 million in House LA Fund receipts (Exhibit B). The Measure ULA page shows tax collected by month and council district and what the fund has spent, and the House LA Fund page shows the fund's budget, spending and commitments from the Controller's records.

Sources

  1. Los Angeles Municipal Code, Sec. 21.9.2: real property transfer tax imposed (Measure ULA). Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  2. Office of Finance, Real Property Transfer Tax and Measure ULA FAQ. Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  3. Los Angeles Administrative Code, Sec. 5.598.1: House LA Fund. Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  4. Los Angeles Administrative Code, Sec. 22.618.3: House LA programs. Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  5. Los Angeles Administrative Code, Sec. 22.618.8: Council authority to amend. Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  6. Los Angeles Housing Department, United to House LA (ULA). Checked Oct 1, 2026.
  7. Office of the Controller, City of Los Angeles Adopted Budget, Fiscal Year 2026-27 (Budget Statement, Financial Policies, Fund Structure, Budget Calendar, Exhibits B and C). Checked Oct 1, 2026.

The Charter and City codes are published by American Legal Publishing; its site notes that recently enacted legislation can take up to three months to appear. This note describes how things work as of Oct 1, 2026 and does not assess any official or policy.