Updated for 2026 · FHFA & HUD
California loan limits, county by county
Every conforming and FHA limit for all 58 counties, one to four units — and the exact loan amount where jumbo pricing starts where you are buying. Find your county below.
Baseline limit
$832,750
41 of 58 counties
High-cost ceiling
$1,249,125
10 counties
FHA floor
$541,287
28 counties
Placer County
Baseline
2026 limits · single-family home or condo
Conforming limit
$832,750
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Jumbo pricing starts above this.
FHA limit
$764,750
Lower than conforming here — a real gap to watch.
There is no high-balance tier in Placer County. A loan of $832,751 or more on a single-family home or condo is a jumbo, priced by individual investors rather than by Fannie Mae.
VA has no county loan limit at all with full entitlement, in Placer County or anywhere else.
All 58 California counties
Search by ZIP or county, switch between one and four units, and tap any row to pull it up top with the jumbo threshold and your next step.
Type a 5-digit ZIP and we will pick the county for you.
Our counties
| County | Conforming | FHA |
|---|---|---|
| AlamedaCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Alpine | $832,750 | $736,000 |
| Amador | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Butte | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Calaveras | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Colusa | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Contra CostaCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Del Norte | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| El Dorado | $832,750 | $764,750 |
| Fresno | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Glenn | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Humboldt | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Imperial | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Inyo | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Kern | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Kings | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Lake | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Lassen | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Los AngelesCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Madera | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| MarinCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Mariposa | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Mendocino | $832,750 | $546,250 |
| Merced | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Modoc | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Mono | $832,750 | $776,250 |
| MontereyMid-tier | $994,750 | $994,750 |
| NapaMid-tier | $1,017,750 | $1,017,750 |
| Nevada | $832,750 | $649,750 |
| OrangeCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Placer | $832,750 | $764,750 |
| Plumas | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Riverside | $832,750 | $690,000 |
| Sacramento | $832,750 | $764,750 |
| San BenitoCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| San Bernardino | $832,750 | $690,000 |
| San DiegoMid-tier | $1,104,000 | $1,104,000 |
| San FranciscoCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| San Joaquin | $832,750 | $678,500 |
| San Luis ObispoMid-tier | $1,000,500 | $1,000,500 |
| San MateoCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Santa BarbaraMid-tier | $941,850 | $941,850 |
| Santa ClaraCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Santa CruzCeiling | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| Shasta | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Sierra | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Siskiyou | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Solano | $832,750 | $685,400 |
| SonomaMid-tier | $897,000 | $897,000 |
| Stanislaus | $832,750 | $545,100 |
| Sutter | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Tehama | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Trinity | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Tulare | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Tuolumne | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| VenturaMid-tier | $1,035,000 | $1,035,000 |
| Yolo | $832,750 | $764,750 |
| Yuba | $832,750 | $541,287 |
Conforming limits: Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2026. FHA limits: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2026. VA has no county limit with full entitlement. Figures are for general information and are reissued each year.
What a conforming limit actually decides
It decides which rulebook prices your loan. At or under the limit, your mortgage can be sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which is what makes conventional pricing, 3% down programs and the published adjustment grids available to you. A dollar over it and the loan is a jumbo, priced by individual investors who each set their own terms — usually a larger down payment, more reserves in the bank, and a tighter credit profile. Neither is better; they are different products. What catches people out is that the line moves by county, so the same $900,000 loan is an ordinary conforming loan in Irvine and a jumbo in Roseville.
Why the FHA number is different from the conforming number
Two agencies, two formulas. FHFA sets the conforming limit for Fannie and Freddie; HUD sets the FHA limit as a band around that national figure, from a floor of $541,287 up to the same $1,249,125 ceiling, keyed to the median price in each county or metro. They draw the boundaries differently, so the two numbers routinely disagree — and the greater Sacramento region is the clearest example in the state. Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado and Yolo all sit at the conforming baseline of $832,750 while carrying an FHA limit of $764,750. If you are shopping with an FHA pre-approval, that lower number is your real ceiling, and it is nearly $70,000 below the conventional one.
Three ways to stay under the line
Being a little over the limit is a solvable problem more often than people assume. A slightly larger down payment can bring the loan amount under, and the saving on jumbo pricing sometimes pays for the extra cash within a couple of years. A first mortgage right at the limit with a second mortgage or HELOC behind it keeps the big loan agency-priced. And if you are looking at a duplex, triplex or fourplex, the limit is far higher — at the baseline a fourplex conforms up to $1,601,750 — with FHA still allowing 3.5% down as long as you live in one of the units. Which of the three is right depends on your numbers, and it is a ten-minute conversation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in California?
For most California counties the 2026 conforming loan limit on a single-family home is $832,750. Ten counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz — sit at the national high-cost ceiling of $1,249,125, and seven more land in between: San Diego at $1,104,000, Ventura at $1,035,000, Napa at $1,017,750, San Luis Obispo at $1,000,500, Monterey at $994,750, Santa Barbara at $941,850 and Sonoma at $897,000. The Federal Housing Finance Agency sets these county by county and reissues them every year, effective January 1.
What is the conforming loan limit in Placer and Sacramento County?
Both are at the 2026 baseline of $832,750 for a single-family home, and so are El Dorado and Yolo. That means a loan above $832,750 on a one-unit property anywhere in the greater Sacramento region is a jumbo, not a high-balance conforming loan — which is a real pricing difference, not a labelling one. The FHA limit in all four of those counties is higher than the state floor, at $764,750.
Why is my county FHA limit different from the conforming limit?
Because two different agencies set them using two different formulas. FHFA sets the conforming limit for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; HUD sets the FHA limit as a percentage band around that national number, from a floor of $541,287 up to the same $1,249,125 ceiling, based on the median price in each county or metro area. The two agencies draw their boundaries differently, so the numbers routinely disagree. Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado and Yolo are the local example: all four sit at the conforming baseline while carrying an FHA limit of $764,750 — above the FHA floor but below the conforming number.
What happens if my loan is over the county limit?
It becomes a jumbo loan, which is priced by individual investors rather than by Fannie Mae, and typically asks for a larger down payment, more reserves and a stronger credit profile. It is not a dead end — it is a different product with its own pricing. There are also three ways to stay under the line worth checking first: a slightly larger down payment, a first mortgage at the limit with a second behind it, or a 2-to-4 unit property, where the limit is materially higher.
Do VA loans have a county loan limit?
No. For a veteran with full entitlement there has been no VA county loan limit since January 1, 2020, when the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act took effect. The county number still matters for a borrower with partial entitlement — someone with another VA loan still open, or a prior VA loan that went to foreclosure — because entitlement is calculated against it. Individual lenders can also set their own maximum, which is a lender overlay rather than a VA rule.
Are the limits higher for a duplex, triplex or fourplex?
Considerably. At the 2026 baseline a duplex conforms up to $1,066,250, a triplex to $1,288,800 and a fourplex to $1,601,750, and the same proportions hold in every high-cost county. FHA works the same way and still allows 3.5% down provided you occupy one of the units as your primary residence. This is why a small multi-unit property sometimes finances more easily than a single-family home at the same price.
When do the 2026 loan limits change?
They apply to loans through the end of 2026. FHFA normally announces the following year in late November, with HUD publishing the FHA numbers shortly after, and both take effect on January 1. Conventional limits key off the application, FHA off the date the case number is assigned — so at the turn of the year it is worth asking which set your file falls under, because a few weeks can move the answer.
Where do you want to go next?
The limit tells you where jumbo starts. These tell you what to do about it.
Buying
Purchase
What you can borrow, what you need down, and how the limit above fits your price range.
PurchaseRefinancing
Refinance
Rate and term, cash-out, and whether your current loan amount still fits under the county line.
RefinanceSecond mortgage
Why a HELOC
The lever that keeps a first mortgage at the conforming limit instead of tipping it into jumbo.
Why a HELOCPrefer to just talk it through?
Aaron gives you the straight answer — no pressure, no jargon.
Call 916-365-2661