San Joseculture & etiquette

The DMV's own guidance gives you 20 days to register a vehicle you brought into the state, and the licence requirement for a resident who drives is tighter still — commonly cited as 10 days, though it is worth confirming the current day count with the DMV directly. Either way this is not the 60 or 90 days several other states allow, and DMV appointments in the Bay Area book out weeks ahead. Book the appointment before you have unpacked.

California pegs a property's taxable value to its purchase price and limits growth to roughly 2% a year until it sells, when it is reassessed at the new price. The practical effects are large. A long-term owner next door may pay a fraction of what you would on an identical house. Landlords with a low basis can rent below market and still do well, which is part of why some older buildings are cheaper than they look. And a buyer's tax bill is set by what they paid, not by what the neighbourhood pays. Check the actual assessed value on the county assessor's record rather than assuming.

San José runs its own Apartment Rent Ordinance capping annual increases at 5% for most multi-unit buildings that were occupied before 7 September 1979, alongside a city Tenant Protection Ordinance requiring just cause for eviction. California's statewide Tenant Protection Act separately caps increases at 5% plus regional inflation to a 10% maximum on most buildings over 15 years old. Which one applies depends on the building's age and unit count, and the difference is real money. Ask the landlord in writing which regime the unit falls under.

California limited residential security deposits to one month's rent for deposits taken from 1 July 2024, furnished or unfurnished, with a narrow exception allowing two months for small landlords who are natural persons owning no more than two rental properties totalling no more than four units. Landlords and letting agents still occasionally quote the old two-month norm. The law changed; the ask is not.

The Social Security Administration verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so going in on day two usually wastes the trip. Only work-authorised people qualify; everyone else files IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN. The card is free.

The Hayward and Calaveras faults run through the East Bay hills immediately beside this valley, and the San Andreas runs along the Santa Cruz Mountains on the other side. Standard home and renters' policies exclude earthquake damage entirely; cover is bought separately, usually through the California Earthquake Authority. Beyond insurance, the official guidance is a week of water and supplies per person, because after a significant quake the constraint is roads and water mains, not goodwill.