FHA Loans in California: Your Spouse's Credit Counts, and 30 Counties Have Higher Limits

Your spouse can stay off an FHA loan in California, and the lender still pulls their credit report. California is one of the nine community property states on the IRS's list, and HUD's FHA handbook has a rule written for exactly those states.

On an FHA loan in California, the lender must pull a credit report on a spouse who is not on the loan and count that spouse's debts unless state law excludes them, because California is a community property state. The 2026 FHA loan limit then depends on the county, from $541,287 in 28 counties up to $1,249,125 in ten.

I'm Jeff Moran, NMLS #483943, licensed to originate mortgages in California through C2 Financial Corporation. The national FHA explainer covers the program itself. The rest of this page is about what California changes.

Your spouse's credit and debts on a California FHA loan

The IRS lists California among its nine community property states in Publication 555. If you live in one of those states, or the home you are buying is in one, the lender pulls a credit report on your spouse even when your spouse is not applying with you, unless state law excludes it. Your spouse's monthly debts then go into your debt ratio, except for any debt that California law specifically excludes. A court judgment against your spouse has to be resolved or paid in full, again unless state law excludes it, and your spouse's collection accounts are reviewed along with yours. Your spouse's credit history itself is not a reason to deny the application.

Your spouse does not have to be on the loan or sign as a co-signer. The mortgage still has to be signed by everyone whose signature California law needs for the lender's lien to be valid. If your spouse carries debt or has a judgment, it changes the ratio we are working with, so you'll want to bring that up when we first talk. How debt ratios work explains the arithmetic.

FHA loan limits by California county in 2026

HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, dated December 11, 2025, sets the limits for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026. Of California's 58 counties, 28 are at the floor of $541,287 for a one-unit home, including Fresno, Kern and Shasta. The other 30 are above it:

One-unit FHA limit	California counties
$1,249,125	Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
$1,104,000	San Diego
$1,035,000	Ventura
$1,017,750	Napa
$1,000,500	San Luis Obispo
$994,750	Monterey
$941,850	Santa Barbara
$897,000	Sonoma
$776,250	Mono
$764,750	El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo
$736,000	Alpine
$690,000	Riverside, San Bernardino
$685,400	Solano
$678,500	San Joaquin
$649,750	Nevada
$546,250	Mendocino
$545,100	Stanislaus

In the ten counties at $1,249,125, HUD's county file puts the limit for two units at $1,599,375, for three at $1,933,200 and for four at $2,402,625.

The FHA limit in a California county is never higher than the conventional (conforming) limit there. In 17 counties the two are the same figure, and in the other 41, Riverside and Sacramento among them, the FHA limit is lower, so a loan above it becomes a conventional loan. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's 2026 announcement puts the conforming baseline at $832,750 and the ceiling at $1,249,125. The limit applies to the loan amount, and the upfront mortgage insurance premium can be financed on top of it without counting against the limit.

The down payment and credit score FHA looks for

FHA asks you to put in at least 3.5 percent of the adjusted value, which is the lower of the purchase price and the appraised value. With a credit score of 580 or higher, meaning the middle of your three scores or the lower of two, you can borrow up to 96.5 percent of that value on a purchase. The closing costs below come on top of that down payment.

Escrow, title and transfer tax on a California FHA file

California closes through a neutral escrow holder rather than an attorney, and the escrow officer cannot give legal advice. The Department of Insurance describes a regional custom for the owner's title policy: in Southern California the seller customarily pays for it, and in Northern California the client buying the home customarily pays for it or splits it. The contract controls either way, and FHA lets the seller and other parties with an interest in the sale contribute up to 6 percent of the sales price toward your closing costs. The California page explains the north-south split.

The documentary transfer tax is adopted by counties and cities rather than the state, and some cities add their own, so the figure depends on the address. An ordinary refinance does not trigger it. The California refinance page covers that case.

California notaries cannot yet do remote online notarization, so if you are buying from out of state, you'll plan on signing in person.

Your next step

When you're ready, you can see FHA priced next to conventional for your own county, with California closing costs included. A pre-approval comes after that, and Which mortgage fits you puts the programs side by side.

Nothing here is a loan approval, a denial, or a commitment to lend. A specific file is confirmed at application, and the community property rules depend on the facts of the marriage and the debts.

Common questions

Does an FHA lender pull my spouse's credit in California?

Yes, when your spouse is not on the loan. California is a community property state, and HUD's FHA handbook requires a credit report on a spouse who is not on the loan in those states, except where state law excludes it.

Does my spouse's credit score affect my FHA approval in California?

The handbook says your spouse's credit history is not a reason to deny the application. Your spouse's debts do go into your debt ratio, and an unpaid judgment against your spouse has to be resolved.

What is the FHA loan limit in Los Angeles County?

Los Angeles County is at HUD's 2026 ceiling for a one-unit home, along with Orange, San Francisco, Santa Clara and six other counties. Two-, three- and four-unit homes have higher limits there as well.

Which California counties have the lowest FHA limit?

Twenty-eight counties are at the national floor, and a few others, such as Mendocino and Stanislaus, are only slightly above it. HUD's county file has the exact figure for each one.

Can a California FHA loan be bigger than the conforming limit?

No. In every California county the FHA limit is equal to or lower than the conforming limit, so a loan above the FHA limit is conventional or jumbo.

Can I close an FHA loan in California remotely?

Not by remote online notarization, since California notaries cannot yet perform it. You sign in person before a notary, so if you are coming from out of state, you'll want to plan the signing around that.