FHA loans are a popular financing option among home buyers in California. In 2023, they…
California Conforming Loan Limits for 2022: They’ve Officially Gone Up
As mentioned in a previous blog post, we expected the California conforming loan limits for 2022 to be increased due to steady home-price gains. And now it’s official.
On November 30, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that they were increasing the conforming loan limits for California and other U.S. states. They’re doing this in response to the tremendous home-price gains that have occurred over the past year or so.
Here are some key highlights you should know:
- California conforming loan limits for 2022 were announced earlier today.
- Loan limits are going up for all 58 California counties.
- This applies to conventional loans that can be sold to Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae.
- The 2022 California conforming loan limits range from $647,200 to $970,800.
- More expensive counties, like those in the Bay Area, have higher caps.
- It’s possible to borrow more than these limits, by using a “jumbo” mortgage.
What Is a Conforming Loan, Exactly?
There are limits to how much you can borrow when using a conventional conforming loan. But before we get to those, let’s clarify some of the terminology being used here. These labels tend to confuse borrowers.
Here’s what you should know:
- A conventional mortgage loan is one that does not receive government insurance backing or guarantees. In other words, it’s a “regular” home loan. This term is used to differentiate conventional mortgage products from the government-backed programs, such as FHA and VA.
- A conforming loan is a conventional mortgage that meets the size limits used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Those are the two corporations that purchase, securitize and resell home loans through the secondary market. In terms of their size, conventional mortgage loans can either be “conforming” or “jumbo.” If it falls when the size limits mentioned below, it’s conforming. If it exceeds those limits, it’s considered a jumbo loan.
Refer to the table below to find the numbers for your particular county.
The 2022 Loan Limits for California Counties
As mentioned above, federal housing officials have increased California conforming loan limits for 2022. These limits vary by county, because they are primarily based on median home prices.
To quote the recent FHFA report: “[U.S.] house prices increased 18.05 percent, on average, between the third quarters of 2020 and 2021. Therefore, the baseline CLL in 2022 will increase by the same percentage.”
For the calendar year 2022, California conforming loan limits will range from $647,200 to $970,800, depending on where the home is located. Here is a county-by-county look at the revised caps for 2022:
| County | One-Unit | Two-Unit | Three-Unit | Four-Unit |
| ALAMEDA | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| ALPINE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| AMADOR | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| BUTTE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| CALAVERAS | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| COLUSA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| CONTRA COSTA | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| DEL NORTE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| EL DORADO | $675,050 | $864,200 | $1,044,600 | $1,298,200 |
| FRESNO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| GLENN | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| HUMBOLDT | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| IMPERIAL | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| INYO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| KERN | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| KINGS | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| LAKE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| LASSEN | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| LOS ANGELES | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| MADERA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MARIN | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| MARIPOSA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MENDOCINO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MERCED | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MODOC | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MONO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| MONTEREY | $854,450 | $1,093,850 | $1,322,200 | $1,643,200 |
| NAPA | $897,000 | $1,148,350 | $1,388,050 | $1,725,050 |
| NEVADA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| ORANGE | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| PLACER | $675,050 | $864,200 | $1,044,600 | $1,298,200 |
| PLUMAS | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| RIVERSIDE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SACRAMENTO | $675,050 | $864,200 | $1,044,600 | $1,298,200 |
| SAN BENITO | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| SAN BERNARDINO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SAN DIEGO | $879,750 | $1,126,250 | $1,361,350 | $1,691,850 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| SAN JOAQUIN | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SAN LUIS OBISPO | $805,000 | $1,030,550 | $1,245,700 | $1,548,100 |
| SAN MATEO | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| SANTA BARBARA | $783,150 | $1,002,600 | $1,211,900 | $1,506,100 |
| SANTA CLARA | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| SANTA CRUZ | $970,800 | $1,243,050 | $1,502,475 | $1,867,275 |
| SHASTA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SIERRA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SISKIYOU | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SOLANO | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SONOMA | $764,750 | $979,000 | $1,183,400 | $1,470,700 |
| STANISLAUS | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| SUTTER | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| TEHAMA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| TRINITY | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| TULARE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| TUOLUMNE | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
| VENTURA | $851,000 | $1,089,450 | $1,316,900 | $1,636,550 |
| YOLO | $675,050 | $864,200 | $1,044,600 | $1,298,200 |
| YUBA | $647,200 | $828,700 | $1,001,650 | $1,244,850 |
California loan limits have been increased for several years in a row now, due to rising house values. But the increase from 2021 to 2022 was bigger than usual. That’s largely due to the record-breaking rise in home prices that occurred during 2021.
How to Borrow More Than These Amounts
To recap: the 2022 California conforming loan limits range from $647,200 to $970,800, depending on the county where the home is located. These caps will remain in effect for the full calendar year.
But it’s possible to borrow more than the conforming loan limits shown above. That’s actually a common occurrence in California, especially in pricier real estate markets like the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Orange County.
If you borrow more than the limit for your county, you’re using what’s known as a jumbo mortgage loan. The “jumbo” title means it’s too large to be sold to Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. The qualification criteria for a jumbo mortgage product can be more strict, when compared to a smaller conforming loan.
Just know that it’s possible to borrow more than the 2022 California conforming loan limits shown above.
In fact, borrowers with good credit and sufficient income can often qualify for home loans up to several million dollars. The main qualification in such cases is that the borrower has the ability to manage the monthly payments and repay the debt.
Have mortgage questions? Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bridgepoint Funding serves the entire state of California. We specialize in larger loans, such as the jumbo mortgage product mentioned above. Please contact us if you financing questions or would like to apply for a loan.
