Santa Cruz County loan limits 2026California: FHA, VA and conforming
For 2026, the conforming loan limit in Santa Cruz County, California is $1,249,125 for a one-unit home, the high-cost ceiling (FHFA). The FHA forward mortgage limit is $1,249,125, the national ceiling (HUD). VA sets no loan limit for a veteran with full entitlement; with remaining entitlement, VA uses the $1,249,125 county limit.
Santa Cruz County loan limits by number of units
| Units | Conforming 2026 | FHA 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 unit | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| 2 units | $1,599,375 | $1,599,375 |
| 3 units | $1,933,200 | $1,933,200 |
| 4 units | $2,402,625 | $2,402,625 |
Conforming limits, announced November 25, 2025, apply to loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac acquire from January 1. FHA limits for 2026 apply to case numbers assigned on or after January 1. A lender may set lower maximums.
How Santa Cruz County compares
Santa Cruz County, California's 2026 conforming limit of $1,249,125 is the highest of 58 counties in California. 17 counties in California are above the baseline, up to $1,249,125. Nationally the one-unit limit runs from $832,750 to the $1,249,125 high-cost ceiling, higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
FHA: Santa Cruz County, California's $1,249,125 is the highest in California, and 30 counties of 58 in California are above the floor (state range $541,287 to $1,249,125).
FHA loan limit in Santa Cruz County
HUD's median home price for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $1,100,000; 115 percent of it exceeds the $1,249,125 ceiling, so the ceiling applies. HUD sets FHA limits by metropolitan area and county; Santa Cruz County, California is in HUD's Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA area.
For 2026, HUD's national floor is $541,287 (65 percent of the $832,750 conforming limit) and the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150 percent), with a higher ceiling in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The statute caps a one-family FHA loan at 115 percent of the area median, within those bounds (12 U.S.C. 1709(b)(2)).
VA loan limit in Santa Cruz County
Since January 1, 2020, there are no county loan limits for veterans with full VA home loan entitlement. County limits still apply to veterans who have used entitlement and not restored it. For them VA uses FHFA's one-unit conforming limit, $1,249,125 in Santa Cruz County, California for 2026, even when buying a 2 to 4 unit property.
VA's method: remaining entitlement is 25 percent of the county limit minus the entitlement already used and not restored. With $50,000 in use: $312,281.25 minus $50,000 is $262,281.25. VA loans are often pooled in securities that require a 25 percent guaranty, so without a down payment lenders often limit the loan to four times the remaining entitlement: $1,049,125 here. The county limit does not apply to an Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL): above $144,000, VA guarantees 25 percent of an IRRRL regardless of entitlement (VA Circular 26-25-10).
Loan limits in nearby counties
All California counties · Loan limits in every state
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National pages: conforming loan limits · FHA loan limits · VA loan limits · jumbo loan limit
Check a Santa Cruz County property
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Questions about Santa Cruz County loan limits
What is the conforming loan limit in Santa Cruz County for 2026?
$1,249,125 for a one-unit home, $1,599,375 for two units, $1,933,200 for three and $2,402,625 for four, effective January 1, 2026. These are the largest loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy in Santa Cruz County, California (announced November 25, 2025).
What is the FHA loan limit in Santa Cruz County?
$1,249,125 for one unit, $1,599,375 for two, $1,933,200 for three and $2,402,625 for four units in 2026, for FHA case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026. HUD's median home price for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $1,100,000; 115 percent of it exceeds the $1,249,125 ceiling, so the ceiling applies.
What is the VA loan limit in Santa Cruz County?
A veteran with full entitlement has no VA loan limit (VA, since January 1, 2020); the lender still decides what you can borrow. With entitlement already in use, VA uses FHFA's one-unit limit, $1,249,125 for 2026 in Santa Cruz County, California, even for a 2 to 4 unit property. Example with $50,000 of entitlement in use: 25 percent of $1,249,125 is $312,281.25, minus $50,000 leaves $262,281.25 of entitlement, and most lenders lend up to four times that, $1,049,125, without a down payment.
What is the jumbo loan limit in Santa Cruz County?
A mortgage above $1,249,125 for a one-unit home in Santa Cruz County, California is a jumbo loan in 2026: FHFA defines the conforming limit as the highest amount Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac can acquire and calls mortgages above it jumbo loans. Loans between the $832,750 baseline and $1,249,125 are conforming here but are often called high-balance loans.
Is Santa Cruz County a high-cost area for loan limits?
Yes. FHFA's 2026 limit for Santa Cruz County, California is $1,249,125, the high-cost ceiling. FHFA raises a county's limit where 115 percent of the area's median home value exceeds the baseline, up to 150 percent of the baseline.
When will the 2027 loan limits for Santa Cruz County be announced?
FHFA updates the conforming limits at the end of November and they take effect on January 1 (FHFA announced the 2026 limits on November 25, 2025). HUD's FHA limits follow in a mortgagee letter (Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 set the 2026 limits). This page shows the 2027 figures as soon as each agency publishes them. Conforming limits do not decrease.
Legal references
- 12 U.S.C. 1709(b)(2), FHA mortgage limits (115 percent of the area median, floor and ceiling)
Published federal limits. JSON: /api/data/loan-limits/california/santa-cruz-county. Not lending advice.