Loan Limits / California / Orange County
2026 Loan Limits · California · LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH-ANAHEIM, CA
Orange County, CA.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $1,300,000. This county is designated high-cost — conforming limits exceed the national baseline.
Median Sales Price
$1,300,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$1,249,125
High-cost
FHA 1u Limit
$1,249,125
Ceiling
Jumbo Threshold
> $1,249,125
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
High-cost| 1-unit (single-family) | $1,249,125 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,599,375 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,933,200 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $2,402,625 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Ceiling| 1-unit (single-family) | $1,249,125 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,599,375 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,933,200 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $2,402,625 |
About this county
About Orange County
Orange County, officially the County of Orange, often initialized: O.C., is located in the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third most populous county in California, the sixth most populous in the United States, and more populous than 19 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Although mostly suburban, it is the second most densely populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most populous cities are Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine, each of which has a population surpassing 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County lie along the Pacific Coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
3,164,063
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$113,702
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$915,500
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
56%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in Orange County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for Orange County is $1,249,125. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. Because Orange County is designated a high-cost area, the limit exceeds the national baseline of $832,750.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $1,249,125. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for Orange County at $1,300,000. Orange County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in Orange County ($1,300,000) is above the conforming limit. A typical median-priced purchase here will be a jumbo loan unless the down payment is large enough to bring the loan amount inside conforming territory. We underwrite jumbo regularly.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
Orange County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,599,375, $1,933,200, and $2,402,625 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in Orange County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.