Adopted State Laws Related to Housing

Senate Bill 9:
Also known as the Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act, SB 9 is a state law that aims to increase residential development potential and expand infill development opportunities by making it easier to apply for a lot split or two-unit development in a single-family zone.

Visit the City’s SB 9 webpage for more information.

Senate Bill 4:
Senate Bill 4 limits cities and counties’ ability to regulate the development of new housing on property owned by religious and higher education institutions. This strategy enables congregations to advance their missions of supporting lower-income populations while enhancing the financial stability of religious institutions.

Visit the City’s SB 4 webpage for more information.

Assembly Bill 1050:
Permits developers of market-rate housing to remove or modify restrictive covenants (like those in CC&Rs) that limit the size, location, or density of residential units, especially when redeveloping commercial property for residential use.

Assembly Bill 2234, Assembly Bill 1114, and Senate Bill 489:
These bills establish timelines and define processes for permitting of majority residential projects. This helps enforce timely approval of housing within the City and encourage its production.

Visit the City’s Post-Entitlement Phase Permits webpage for more information.

Senate Bill 1014:
SB 1014, signed into law on September 29, 2026, will increase transparency and predictability in the housing approval process by requiring local governments to disclose infrastructure requirements and associated costs early in project review. It requires cities and counties to identify all infrastructure requirements (such as sidewalks, sewer improvements, and other public improvements) and provide a good-faith cost estimate within 30 days of a housing application. It also generally prohibits new infrastructure requirements from being imposed more than 30 days after a building permit application is submitted, except under certain circumstances.

Senate Bill 1116:
SB 1116, signed into law on September 29, 2026, will streamline the construction of smaller, lower-cost starter homes for homeownership. SB 1116 strengthens the Starter Homes Revitalization Act by increasing design flexibility, updating definitions, adding reporting requirements, and making technical clarifications. It builds on prior legislation, including SB 684 and SB 1123, which expanded fast-tracked subdivision opportunities for townhomes, condos, and single-family areas.

Senate Bill 667:
SB 677, signed into law on September 29, 2026, will limit third-party appeals of subdivision maps for urban infill housing and allows the State Treasurer to approve certain federally financed affordable housing projects when local agencies cause delays.

Assembly Bill 1751:
AB 1751, signed into law on September 29, 2026, will establish a ministerial, by-right approval pathway for townhome developments of up to 150 units, eliminates California Environmental Quality Act review and creates new opportunities for attainable homeownership across California. Please note, LCF does not qualify for this bill at this time, as this bill does not apply to to properties within very high fire hazard severity zones.

Assembly Bill 2390:
AB 2390, signed into law on September 29, 2026, amends existing Planning and Zoning Law, effective until January 1, 2036. This bill clarifies that a local government must approve a project modification if it complies with the objective zoning, subdivision, and design standards that were in effect when the original project application (or notice of intent) was submitted. AB 2390 will also require any future modifications to be reviewed using the same assumptions and analysis methods used for the original project review, or for any previously approved modification.

Assembly Bill 130:
AB 130, signed into law on June 30, 2025, streamlines approval for infill multi-family housing projects by offering a CEQA exemption if specific criteria are met. These include: a site size of no more than 20 acres (or 5 acres for builder’s remedy projects), two-thirds of the project dedicated to residential use, prior urban development, and consistency with local plans unless exempted under builder’s remedy provisions. Projects must also meet minimum density thresholds, avoid hazardous or historic sites, and undergo tribal consultation and a Phase I environmental assessment. No public review of environmental impacts is required under this exemption.

Visit the City’s AB 130 webpage for more information.

Senate Bill 958:
SB 958, signed into law on September 29, 2026, For purposes of CEQA, will prohibit the environmental impacts that are associated with increased building height alone from being considered significant impacts on the environment, if a project meets specified conditions.

Assembly Bill 1732:
AB 1732 will extend CEQA exemptions originally provided under AB 1449, for certain actions related to affordable housing projects that meet specified requirements, from January 1, 2033 to January 1, 2037 and expands the exemption to also include a public university or public college housing project that meets certain requirements.

Assembly Bill 956:
AB 956, signed into law on September 29, 2026, expands housing opportunities by allowing homeowners to build up to two detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on a residential property when sufficient space is available. It also clarifies that homeowners associations (HOAs) cannot prohibit ADUs that comply with state law.

Senate Bill 1117:
SB 1117, signed into law on September 29, 2026, reduces the cost of building ADUs by changing how local impact fees are applied to larger ADUs. Prior to SB 1117’s adoption, ADUs of 750 square feet or less have been generally exempt from most local impact fees, but many jurisdictions charge full fees on the entire size of ADUs that exceed 750 square feet. SB 1117 requires a marginal fee structure, allowing fees only on the square footage above 750 square feet for the first two ADUs on a property.

Assembly Bill 939:
AB 939, signed into law on September 29, 2026, adds another option for for-sale density bonus projects to meet their affability requirements: a nonprofit housing organization could purchase the unit directly and then sell it to an extremely low-, very low-, or lower-income household participating in a below-market interest rate loan program.

Assembly Bill 2433:
AB 2433, signed into law on September 29, 2026, will make several updates to State Density Bonus Law, including allowing bonus percentage to be calculated using FAR for local governments that rely on FAR, explicitly affirming that the granting of incentives and waivers under Bonus Law are not discretionary, clarifying that Bonus Law projects receive certainty after their initial application, and requiring that infill projects meeting certain environmental requirements that include affordable homes are approved by right.

Senate Bill 6, Assembly Bill 2011, & Assembly Bill 2243:
Assembly Bill 2011 (The Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022) and Senate Bill 6 (Middle Class Housing Act of 2022) aim to address California’s housing crisis by paving the way for residential development on sites currently zoned for commercial or retail uses. Assembly Bill 2243 was also passed, which significantly expanded the scope of SB 2011 and SB 6, to allow additional development opportunities for residential uses in commercial zones.

Visit the City’s SB 6 & AB 2011 webpage for more information.

Senate Bill 79:
Eliminates single-family zoning districts within a half-mile of a qualifying transit-oriented development (TOD) stop by imposing state-mandated minimum density
Requirements.

Please note, LCF does not qualify for this bill at this time, as there are no qualifying transit-oriented development stops.

Assembly Bill 507:
Signed into law in 2025 and considered an expansion of AB 1490, would provide for ministerial approval of qualifying projects that propose to adapt non residential buildings, especially office and retail, for residential or mixed uses, with no CEQA review required. The residential component of a qualifying adaptive reuse project would be deemed a use “by right” regardless of existing zoning. It would require set aside affordable units to qualify.