Housing projects across California face a familiar problem. Local agencies change zoning rules mid-project. Design standards multiply with each review. Hearings get continued indefinitely. A project that once looked straightforward can quickly become a moving target. SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, was designed to stop that cycle. The law limits many of… Read more »
Property owners rebuilding after a fire in Malibu or the Pacific Palisades face a coastal permitting system unlike anywhere else in California. The California Coastal Act generally requires a coastal development permit before any construction in the coastal zone. However, a specific exemption allows many fire victims to rebuild without that permit, provided the replacement… Read more »
California needs far more housing than it builds each year. The state falls short by an estimated 180,000 homes annually, creating ongoing pressure on housing affordability and supply. To address that shortage, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022. AB 2011 allows affordable and mixed-income housing… Read more »
SB 684 requires California cities to ministerially approve small residential subdivisions of ten units or fewer on qualifying urban lots. Signed on October 11, 2023, and effective July 1, 2024, the law removes discretionary review, public hearings, and CEQA analysis for projects that meet its objective criteria. Senate Bill 1123, effective July 1, 2025, expanded… Read more »
AB 2097 bars most California public agencies from imposing minimum parking requirements on development within a half mile of a major transit stop. Codified at Government Code Section 65863.2, the statute took effect January 1, 2023, and it overrides local zoning ordinances, including those adopted by charter cities. However, the law’s practical application involves far… Read more »
When property owners look to develop, modify, or expand real estate in California, their first instinct is usually to look up the local zoning code to check for specific dimensional metrics: setback requirements, maximum heights, and allowable uses. However, looking only at zoning ignores the most critical piece of the regulatory puzzle. In California, every… Read more »
