Housing and property
54 upcoming changes, soonest first.
January 2027 47
ADU impact fees can only be charged on space above 750 square feet
For up to two accessory dwelling units on a lot, impact fees on a unit larger than 750 square feet may be charged only on the floor area above 750 square feet, not the whole unit. Lots with more than two such units keep the old rule.
Approved subdivision maps last 48 months instead of 24 before they expire
An approved tentative subdivision map now expires after 48 months instead of 24, and local ordinances may extend it by up to 36 months instead of 24. The longer timelines also cover maps still in effect when the law starts.
Bond limit for suits against affordable housing projects doubles to $1 million
Plaintiffs suing to block low- or moderate-income housing can be made to post a bond of up to $1,000,000, up from $500,000. The bond and special motion to strike rules now also cover priority care housing tied to behavioral health services.
California's manufactured home definition now follows the federal one
The state definition of a manufactured home now matches the federal one and covers homes with or without a foundation. The housing department must write rules letting homes without a permanent chassis be built and sold on equal terms.
Cities can exclude more state-listed historic sites from transit-area housing rules
Until a year after their seventh housing element revision, cities and counties with an exclusion ordinance can also exempt contributing sites in historic districts and individual historic parcels on the State Historic Resources Inventory, if listed before the cutoff already used for local register sites.
Cities can't ask transit agencies to cut stops to avoid transit housing rules
A city or county with a transit-oriented stop may not ask the transit agency to cut service, remove the stop or remove a transit lane to escape the state's transit housing law. It also can't block transit projects over the extra housing height or density.
Cities can't block Mello-Roos districts for affordable housing without findings
When all landowners petition for a Mello-Roos district to fund infrastructure for a project with affordable homes, a city or county can't abandon it or refuse its special taxes or bonds unless it finds, on substantial evidence, harm to the public interest or another listed reason.
Cities that run their own health departments can form homeless outreach teams
Cities that serve as their own local health jurisdiction, not only counties, can set up homeless adult and family multidisciplinary teams whose members share confidential information to link homeless people with housing and services.
Condo owners with EV chargers in common areas pay for damage from using them
Homeowners who install an EV charger in a common area of a condo or HOA development must now also pay for damage caused by using it, not only by installing or repairing it. The installer must cover the association's losses from the installation.
Counties must mail notice to owners when a deed or mortgage is recorded
Every county except Los Angeles must run a program that mails the people who signed a deed, quitclaim deed, mortgage or deed of trust a notice within 30 days of recording. Counties may charge filers a fee to cover the cost.
Density bonus concessions can't waive local labor standards on buildings over 85 feet
Developers using the state density bonus law can no longer get a concession that sets aside a city's or county's labor standards on buildings taller than 85 feet. This covers local standards no stricter than the labor rules in the state's fast-track housing approval law.
Density bonus homes can also meet affordability rules through nonprofit loan programs
Builders who got a density bonus for affordable for-sale homes have another way to meet the rules: the home can be bought by a nonprofit housing group that sells to extremely low, very low or lower income families using a below market interest rate loan program.
Development fees must be cut to credit what a demolished or converted building already used
Local development fees on projects that demolish or change an existing use must be offset so they cover only the project's added impact. Water and sewer capacity charges for a changed connection can cover only the change in capacity, with no refund if capacity goes down.
Ground rent on hotel land can't count density bonuses that aren't yet approved
When ground rent under an existing lease is set or reset for land with an operating hotel or motel, the land can't be valued using density bonuses, concessions or waivers unless those are already approved and vested on the valuation date.
HOA boards must review a yearly statement of their management company's fees
Homeowner association boards must review, once a year, a statement of everything billed and paid to the managing agent, broken down by type such as base management fees. Members can inspect and copy the statement as an association record.
HOA notice before nomination deadlines drops from 90 to 30 days in uncontested races
To seat candidates by acclamation, HOAs must send the first notice at least 30 days before the nomination deadline, down from 90, and a reminder at least 10 days before. Electronic ballot notices, due 30 days before the vote, go only to members voting electronically.
Housing authorities can't impose work requirements or time limits on federal housing aid
Unless federal law requires it, housing authorities and landlords in HUD programs like public housing and Section 8 may not tie eligibility or subsidy amounts to work requirements or time limits. Voluntary job programs are allowed; Moving to Work agencies following HUD rules are exempt.
Housing builders can ask cities for an early estimate of required street and utility work
Housing developers can ask a city or county, with a preliminary application, for an estimate of the onsite and offsite improvements it will require, due within 30 business days. Cities must also give an itemized list of improvements within 30 business days of deeming a later permit complete.
Housing department may let owners shift surplus cash between affordable rental projects
The state housing department may let an owner move the department's share of leftover cash flow, or extra replacement reserves, from one affordable rental development to another the same owner holds, subject to set conditions.
Housing navigator help for former foster youth now covers ages 18 to 28
The county Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program, if funded by the Legislature, now serves young adults 18 to 28 instead of 18 to 24, with priority for nonminor dependents and young adults who left foster care or probation. Counties must also report on housing vouchers.
Housing plans may count abuse and trafficking survivors in supportive housing needs
The group whose supportive housing needs a city or county housing element covers may now include victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Before, the definition centered on low-income people with disabilities.
Infill housing grants open to more sites and reward walkable, transit-served areas
The state's Infill Infrastructure Grant Program now counts vacant sites next to previously developed land and areas opened to housing under the state's fast-track approval law for housing on commercial land. The housing department must also rank applications on walkability and on-demand transit access.
Judicial Council must create one eviction summons form in six languages
The Judicial Council must create a single required summons form for residential evictions with the notices to tenants in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean, and post it online. Before, only the top legend had to be in English and Spanish.
Local governments cannot add their own building rules for factory-built housing
Cities, counties and districts cannot impose local building standards on factory-built housing that go beyond or differ from the state building code, unless a city or county files findings that local climate, geology or terrain requires a change.
Local permit fees for factory-built homes are capped at half the site-built rate
Cities and counties may not charge permit fees for a factory-built home above half the fee for a similar site-built home unless they document higher costs. Once state rules exist, buyers may pay a private agency for installation inspections instead, and the local agency then charges no inspection fee.
Local rules can't block shops or offices in by-right housing on commercial corridors
For mixed-income housing approved by right along commercial corridors under the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, local objective standards may not ban or limit mixed-use projects that combine homes with office, retail, restaurant or other zoned uses.
Mixed-use land can use a parcel map instead of a full subdivision map
The exception that lets some commercial and industrial tracts with approved street access file a parcel map instead of a tentative and final map now also covers land zoned for mixed use, including homes.
Mobilehome parks hit by disaster must update residents and let them back in to collect belongings
After a disaster damages a mobilehome park, management must try to send residents weekly updates for four weeks, then monthly, and let them in to collect belongings within 7 days of evacuation orders easing. Before closing the park, management must weigh rebuilding costs and aid.
Mobilehome parks must spell out the rule and facts in violation notices
Before a mobilehome park can count a rule violation toward ending a tenancy, it must formally serve the homeowner a notice quoting each rule broken, giving the specific facts and saying what to do to comply.
Mobilehome parks that drop federal senior rules must still follow state law
If a mobilehome park operator stops following federal rules for a housing program, such as senior-housing age checks, it must still follow state and local mobilehome and senior park laws. A local agency may then do the age checks itself and inspect park records.
Neighbors lose the right to appeal map approvals for some urban housing projects
Interested persons can no longer appeal map decisions for housing projects on qualifying urban infill sites, though applicants, tenants and officials still can. The state Treasurer can join a joint powers authority to approve rental housing bonds a city or county refuses.
Owner-occupant buyers lose post-foreclosure bidding rights; tenants and nonprofits keep them
After a foreclosure sale of a home with one to four units, only tenants and community bidders such as nonprofits keep the right to outbid the buyer; owner-occupant buyers lose it. Officials may seek a penalty of one-third of the home's value from ineligible bidders.
Owners of all-affordable tax credit housing may decline to renew high-income leases
In tax credit buildings reserved entirely for lower income households, owners may refuse to renew a lease after a household earns over 140% of area median income two years running, if 30% of its income tops fair market rent. Owners must give 90 days' notice.
Owners of disaster-wrecked homes can pause mortgage payments for up to a year
Borrowers whose home of up to four units became uninhabitable in a federally declared disaster can ask for forbearance within six months. Servicers must offer 180 days, extendable to 12 months, with no late fees or default interest, and report the loan as current.
Regional housing need allocations must start earlier before each housing element
Cities and counties that want to share out housing need as a subregion must form it at least 34 months before a housing element revision, up from 28, and regional councils must draft allocation methods six months earlier. Some councils' current cycle is exempt.
Rental listings with digitally altered photos must say so and show the original
Anyone advertising a rental with a digitally altered image must label it as altered next to the image and include the unaltered version or a link to it. Renderings not made with a camera are exempt from the original photo rule.
Retirement communities may repay entrance fees in the order contracts end
Continuing care retirement communities may offer contracts that refund entrance fees in the order contracts end, paid from new contracts, rather than after a unit resells. Providers must keep a repayment account, disclose past wait times, and pay within 14 days once money is there.
Santa Clara Valley transit agency can build housing for its employees and the public
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority can buy property and build affordable rental housing for its workers and for-sale homes that favor them, with some units open to the public. It must report to the Legislature each year.
State creates a wildfire home hardening loan program, if lawmakers fund it
The state clean energy financing authority must run a California Wildfire Resilience Loan Program to help property owners pay for home hardening, defensible space and smoke retrofits, with tools like loan loss reserves and interest rate buy-downs. It runs only if the Legislature funds it.
State housing agency must post a form for school districts wanting to build housing
The Department of Housing and Community Development must post an online form that school districts and other local educational agencies can use to say they want to build housing on land they own. Agencies that do can ask the department for advice on early planning.
State housing department will help affordable housing owners cut insurance costs
The Department of Housing and Community Development must create a program offering technical help to affordable housing providers, such as analyzing risk and joining group insurance pools, to find cheaper coverage. It may hire outside consultants for the work.
State-funded recovery housing must follow Housing First and not evict for relapse
To get state homelessness money, recovery housing programs must follow Housing First rules, keep residents who relapse unless they break the lease another way, allow addiction medications, keep overdose reversal medication on site and adopt a written return-to-use policy.
Townhome projects of up to 150 homes get fast-track approval with no hearing
Cities and counties must approve qualifying townhome projects and their subdivision maps without discretionary review or a hearing. Homes must be three stories or less, averaging 1,750 square feet or less; projects of 11 or more units need 10% lower-income homes. San Francisco is exempt.
Tribes can skip the property match for state senior care grants under federal limits
Tribes receiving Community Care Expansion grants for adult and senior care homes no longer have to provide real property as a match if federal rules limit tribal land ownership. If more tribal funding comes, the state must write the application with tribes.
Two-unit home and lot split applications in single-family zones can be processed together
Applications for two homes on a single-family lot can be processed alongside the urban lot split parcel map, and the same goes for small subdivisions of up to 10 units. Cities may require the parcel map to be recorded before issuing building permits.
Very large senior HOAs may amend old rules with court approval at a 37 percent vote
A court may approve an amendment to a common interest development's declaration backed by more than 37 percent of votes, instead of more than 50 percent, but only for senior housing with over 6,000 units, over 25 percent tenant-occupied, unamended for 35 years.
HUD delays again the deadline for new income and asset rules in its housing grant programs
Grantees in HUD community development programs, including HOME, the Housing Trust Fund, Community Development Block Grants and Emergency Solutions Grants, get one more year to follow HUD's newer income and asset rules. Until then they may keep using the older rules.
April 2027 2
City and county housing reports must track demolished homes and replacement units
Annual housing progress reports from cities and counties must add details on demolished homes and the replacement units owed. Planning agencies can count apartments converted to low-income housing with 55-year affordability covenants toward up to 25 percent of their lower-income housing goal.
Landlords must have a written pet policy and show it in rental listings
Residential landlords must have a written pet policy or addendum, post it on property websites, digital ads and rental search sites, and hand it out with applications. Applicants who lose out because it was not disclosed can get the application fee back.
July 2027 3
Coastal Commission must pick infill areas where affordable housing skips coastal permits
The Coastal Commission must name infill areas in at least three coastal cities or counties without a certified local coastal program. Housing projects there made up only of deed-restricted very low, low or moderate income units won't need a coastal development permit.
Large cities must zone downtown transit hub districts for high-rise housing
Cities of 400,000 or more with at least two major transit stops must designate transit hub districts where qualifying housing with affordable units gets fast-track approval, with height limits no lower than 150 feet and density limits no lower than 200 units per acre.
State housing agencies must change funding rules to support factory-built housing
State agencies running multifamily affordable housing programs, including the low-income housing tax credit, must revise their rules to make factory-built housing an allowed use and, where they fund a project directly, allow early deposits to cover factory material and production costs.
January 2028 1
State housing finance agency must study ways to cut loan costs for subsidized housing
The California Housing Finance Agency must study state loan guarantees, loss reserves and other credit backing that might lower construction and permanent loan rates for state-funded housing, then report its findings and a recommended program design to the Legislature.
January 2032 1
Condo and homeowner associations must fund reserves at a minimum level each year
HOAs must fund reserves each year at least at the minimum their reserve study sets to stay above zero for 30 years. If a shortfall is projected, they must move 15% of the budget to reserves yearly, or levy a special assessment if needed.