As we move further into 2023, the California legislative lineup for laws and bills affecting property ownership and the real estate industry continues to evolve. In the past year, there have been several changes and updates that are important for property owners and investors to keep up with. Below is a closer look at the 2022 and 2023 California legislative lineup and explore how these changes may affect property owners and the broader real estate market in California.
SB 466
Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: Rental Rates
Status: Hearing
- Costa Hawkins at Risk (Again): This legislation would dissolve core elements of the landmark Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, California’s most important rental housing-protection law. Costa-Hawkins prohibits cities and counties from imposing local rent control ordinances on any type of housing built after 1995, although the cutoff is earlier in some cities with rent control ordinances that pre-date Costa-Hawkins. It also bans local rent controls on single-family homes and condos of any age. SB 466 would undo these tenets of Costa-Hawkins. SB 466 would authorize California cities and counties to impose strict rent controls on single-family homes, condominiums and apartments as soon as they turn 15 years old.
AB 1532
The Office-to-Housing Conversion Act
Status: Introduced
- What to do with Aging Office Buildings: AB 1532 could make use of $400 million in grants Gov. Gavin Newsom has outlined in his recent budget proposal specifically for the conversion of office buildings to apartments. But questions remain about how many conversions that amount of money could actually help get off the ground given the difficulty and high costs of converting offices to apartments.
- In its current form, the bill would: Prevent local governments from blocking or delaying office-to-housing projects through special permitting processes, design and planning reviews, or appeals, require conversions be allowed in all areas regardless of local zoning laws, require planning departments to respond to conversion applications within 90 days of submission, limit development fees on conversion projects and require that all conversion projects set aside dedicate 10% of housing units for low- or middle-income residents.
AB 2097
Parking Requirements
Status: Passed
- No Parking Minimums within Half-Mile of Public Transit. This law prohibits public agencies from imposing minimum parking requirements on residential, commercial or other development projects located within a half-mile of public transit.
- While the law provides flexibility for builders to respond to market conditions and voluntarily provide parking, such parking may be required by the public agency to require spaces for car-share vehicles to be shared with the public, or to charge parking owners for the parking stall. Public agencies may still require builders to provide electric vehicle supply equipment and/or accessible parking spaces that would otherwise apply to the development project.
SB 897
Increased Height Limits for ADUs
Status: Passed
- SB 897 provides minimum height limits of 16 feet (for detached ADUs on same lot with an existing or proposed single-family or multifamily dwelling); 18 feet (for detached ADUs located on lot that is within a half-mile of a major transit stop, or detached ADUs on lot with an existing or proposed multistory, multifamily dwelling); or 25 feet or base zone height, whatever is lower (for attached ADUs).
- The law introduces the potential for two-story ADUs if certain conditions are met, but ensures local agencies are not required to permit three-story ADUs. SB 897 now clarifies that two detached ADUs may be constructed (and qualify for building permit ministerial review under Subdivision (e)) on lots with proposed multifamily dwellings. This change will allow developers to include two detached ADUs in their design and planning processes for new multifamily residential projects.
AB 2011
Housing Development on Commercially Zoned Sites
Status: Passed
- Housing Development on Commercially Zoned Sites. The centerpiece of this year’s housing production legislation are two different laws that aim to advance residential development on sites currently zoned and planned for commercial and retail use. AB 2011 provides a streamlined ministerial approval pathway, comparable to Senate Bill (SB) 35 of 2017, for qualifying multifamily projects on commercial zoned land that pay prevailing wages and meet specified affordable housing targets. This law does not take effect until July 1, 2023.
