ADUs
What "ADU" stands for.
What is accessory dwelling unit
(GC 66313(a))
AB 130 created a new exemption to this law for qualifying in-fill housing projects.
What is CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act)
(PRC 21080.66)
The type of county where SB 79 applies?
What is an "urban transit county"?
Bonus: Which counties are urban transit counties today?
The type of residential project that the HAA does not apply to.
What is a project to develop an individual single-family home?
(Reznitskiy v. County of Marin (2022) 79 Cal.App.5th 1016, 1037)
The HCA prohibits local agencies from enacting certain development policies, standards, or conditions on land where this is an allowable use.
What is housing?
(GC 66300(b)(1))
The late-2024 bill that extended streamlined ministerial approval of small-lot subdivisions (up to 10 lots, as small as 600 sf) to vacant single-family zoned lots.
What is SB 1123 (2024).
Amending Starter Home Revitalization Act of 2021
(GC 65852.28, 66499.41)
How local agencies must review and approve ADU applications.
What is ministerially (i.e., without discretionary review or a hearing)
(GC 66317(a))
Post AB 130, the Permit Streamlining Act covers housing project applications that are subject to this type of local review.
What is ministerial review.
(GC 65928(b)(1)(B), 65950(a)(6))
The minimum density for an SB 79 project.
What is 30 du/a and five units?
After an application is determined to be complete, a local agency has 30 or 60 days (depending on the project's unit count) to do this.
What is notify the applicant of inconsistencies with the agency's objective standards?
(GC 65589.5(j)(2)(A)(i)-(ii)[30 days if 150 or fewer units, 60 days if more than 150 units])
The type of design standards that a local agency may not impose or enforce after January 1, 2020.
What are subjective design standards?
(GC 66300(b)(1)(C))
The 2023 bill that authorized streamlined ministerial approval of certain housing projects on land owned by higher education and religious institutions.
What is SB 4?
(GC 65913.16)
Post SB 543 (2025), the deadline for making an ADU or JADU application completeness determination.
What 15 business days.
(GC 66317(a)(2), 66335)
As amended by AB 130, the PSA does not cover this type of permit for housing projects.
What is a post-entitlement phase permit.
(GC 65928(b)(2), as defined by GC 65913.3)
The average maximum unit size in an SB 79 project.
What is 1,750 SF?
The consequence for not timely notifying an applicant of the project's inconsistencies with objective standards (e.g., height, setbacks, open space).
What is the project being deemed consistent, compliant, and in conformity with the objective standards?
(GC 65589.5(j)(2)(B))
The maximum number of meetings allowed if a housing project complies with a local agency's objective standards.
What is five "hearings"?
(GC 65905.5(a))
2025 bill that extends post-entitlement phase permit streamlining to state agencies (not just local).
What is AB 301 (2025)?
(GC 65913.3)
Post SB 1211 (2024), the maximum quantity of detached ADUs that a lot with an existing multifamily dwelling can have.
What is eight
(Provided that the number of detached ADUs does not exceed the number of existing primary dwelling units on the lot)
(GC 66323(a)(4)(A)(ii))
Post-AB 130, if a ministerial housing project application is complete, it must be approved/denied within this many days.
What is 60 days.
(GC 65950(a)(6))
The height threshold triggering requiring unionized construction or prevailing wage.
What is 85 feet.
The finding a local agency must make to deny or reduce the density of a housing project that is consistent with all objective standards.
What is a specific, adverse impact on health or safety?
(GC 65589.5(j)(1))
The new step that the HCA introduced that "freezes" or "vests" rules and fees earlier.
What is the preliminary application process?
(GC 65941.1)
The Surplus Land Act does not apply when a local agency enters into a lease of this many years or less.
What is 15 years?
(GC 54220(d)(1)-(2))
Post SB 9 (2025), this is the status of a local ADU ordinance if it is not submitted it to HCD within 60 days of adoption or the local agency fails to respond to HCD's comments within 30 days.
What is null and void.
(GC 66326(d))
Post AB 130, a local agency's shot clock for approving/denying a ministerial housing application begins on that date that the local agency receives this.
What is a complete application.
(GC 65950(a)(6))
The maximum development standards (height, density, FAR) that apply to an SB 79 project that is “immediately adjacent” (within 200 feet) of a Tier 1 major transit stop?
What is 95 ft. (height), 160 du/ac (density), 4.5 (FAR)?
Post-AB 1893 (2024), the percentage of affordable units a project needs to qualify for the Builder's Remedy.
What is 7% of units for extremely low income, 10% for very low income, or 13% for lower income?
(Formerly 20% for lower income households or 100% for moderate income households; GC 65589.5(h)(3))
What a housing project must provide if it will demolish one or more dwelling units.
What is at least as many dwelling units as will be demolished?
(GC 66300.6(a))
The deadline to submit a full application after submitting a preliminary application.
What is 180 days?
(GC 65941.1(d)(1))