On September 16, 2021, Governor Newsom signed several bills into law aimed at increasing housing production, streamlining housing permitting, and increasing density. Below is a summary of the bills. Please note: due to HCD guidance and changes in State law taking effect January 1, 2025, PER Staff is preparing and updating an SB-9 guidance guide that will be availble soon.
California Senate Bill 9 (SB 9)
California Senate Bill 9 (California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency [HOME] Act) (SB 9), effective January 1, 2022, mandates a local jurisdiction, such as Sacramento County, to ministerially* approve two types of projects, if specific objective criteria are met. The two types of projects are:
- A subdivision of one lot into two resultant lots in a single-family residential zone (referred to as an Urban Lot Split); and
- A Second Dwelling Unit in a single-family residential zone.
*“Ministerial" means a project must be approved if it complies with objective standards, without any subjective judgment from planners. Ministerial projects are not subject to environmental reviews or public hearings. An example of a ministerial act is the issuance of a building permit.
For more information on eligibility and how to utilize SB 9, please review the SB 9 Infographic
The SB-9 Urban Lot Split Application can be downloaded from the PER Application Forms webpage, under the Housing Legislation Application Forms header. California Senate Bill 10 (SB 10)
This Bill authorizes, until 2029, local agencies to pass an ordinance to zone any parcel for up to 10 units of residential density if the parcel is located in a transit-rich area, which includes areas near rail transit or bus routes with peak headways of 15 minutes or faster, or an urban infill site. This is a voluntary bill and an ordinance to implement this bill has not been adopted by the County.
County staff have received a grant (Local Early Action Planning or LEAP) that includes as a component enhancing urban infill development in the County. SB 10 will be considered as part of that grant work. A time frame for consideration has not yet been established. We will post additional information here once it becomes available.
