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.
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.
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.
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.
