Bill > AB610

This bill aims to strengthen requirements for local governments' housing elements, particularly around documenting and limiting new governmental constraints on housing development. Specifically, the bill requires housing elements to include a "governmental constraints disclosure statement" that identifies any new or proposed regulatory constraints that could impact housing development. For three years after a housing element is deemed substantially compliant, local governments would be prohibited from adopting new "covered governmental constraints" (such as fees, development standards that reduce residential land use intensity, or historic district designations) unless those constraints were previously disclosed or are required by state/federal law. The bill defines several types of constraints and requires local governments to demonstrate that they have completed previous housing element commitments before implementing new constraints. By imposing these requirements, the bill seeks to prevent local governments from creating additional barriers to housing development after their housing elements have been approved, with the goal of promoting more housing production and affordability. The legislation applies to all California cities, including charter cities, and is considered a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB610