California Residential Private Permitting Review Act: residential building permits.

Assembly Members Ward, Quirk-Silva, and Rivas propose new mechanisms for expediting residential building permit reviews through legislation that allows private professionals to conduct plan checks when local building departments face processing delays. The California Residential Private Permitting Review Act establishes alternative pathways for permit processing while maintaining existing safety and compliance standards.

The legislation requires local building departments to provide applicants with estimated timeframes for completing plan checks upon receiving permit applications. When reviews are projected to exceed 30 days or remain incomplete after that period, applicants gain the option to contract licensed architects or engineers to perform plan checks. These private providers must submit detailed reports and affidavits confirming compliance with state and local requirements. Building departments then have 14 days to either issue permits based on these submissions or specify necessary corrections.

The provisions apply to new residential construction of 1-10 units and to additions or remodels of existing buildings, provided no occupied floors exceed 40 feet above ground level. The law mandates that local jurisdictions post their residential permit fee schedules online and maintains existing requirements that fees not exceed actual administrative costs. Building departments must reimburse permit fees if they fail to inspect completed work within 60 days of notification.

This statewide measure applies to all California cities, including charter cities, reflecting legislative findings that streamlining permit processing addresses critical housing availability and disaster preparedness needs. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage as an urgency statute.