Planning and Zoning Law: postentitlement phase permits: Housing Accountability Act.

Assembly Member Wilson's housing reform legislation aims to accelerate residential development approvals by placing new limits on local agencies' permit review processes. The bill restricts agencies to two plan check and specification reviews for building permits, unless they can demonstrate through written findings that additional reviews are needed to address specific public health or safety impacts. Local agencies retain the ability to deny non-compliant applications after two reviews, while applicants may request additional submission opportunities.

The measure significantly shortens appeal timelines for permit decisions, reducing the review period from 60 to 30 business days for projects with 25 or fewer units and from 90 to 45 business days for larger developments. Time extensions for permit reviews are now limited to cases where federal or state law requires independent review by another public agency. In such instances, local agencies must notify applicants within three business days when review periods are paused and resumed.

The legislation strengthens enforcement by allowing applicants to seek court orders compelling permit approval if appeals are denied or not processed within required timeframes. Local agencies that violate the provisions face financial penalties, with fines directed to housing trust funds. The bill's provisions apply uniformly across California, including charter cities, reflecting legislative findings that streamlined housing approvals represent a matter of statewide concern rather than purely local affairs.