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Senate panel advances bill to create local catalogs of preapproved housing plans for small projects
Summary
AB 1206 would require local agencies to publish or host catalogs of preapproved single-family and small multifamily home plans to speed permitting and lower costs for homeowners and small builders. The committee advanced the measure after debate about implementation timelines, intellectual property and capacity for very small jurisdictions.
An author-presented bill, AB 1206, would direct local governments to maintain a catalog of preapproved single-family and multifamily plans (limited to projects under 10 units) so homeowners, small builders and nonprofits can pursue building permits without repetitive architectural review. The author said the model follows the ADU preapproval approach in AB 1332 (cited in testimony) and aims to streamline rebuilding and housing production after disasters.
Habitat for Humanity affiliates and housing advocates testified in support. Holly Fermini de Jesus for Habitat for Humanity said the program is designed to make modest, three-bedroom homes easier to build and cited Habitat’s experience as builder, developer and lender. “This bill is really simple. It's about making homeownership more affordable for more than just our Habitat families,” she said.
Support also came from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the American Institute of Architects (which worked with committee staff on language to avoid inadvertent copyright infringement). Opposition or concerns came from the League of California Cities, which asked for a longer implementation timeline for smaller jurisdictions, saying some cities and towns lack staff capacity to prepare preapproved plan portfolios. Senator Kamales, who represents many small cities, echoed that concern and urged the author to work with small jurisdictions on implementation.
The author described a compliance path intended to limit burdens: a jurisdiction can upload up to five preapproved plans it has previously approved, accept submissions from private designers, or rely on other methods outlined in the committee amendments. The author and committee staff agreed to continue refining language to protect architects’ intellectual-property rights and to address small-jurisdiction capacity concerns. The committee voted to advance AB 1206 to the Housing Committee.
