Assembly committee advances bill letting homeowners, builders hire private reviewers for post-entitlement permits

Assemblymember Quirk Silva, presenting AB 253 on behalf of Assemblymember Ward, told the Assembly Local Government Committee on March 12 that the bill would let homeowners and developers hire licensed third‑party professionals to conduct post‑entitlement permit reviews when local building departments cannot complete reviews within 30 days.

The bill’s proponents said permitting delays are a major constraint on housing production. Nolan Grama, Senior Director of Legislation and Research at California YIMBY, testified the average fully entitled apartment building in California “takes approximately 9 months to secure a post entitlement permits,” and said AB 253 would provide “an additional tool to help cities manage workloads and meet housing goals.” Assemblymember Wicks told the committee: “9 months is simply unacceptable.”

Supporters at the hearing included California YIMBY, the California Chamber of Commerce (represented by Adam Regley), the Housing Action Coalition, Bay Area Council, Chamber of Progress (represented by Catherine Charles), and Spur Abundant Housing LA (represented by Raymond Contreras). The League of California Cities and…