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 the California State Association of Counties both registered concerns: the League’s representative said the organization was “not opposed” but had outstanding concerns and looked forward to continued discussions; Mark Neuberger of the California State Association of Counties said his group had similar concerns and had been in preliminary talks with the bill’s author.

Committee members spoke in favor of using additional tools to speed permitting. Wicks and other members described the bill as a practical reform to reduce delays that stall construction and raise costs for smaller builders and homeowners adding “gentle density.” Committee discussion emphasized that AB 253 does not remove municipal oversight but permits licensed private professionals to assist when local review would otherwise be delayed.

The committee moved AB 253 as amended to the Appropriations Committee. Assemblymember Wicks offered a motion to pass as amended; the committee then called the roll. The minutes record roll‑call “aye” votes from Carrillo, Ta, Hoover, Pacheco, Quirk Silva, Ransom, Rubio, Stefani, Wicks and Wilson; the clerk announced the bill was reported out. No “no” votes or abstentions were recorded on the roll call in the transcript.

What the bill would do and what the committee recorded

- Scope: As described by the author’s presenter, AB 253 would authorize applicants for small residential projects (described at the hearing as 1‑ to 10‑unit projects) to hire licensed, insured third‑party professionals (for example, architects or engineers) to perform post‑entitlement plan checks when a local building department cannot complete its review within 30 days.

- Oversight: Committee members and supporters repeatedly stressed that AB 253 would not eliminate city oversight; cities would retain review authority and responsibility, and the private reviews would operate as an alternative processing pathway when local staffing or workload constraints caused delays.

- Rationale: Sponsors cited statewide permitting delays as a driver of higher construction costs and stalled projects—particularly for smaller builders and affordable projects that cannot absorb long waits. Supporters framed the bill as a way to increase predictability in the development pipeline.

- Support and concerns: Organized housing advocates and business groups provided formal support. Local government associations—the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties—said they were not taking an opposed position but had expressed policy and implementation concerns in discussions with the author’s office and requested additional consultation.

Votes at a glance

The committee voted to pass AB 253 as amended to the Appropriations Committee. The transcript records a roll call with “aye” votes and no recorded “no” or abstentions on the public record during the roll call portion of this hearing.

Next steps

With the committee vote, AB 253 will go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for further consideration. The text of amendments adopted in committee and any requested implementation details from local agencies were not specified in the hearing record and will be part of the Appropriations process.

Sources and attribution

Quotes and positions above are drawn from the March 12 Assembly Local Government Committee hearing transcript, March 12, 2025. Witnesses and members are identified in the transcript and are listed in the article’s speaker list and provenance.