Interim State Legislation Guide

Sacramento County Zoning Code
Interim Zoning Code Guidance To Implement Changes in State Legislation

Amended January 1, 2026

2026 Bills

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Download the Strikethrough for the Annual Interim Guide, which includes 2026 Interim Guidance and 2024-2025 Interim Guidance which is pending codification.

Overview

Every year, Governor Newsom signs new bills into law related to zoning and land use resulting in portions of the Sacramento County Zoning Code (SZC) becoming outdated because of new State statutes. To remedy this situation, Sacramento County follows applicable State Code sections where conflicts arise between State law and the SZC.

This document has been created to provide guidance for County staff, applicants, and the public in the interim period between the adoption of State legislation and the corresponding SZC updates. It temporarily incorporates the State statutory requirements and allowances into the current SZC until formal updates can be made. This document will be modified as guidance from the State or new information regarding implementation of legislation becomes available. This document should be used in conjunction with the SZC as applicable until the SZC has been formally amended. With the exception of the interim changes provided or referenced in this document, all other provisions of the SZC shall continue to apply.

For any additional questions, please email SacPlan@saccounty.gov

Single-Family Developments

AB 1154 (Carrillo, 2025) - JADUs Owner-Occupancy Requirement Modifications

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill modifies regulations for junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs) to allow for their creation without a deed restriction that requires owner occupancy in a dwelling on the subject property, provided that the JADU has its own sanitation (full bathroom) facilities. JADUs which have shared sanitation (bathroom) facilities shall still require a deed restriction enforcing owner occupancy on the subject property. This bill also prohibits short term rentals of JADUs and requires any rental to be for a term longer than 30 days.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 5.4.5.B, Table 5.11

AB 1061 (Quirk-Silva, 2025) - Historic Properties and Urban Lot Splits (Modifications to SB 9)

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill modifies historic resource designations that limit the single-family parcels eligible for ministerial approval of an urban lot split or a two-unit development under SB 9 by deleting the absolute exemption for historic districts in SB 9 and instead excluding SB 9 developments and urban lot splits on parcels or properties individually listed as historic resources or landmarks, as specified.

1. For SB 9 developments:

   1. Prohibits a setback from being required for an existing structure or a structure constructed in the same location and to the same dimensions as an existing structure.
   2. Prohibits SB 9 developments on a contributing structure within a historic district included on the State Historic Resources Inventory, as defined in Section 5020.1 of the Public Resources Code, or historic property or district pursuant to a city or county ordinance.

2. For SB 9 urban lot splits:

   1. Prohibits urban lot splits that would require the demolition or alteration of contributing structures or existing exterior structural walls in a historic district.

3. For both SB 9 two-unit developments and urban lot splits, deletes a provision allowing a local agency to adopt objective standards that prevent adverse impacts on historic properties.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 5.4.7.A

Multifamily Developments

AB 893 (Fong, 2025) - Campus Development Zones

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025, takes effect January 1, 2026, and is to be repealed on January 1, 2033. This bill allows for fast-tracking the review process for mixed-income housing development on some commercially zoned properties that fall in a campus development zone, defined as within a half mile of the campus of a UC, CSU, and California Community College. It will also expand eligibility for affordable units for recipients of Cal Grant, Promise Grant, and the Pell Grant.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: None, already incorporated by reference.

SB 21 (Durazo, 2025) - Replacement Units

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill amends the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 such that a city or county may no longer require that the replacement of units in single-occupancy buildings that have been occupied in the last five years be 1:1 with the existing number of units if certain requirements are met. These requirements include, but are not limited to: rehabilitation or replacement requires a reduction in the number of units to accommodate the conversion of single room occupancy units to a studio or larger unit, to accommodate the addition of facilities, including, but not limited to, private bathrooms, kitchens, or community rooms, to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities, or to address code compliance for matters related to health, welfare, life, and safety; the converted units will be rental units with affordable rents available to lower income, very low income, extremely low income, or acutely low income; and the converted unit will remain low income for no less than 55 years.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: None, planning staff will accommodate applicants who wish to use the provisions of this bill.

AB 648 (Zbur, 2025) - Community College Housing

This bill was signed into law on October 6, 2025, and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill exempts university housing development projects on land owned or leased by a Community College District from a local jurisdiction’s Zoning Code, provided that the project site is within a half mile of a main campus or within a half mile of a satellite campus that existed before July 1, 2025. If the housing project contains units for faculty and staff, the community college district staff must ensure a portion of the units are made available at affordable rents to extremely low- and lower-income faculty and staff.

Based on staff review, eligible community college sites include:

• American River College, Main Campus, 4700 College Oak Drive
• American River College, Mather Center, 10150 Mather Way
• American River College, Regional Public Safety Training Center, 5146 Arnold Avenue

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 6.8.3.C

AB 507 (Haney, 2025) - Adaptive Reuse

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025, and takes effect July 1, 2026. This bill deems an adaptive reuse project a use permitted by right in all zones and subject to a streamlined, ministerial review process if it meets specified requirements or exceptions.

To qualify, the project must be proposed for an existing building that is less than 50 years old or that meets preservation of historic resources requirements and meets specified affordability criteria. An adaptive reuse project for rental housing must include 8% of units for very low-income households and 5% for extremely low-income households OR 15% of units for lower income households.

For an adaptive reuse project including mixed uses, the bill would require at least one-half of the square footage of the adaptive reuse project to be dedicated to residential uses. An adaptive reuse project would not be permitted in industrial zones that do not permit residential uses.

The bill authorizes local governments to adopt an ordinance to specify the process and requirements applicable to adaptive reuse projects and would require an adaptive reuse project to comply with all objective planning standards. If an ordinance has not been adopted, the project must be reviewed ministerially without discretionary review. If it is determined that the adaptive reuse project submitted pursuant to these provisions is consistent with the objective planning standards, the local government is required to approve the adaptive reuse project within specified timeframes.

The bill would prohibit a local government from imposing any local development standard on any project that is an adaptive reuse that would require alteration of the existing building envelope, except as specified, whether or not the local government has adopted an ordinance.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: TBD - Will be implemented July 1, 2026.

State Density Bonus Law (DBL)

SB 92 (Blakespear, 2025) - Revised Definition of “Mixed-Use Development”

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill limits the ability of jurisdictions to apply concessions, incentives, and development waivers under Density Bonus Law (DBL) to nonresidential uses, including hotel uses. Concessions may only be granted to the portion of the development that is for housing. A concession or incentive granted under DBL shall not result in a proposed project with a commercial floor area ratio that is greater than two and a half times the current allowed base zone commercial floor area ratio, as specified. This bill is intended to ensure that projects that benefit from the density bonus law are primarily residential.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 6.5.4

AB 87 (Boerner, 2025) - Prohibition of the Application of Incentives or Concessions for Mixed-Use Projects to Visitor-Serving/Transient Occupancy Uses

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill prohibits an incentive or concession granted for a mixed-use development containing a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn, or other visitor-serving purpose from applying to the portion of the proposed development containing the hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn, or other visitor-serving purpose/use. This bill also closes the existing loophole in DBL that allows developers to gain incentives while not meaningfully expanding residential housing stock. This clarification ensures that incentives and concessions drive the creation of new housing units.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 6.5.4

Institutional and Commercial Uses

SB 340 (Laird, 2025) - Revised “Emergency Shelter” Definition

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill requires emergency shelter to include all services provided onsite, including the addition or expansion of services that are consistent with certain written, objective standards. This bill also includes additional reporting requirements documenting whether the need for housing for persons with disabilities, supportive housing, transitional housing, and emergency shelters is met as a part of the upcoming Seventh Cycle Housing Element.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 7.3

AB 752 (Avila Farias, 2025) - Day Care Centers at Multifamily Housing Projects

This bill was signed into law on October 1, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill requires that child day care centers be permitted by right when collocated with a multifamily housing development with five or more dwelling units. The bill also prohibits the imposition of a charge, tax, or fee for a business license, equivalent instrument, or permit for the privilege of operating a daycare center that is collocated with multifamily housing.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 3.6.5.B

SB 838 (Durazo, 2025) - Restrictions on Transient Lodging for Mixed-Use Developments

This bill was signed into law on October 13, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill revises the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) definition of “housing development project”. In the case of mixed-use developments, a “housing development project” is a project where at least two-thirds of the new or converted square footage is designated for residential use and requires that no portion of the project is designated for use as a hotel or other transient lodging, except as specified. For a housing development project application that was deemed complete before January 1, 2025, the development proponent for the project may choose whether to be subject to the provisions of this bill or the standards that were in place on the date the preliminary application was submitted. This bill also allows local agencies to approve the residential and non-hotel/motel commercial portion of a mixed-use project as a housing development project.

Zoning Code Sections Impacted: SZC 6.5.4.B. and 7.3.

Procedural

AB 1050 (Schultz, 2025) - Unlawfully Restrictive CC&Rs, Reciprocal Easement Agreements

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill expands the ability to remove private restrictive covenants and reciprocal easement agreements (REAs) that block housing development on specified properties. Unlike AB 721 (which only applied to affordable housing), AB 1050 extends this authority to any housing development (both affordable and market-rate) as long as the residential uses are permitted by state law or local zoning. The law empowers developers to submit a “Restrictive Covenant Modification Document (RCMD)” to the County Recorder to clear outdated private restrictions from property titles without changing local zoning authority, environmental review requirements, or design standards.

AB 920 (Caloza, 2025) - Housing Development Application Portal

This bill was signed into law on October 10, 2025 and takes effect January 1, 2026. This bill requires that a city or county with a population of 150,000 or more persons to make a centralized application portal available on its internet website to applicants for housing development projects by January 1, 2030. The County is currently working on improving our Accela permitting system such that compliance should be achieved well before the 2030 deadline.