California Code Library · Topic
Development & building: zoning, codes and approvals
What can be built and how: the Title 24 building codes, every city and county zoning code, and the state planning, environmental and development-finance law above them.
212 documents of verbatim text, plus the zoning codes of 482 cities and 58 counties. Where a code is listed section by section, the library holds those sections, not the whole code.
What this topic covers
Browse collected material or search within this topic. Subjects without a dedicated listing include a coverage note.
Planning, zoning & local codes
City and county zoning, planning and development codes.
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Building codes & local amendments
Title 24 and locally adopted building standards.
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Housing development approvals
ADUs, density bonus, streamlining, SB 330 and the Housing Accountability Act.
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Environmental, coastal & historic
CEQA, the Coastal Act and historic-resource protection.
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Subdivisions, fees & public finance
Subdivision maps, development fees, tax credits and infrastructure finance.
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HCD guidance & enforcement
State housing guidance, technical assistance and enforcement letters.
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Plain-English guides
Each guide explains a rule and links the enacted text below. For how the rules apply to a specific property, ask GoCodebook.
Guides
- California building codes, explained
- City zoning & development rules
- County zoning & development rules
- California ADU Laws
State ADU and JADU rules that override many local restrictions on accessory dwelling units.
State building codes (Title 24)
The full, enacted text by chapter and section.
2025 edition
California Administrative Code (Title 24, Part 1)
2025 edition
California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
2025 edition
California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)
2025 edition
California Mechanical Code (Title 24, Part 4)
2025 edition
California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5)
2025 edition
California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6)
2025 edition
California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7.5)
2025 edition
California Historical Building Code (Title 24, Part 8)
2025 edition
California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9)
2025 edition
California Existing Building Code (Title 24, Part 10)
2025 edition
California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11)
2025 edition
California Referenced Standards Code (Title 24, Part 12)
2022 edition
2022 PG&E Greenbook (Gas & Electric Service Requirements)
2025 edition
2025 California ADU Handbook (HCD)
City and county zoning codes
482 cities and 58 counties, each code verbatim by chapter and section.
How to read these sources
Start with a research question, then follow the collected sources. These notes explain the organization; the linked provisions supply their conditions and exceptions.
Which sources address the site, and which address the building?
Begin with the city or county code for the site’s zoning and local development rules. Then consult the relevant Title 24 code and local amendments for the proposed work. The building-code and zoning guides explain these separate source layers; a statewide code alone does not describe every local requirement.
Where do housing approvals, environmental review and fees fit?
Use the planning and housing-approval materials to identify the statute relevant to the project. Read environmental and coastal sources as a separate layer, and consult subdivision and finance provisions for maps, fees and funding. The lists distinguish statutes from HCD guidance rather than treating an agency explanation as enacted text.
By city
These cities have a page with their own rules on this subject, each value linked to the code section it comes from. The state guide explains the rules that apply everywhere.
- State guide: Development & building →
- 440 cities have their own page; the state guide lists them all.
State and federal law
Planning, zoning & housing approvals
The Planning and Zoning Law and the statutes layered on top of it — density bonus, streamlining, SB 330, ADUs.
- Government Code §§ 65100–65763 — Local Planning, General Plans, Specific Plans, Community Plans (Planning and Zoning Law, Chapter 3, excluding Articles 10.6–10.7)
- Government Code §§ 65580–65590.1 — Housing Element Law, Housing Accountability Act (§ 65589.5), and Coastal-Zone Low/Mod Housing (Mello Act)
- Government Code §§ 65800–65912 — Zoning Regulations (Planning and Zoning Law, Chapter 4)
- Government Code §§ 65912.100–65912.162 — Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act (AB 2011) and Transit-Oriented Development (SB 79)
- Government Code §§ 65913–65914.900, 66200–66210 — Housing Development Approvals (incl. § 65913.4 SB 35/SB 423 streamlined ministerial approval) and Housing Sustainability Districts
- Government Code §§ 65915–65918 — State Density Bonus Law
- Government Code §§ 65920–65964.5 — Permit Streamlining Act
- Government Code §§ 66300–66300.6.5 — Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330) and Demolition of Housing Units
- Government Code §§ 66310–66342 — Accessory Dwelling Unit and Junior ADU Law
- Government Code, Title 7, Division 1 — General Provisions, State & Regional Planning, Public Hearings, and Miscellaneous Chapters (§§ 65000–65096, 65098, 65919–65993, 66100–66103, 66345)
Environmental & coastal
CEQA, the Coastal Act, and the historical-resources statutes and regulations.
- California Register of Historical Resources — listing regulations; State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit procedures
- CEQA Statute and Guidelines (2025 consolidated text)
- Public Resources Code §§ 5020–5029.5 — Historical Resources (State Historical Resources Commission, California Register)
- Public Resources Code §§ 21000–21189.91 — California Environmental Quality Act
- Public Resources Code §§ 30000–30900 — California Coastal Act of 1976
- State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit procedures (14 CCR § 4859 series, rulemaking text)
Public finance, fees & tax credits
Impact fees, the Subdivision Map Act, CTCAC/CDLAC allocation rules, and redevelopment dissolution.
- CDLAC Regulations — Qualified Residential Rental Project Program (tax-exempt bond allocation)
- CTCAC Regulations Implementing the Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Programs
- Government Code §§ 53311–53368.3 — Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982
- Government Code §§ 53398.50–53398.88 — Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts
- Government Code §§ 65970–66025, 66030–66035 — School Facilities Fees and Mitigation Fee Act (Fees for Development Projects)
- Government Code §§ 66410–66499.58 — Subdivision Map Act
- Health and Safety Code §§ 34161–34191.55 — Redevelopment Agency Dissolution and Successor Agencies (Division 24, Parts 1.8, 1.85, 1.87)
HCD guidance & enforcement
Program advisories, technical-assistance letters, and notices of violation issued to specific jurisdictions.
View 36 collected documents
- Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act (AB 2011) — housing-law fact sheet
- California Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. City of Los Angeles
- California Redevelopment Ass'n v. Matosantos
- HCD enforcement — Beverly Hills — Notice of Violation: builder's-remedy applications
- HCD enforcement — Beverly Hills (8844 Burton Way) — Notice of Potential Violation: completeness/appeal denial
- HCD enforcement — Glendale — ADU follow-up Notice of Violation
- HCD enforcement — Huntington Beach — Notice of Potential Violation: SB 35 / housing element
- HCD enforcement — La Cañada Flintridge — Notice of Violation: HAA / builder's remedy
- HCD enforcement — Los Gatos (980 University Ave.) — Notice of Potential Violation: PSA & SDBL
- HCD enforcement — Placer County — Notice of Potential Violation + corrective action: HAA, SDBL, Housing Element Law
- HCD enforcement — San Bernardino — Notice of Violation: HAA
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Baldwin Park — AB 2011 technical assistance
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Berkeley (Berkeley USD site) — HAA technical assistance
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Carlsbad — SDBL implementation
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Carlsbad — SDBL replacement units
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Danville (101–119 Town & Country Dr.) — SDBL base density & concessions
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Los Gatos (North 40 Phase II) — SDBL phased-development concession
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Rancho Cucamonga — SB 330 preliminary-application vesting rights
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Santa Ana — AB 2011 technical assistance
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Santa Ana — HAA technical assistance
- HCD letter of technical assistance — Santa Cruz (Arthaus Ocean) — SDBL
- Housing Accountability Act — HCD program advisory
- Housing Accountability Act Technical Assistance Advisory
- Housing Crisis Act — affected cities list
- Housing Crisis Act — affected counties list
- Housing Crisis Act (SB 330/SB 8) — HCD program advisory
- Housing Element Completeness Checklist
- Housing Element Sites Inventory Guidebook (AB 1397)
- Palmer/Sixth Street Properties, L.P. v. City of Los Angeles
- SB 330 Preliminary Application Form (standardized)
- SB 423 Determination Methodology (SMAP)
- SMAP Determination Methodology (updated 2026-06-30)
- State Density Bonus Law — HCD program advisory
- State Density Bonus Law — sample ordinance template
- Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process (SB 35/SB 423) — HCD program advisory
- Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process Guidelines (final updated)
Federal law
U.S. statutes, regulations and agency guidance on the same subject.
Statutes
The U.S. Code as enacted — the tax credit, voucher, fair-housing and relocation authorities.
View 21 collected documents
- 12 U.S.C. §§ 1701u, 1715l, 1715n — HUD Section 3; FHA multifamily insurance (221(d) BMIR/market-rate; 223 refinancing incl. 223(f))
- 26 U.S.C. § 42 — Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
- 26 U.S.C. § 47 — Rehabilitation Credit (Historic Tax Credit)
- 26 U.S.C. §§ 103, 141, 142, 146, 147 — Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bonds (incl. § 142(d) qualified residential rental projects)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle A — Income Taxes (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle B — Estate and Gift Taxes (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle C — Employment Taxes (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle D — Miscellaneous Excise Taxes (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle E — Alcohol, Tobacco, and Certain Other Excise Taxes (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle F — Procedure and Administration (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle G — The Joint Committee on Taxation (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle H — Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle I — Trust Fund Code (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle J — Coal Industry Health Benefits (Internal Revenue Code)
- 26 U.S.C. Subtitle K — Group Health Plan Requirements (Internal Revenue Code)
- 40 U.S.C. §§ 3141–3148 — Davis-Bacon Act (prevailing wages)
- 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321–4347 — National Environmental Policy Act
- 42 U.S.C. §§ 4601–4655 — Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act
- 42 U.S.C. Ch. 63A — Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction
- 42 U.S.C. ch. 130 (§§ 12701–12841) — Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (incl. HOME Investment Partnerships Act, §§ 12741–12756)
- 50 U.S.C. Ch. 50 — Servicemembers Civil Relief
Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations — HUD, Treasury, FTC and government-wide implementing rules, as whole parts and as selected sections.
- 24 C.F.R. Part 35 — Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention In Certain Residential Structures
- 24 C.F.R. Part 75 — Economic Opportunities (Section 3)
- 24 C.F.R. Part 92 — HOME Investment Partnerships Program
- 24 C.F.R. Part 93 — Housing Trust Fund
- 24 C.F.R. Part 983 — Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Program
- 24 C.F.R. Parts 50 & 58 — HUD Environmental Review (HUD-performed and responsible-entity NEPA procedures)
- 24 C.F.R. Parts 207 & 221 — FHA Multifamily Mortgage Insurance (Sec. 207 rental housing; Sec. 221(d) moderate-income housing)
- 24 C.F.R. Parts 880, 881, 883, 886 — Section 8 Project-Based Programs (New Construction; Substantial Rehabilitation; State Housing Agencies; Loan Management/Property Disposition Set-Asides)
- Relocation assistance for displaced persons — 24 CFR § 42.350
- Applicability — 24 CFR § 91.2
- Monitoring — 24 CFR § 91.230
- 26 C.F.R. §§ 1.42-0 through 1.42-19 — Treasury Regulations under IRC § 42 (Low-Income Housing Credit)
Agency guidance & handbooks
HUD and IRS handbooks, guidebooks and audit technique guides.
- HUD Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide, HUD Handbook 4430.G (2020 ed., rev. Mar. 19, 2021)
- IRS IRC § 42 Audit Technique Guide — Part I (Introduction and Pre-Contact Analysis)
- IRS Publication 5913 — Low-Income Housing Credit: Guide for Completing Form 8823 (Jan. 2024)
Other topics
Buying & selling
The rules for the people who carry a sale: real estate licensing, broker supervision, trust funds and the Real Estate Commissioner's regulations.
Renting & eviction
Rent caps, just cause, deposits, repairs and entry, the eviction lawsuit itself, and the fair-housing rules every rental decision is read against.
Owning & HOAs
What comes with holding a property: HOA disclosures, assessments and disputes, loan servicing, homeowners insurance, trusts, and passing a home on at death.
Foreclosure & auctions
The law and official process for trustee's sales, tax-defaulted property, judgment enforcement, probate sales and bankruptcy.
Property taxes
Find property assessment, reassessment, exemptions, tax bills, appeals and transfer taxes by the task you need to complete.
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