Title GOV — California Gov. Code

This chapter shall become operative on March 1, 2008.

(a) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Permit Streamlining Act. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this chapter shall apply to all public agencies to the extent specified in this chapter, except that the time limits specified in Div…

The Legislature finds and declares that there is a statewide need to ensure clear understanding of the specific requirements which must be met in connection with the approval of development projects and to expedite decisions on such projects. Consequently, the provisions of this …

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the following: (a) Activities of the State Energy Resources Development and Conservation Commission established pursuant to Division 15 (commencing with Section 25000) of the Public Resources Code. (b) Administrative appeals withi…

During a year declared by the State Water Resources Control Board or the Department of Water Resources to be a critically dry year, or during a drought emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2, the time limit…

Any state agency which is the lead agency for a development project shall inform the applicant for a permit that the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has been created to assist, and provide information to, developers relating to the permit approval process.

Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this chapter.

“Air pollution control district” means any district created or continued in existence pursuant to the provisions of Part 3 (commencing with Section 40000) of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code.

“Development” means, on land, in or under water, the placement or erection of any solid material or structure; discharge or disposal of any dredged material or of any gaseous, liquid, solid, or thermal waste; grading, removing, dredging, mining, or extraction of any materials; ch…

(a) “Development project” means any project undertaken for the purpose of development. “Development project” includes a project involving the issuance of a permit for construction or reconstruction but not a permit to operate. (b) (1) (A) Except as otherwise provided in subparagr…

“Geothermal field development project” means a development project as defined in Section 65928 which is composed of geothermal wells, resource transportation lines, production equipment, roads, and other facilities which are necessary to supply geothermal energy to any particular…

“Lead agency” means the public agency which has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project.

“Local agency” means any public agency other than a state agency. For purposes of this chapter, a redevelopment agency is a local agency and is not a state agency.

“Project” means any activity involving the issuance to a person of a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use by one or more public agencies.

“Public agency” means any state agency, any county, city and county, city, regional agency, public district, redevelopment agency, or other political subdivision.

“Responsible agency” means a public agency, other than the lead agency, which has responsibility for carrying out or approving a project.

“State agency” means any agency, board, or commission of state government. For all purposes of this chapter, the term “state agency” shall include an air pollution control district.

(a) (1) Each public agency shall compile one or more lists that shall specify in detail the information that will be required from any applicant for a development project. Each public agency shall revise the list of information required from an applicant to include a certificatio…

(a) (1) A city, county, or special district that has an internet website shall make all of the following available on its internet website, as applicable: (A) (i) A current schedule of fees, exactions, and affordability requirements imposed by that city, county, or special distri…

(a) A city or county that has an internet website shall make a fee estimate tool that the public can use to calculate an estimate of fees and exactions for a proposed housing development project available on its internet website. A city or county may choose the format of the fee …

(a) (1) A city or county with a population of 150,000 or more persons shall, no later than January 1, 2028, make a centralized application portal available on its internet website to applicants for housing development projects. (2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the population of…

(a) No list compiled pursuant to Section 65940 shall include an extension or waiver of the time periods prescribed by this chapter within which a state or local agency shall act upon an application for a development project. (b) No application shall be deemed incomplete for lack …

(a) The information compiled pursuant to Section 65940 shall also indicate the criteria which the agency will apply in order to determine the completeness of any application submitted to it for a development project. (b) If a public agency is a lead or responsible agency for purp…

(a) An applicant for a housing development project, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 65905.5, shall be deemed to have submitted a preliminary application upon providing all of the following information about the proposed project to the city, county, or ci…

Each public agency shall notify applicants for development permits of the time limits established for the review and approval of development permits pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 65940) and Article 5 (commencing with Section 65950), of the requirements of subdivi…

(a) Each local agency shall develop materials relating to the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.). The local agency shall provide these materials to an applicant along with notice that approval of a permit does not si…

The information and the criteria specified in Sections 65940, 65941, 65941.5 shall be revised as needed so that they shall be current and accurate at all times. Any revisions shall apply prospectively only and shall not be a basis for determining that an application is not comple…

(a) Not later than 30 calendar days after any public agency has received an application for a development project, the agency shall determine in writing whether the application is complete and shall immediately transmit the determination to the applicant for the development proje…

(a) (1) Upon final approval of a housing development project, the city, county, or city and county shall provide the development proponent with an itemized list and a good faith estimate of the total sum amount of all fees and exactions that will apply to the project within 30 bu…

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any appeal pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 65943 involving a permit application to a board, office, or department within the California Environmental Protection Agency shall be made to the Secretary for Environmental…

(a) After a public agency accepts an application as complete, the agency shall not subsequently request of an applicant any new or additional information which was not specified in the list prepared pursuant to Section 65940. The agency may, in the course of processing the applic…

(a) At the time of filing an application for a development permit with a city or county, the city or county shall inform the applicant that he or she may make a written request to receive notice from the city or county of a proposal to adopt or amend any of the following plans or…

At the time of filing an application for a development permit with a local agency, other than a city or county, the local agency shall inform the applicant that he or she may make a written request to receive notice of any proposal to adopt or amend a rule or regulation affecting…

At the time of filing an application for a development permit with a state agency, the state agency shall inform the applicant that he or she may make a written request to receive notice of any proposal to adopt or amend a regulation affecting the issuance of development permits …

No action, inaction, or recommendation regarding any ordinance, rule, or regulation subject to this Section 65945, 65945.3, or 65945.5 by any legislative body, administrative body, or the officials of any state or local agency shall be held void or invalid or be set aside by any …

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) “Certified access specialist” or “CASp” means any person who has been certified pursuant to Section 4459.5. (2) “Construction-related accessibility standard” means a provision, standard, or regulatio…

(a) For purposes of this section: (1) “Affected property” means a residential real property that satisfies either of the following conditions: (A) The property was destroyed by a disaster that resulted in a declared local emergency. (B) The property was rendered a substandard bui…

(a) A public agency that is the lead agency for a development project shall approve or disapprove the project within whichever of the following periods is applicable: (1) One hundred eighty days from the date of certification by the lead agency of the environmental impact report,…

Notwithstanding Section 65950, if there has been an extension of time pursuant to Section 21100.2 or 21151.5 of the Public Resources Code to complete and certify the environmental impact report, the lead agency shall approve or disapprove the project within 90 days after certific…

(a) If an applicant for a development project for natural gas exploration or production and a public agency agree in writing to expedite the public agency’s actions pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 65940) or this article, the public agency may provide the services, …

In the event that a combined environmental impact report-environmental impact statement is being prepared on a development project pursuant to Section 21083.6 of the Public Resources Code, a lead agency shall approve or disapprove the project within 90 days after the combined env…

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a public agency that is a responsible agency for a development project that has been approved by the lead agency shall approve or disapprove the development project within whichever of the following periods of time is longer: (1) Within …

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), where a development project consists of a subdivision pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act (Division 2 (commencing with Section 66410) of Title 7), the time limits established by Sections 65950 and 65952 shall apply to the appro…

No public agency shall disapprove an application for a development project in order to comply with the time limits specified in this chapter. Any disapproval of an application for a development project shall specify reasons for disapproval other than the failure to timely act in …

(a) All time limits specified in this article are maximum time limits for approving or disapproving development projects. All public agencies shall, if possible, approve or disapprove development projects in shorter periods of time. (b) All time limits specified in this article s…

The time limits established by this article shall not apply in the event that federal statutes or regulations require time schedules which exceed such time limits.

The time limits established by this article shall not apply to applications to appropriate water where such applications have been protested pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1330) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Water Code, or to petitions for changes pursuant to Cha…

(a) If any provision of law requires the lead agency or responsible agency to provide public notice of the development project or to hold a public hearing, or both, on the development project and the agency has not provided the public notice or held the hearing, or both, at least…

(a) Prior to an applicant providing advance notice to an environmental agency of the intent to provide public notice pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 65956 for action on an environmental permit, the applicant may submit an appeal in writing to the governing body of the envi…

The time limits established by Sections 65950, 65950.1, 65951, and 65952 may be extended once upon mutual written agreement of the project applicant and the public agency for a period not to exceed 90 days from the date of the extension. No other extension, continuance, or waiver…