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AB-1070 • 2026

Residential developments: building standards: review.

Residential developments: building standards: review.

Education Housing
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Ward
Last action
2026-01-27
Official status
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details about the rights of nonvoting members, so this information was removed.

Review of Building Standards for Small Residential Developments and Transit Districts

This bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to review building standards for small residential developments with 3 to 10 units, and it changes how transit districts compensate their board members.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department to form a working group by December 31, 2027, to study if smaller residential buildings (with 3 to 10 units) can use less strict building rules called the California Residential Code.
  • Asks the department to report its findings in an annual report to the Legislature by December 31, 2028.
  • If changes are recommended, requires the department to research and develop new standards for smaller residential buildings.
  • Requires the department to review costs of building single-family and multifamily homes every three years.
  • Prohibits transit districts from compensating board members unless they demonstrate personal use of public transportation.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Transit district governing boards

Terms To Know

California Residential Code
A set of rules for building houses that might be less strict than other codes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when the new standards would take effect.
  • It is unclear how much it will cost to implement these changes in transit districts.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-27 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  2. 2026-01-26 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 3834.)

  3. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  4. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (January 22).

  5. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

  6. 2026-01-22 California Legislative Information

    Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Page 3806.)

  7. 2026-01-14 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (January 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  8. 2026-01-05 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on H. & C.D. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

  9. 2026-01-05 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  10. 2026-01-05 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. Read second time and amended.

  11. 2025-04-23 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  12. 2025-04-07 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  13. 2025-04-03 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. Read second time and amended.

  14. 2025-03-17 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on L. GOV. and TRANS.

  15. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  16. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1070, as amended, Ward.
Transit districts: governing boards: compensation: nonvoting members.
Residential developments: building standards: review.
Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission (commission) within the Department of General Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including approval and adoption of building standards and codification of those standards into the California Building Standards Code (code). Existing law requires the commission to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the code in its entirety once every 3 years.
Existing law requires the building standards and rules and regulations to impose substantially the same requirements as are contained in the most recent editions of specified international or uniform industry codes, including the International Residential Code of the International Code
Council.
Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) and requires the department to submit an annual report to the Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the housing programs administered by the department.
This bill would require the department to convene a working group no later than December 31, 2027, to research and consider identifying and recommending amendments to state building standards allowing residential developments of between 3 and 10 units to be built under the requirements of the California Residential Code, as specified. The bill would require the department, no later than December 31, 2028, to provide a one-time report of its findings to the Legislature in the annual report described above. The bill, if the report identifies and recommends amendments to building standards, would
require the department to research, develop, and consider proposing the standards for adoption by the commission, as specified. For the purposes of these provisions, the bill would authorize the department to exceed the scope and application of the International Residential Code to allow residential developments of between 3 and 10 units to be designed and constructed under the requirements of the California Residential Code.
The bill would additionally require the department to perform a review of construction cost pressures for single-family and multifamily residential construction as a result of new or existing building standards and provide its findings to the Legislature in its above-described annual report on or before December 31, 2027. The bill would require the department to perform the same review every 3 years to revise or update standards, as specified.
Existing law provides for the formation of various transit districts and specifies the duties and powers of their governing boards. Existing law authorizes a transit district to compensate a member of the governing board for attending a board meeting and for engaging in other district business, as provided.
This bill would prohibit a transit district from compensating a member of the governing board unless the member demonstrates personal use of the transit system, as specified. The bill would require the governing board of a transit district to include 2 nonvoting members and 4 alternate nonvoting members, as specified. The bill would require nonvoting members and alternate nonvoting members to have certain rights and protections, including the right to attend
and participate in all public meetings of the governing board, except as specified. The bill would require the chair of the governing board of a transit district to exclude these nonvoting members from meetings
discussing, among other things, negotiations with labor organizations. By expanding the duties of transit districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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