Plain English Breakdown
The official text does not specify the exact effective date, only that it was chaptered on October 10, 2025.
California Residential Private Permitting Review Act
This law requires cities and counties to post residential building permit fees online, removes the old rule forcing them to hire private checkers after a delay, and lets applicants hire their own professionals if review times are too long.
What This Bill Does
- Requires cities or counties that charge residential building permit fees to create a fee schedule and post it on their official website.
- Removes the rule requiring local governments to contract with private entities when plan checks take more than 30 days.
- Mandates that cities and counties give applicants an estimated time frame for review once an application is deemed complete.
- Allows applicants to hire a private professional provider if the government's estimate exceeds 30 business days or no decision is made within 30 days of completion.
- Requires applicants to notify the city or county before hiring a private professional provider.
- Requires private providers to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury and for applicants to submit a plan check report to the government.
- Requires cities or counties to review the submitted report within 10 business days and either issue the permit or explain why it does not comply.
- Allows applicants to resubmit corrected plans if their initial submission is found noncompliant after private checking.
Who It Names or Affects
- Cities and counties that issue residential building permits
- People applying for residential building permits
- Private professional providers hired to check building plans
Terms To Know
- Plan Check
- The review of building drawings and specifications to ensure they meet safety laws.
- Private Professional Provider
- A qualified person or company hired by an applicant to check plans instead of the city or county staff.
- Indemnify
- To agree to pay for damages or legal costs if someone else gets hurt due to construction based on private plan checks.
Limits and Unknowns
- The rules allowing applicants to hire private checkers and the related liability protections end on January 1, 2036.
- Cities or counties must review a report from a private provider within 10 business days before issuing a permit.