Plain English Breakdown
The official text states projects must satisfy 'prescribed criteria' but does not list all specific details of those criteria in this summary.
Residential Care Facilities on Faith-Based Lands Act of 2026
This law requires cities and counties to allow residential care facilities for the elderly, adults, or children as a legal use on land owned by religious institutions if specific criteria are met.
What This Bill Does
- Requires local governments to treat these projects as an allowable use at certain densities, overriding conflicting local zoning rules.
- Allows eligible projects to receive density bonuses and waivers for development or parking standards.
- Limits required off-street parking to one space per unit unless a state law or local rule sets a lower number.
- Prohibits any parking requirement if the project is within half a mile of high-quality transit or major stops, or within one block of car-share vehicles.
Who It Names or Affects
- Religious institutions that own land where these facilities could be built.
- Developers proposing residential care facilities on religious property.
- Cities and counties, including charter cities, which must follow this state law over local rules.
Terms To Know
- Residential Care Facility
- A licensed place that provides 24-hour nonmedical care for elderly people, adults, or children.
- Allowable Use
- A type of building project that local laws must permit without requiring special discretionary approval like a conditional use permit.
- Density Bonus
- Permission to build more housing units than normally allowed on a piece of land as an incentive for meeting certain goals.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law ends and no longer applies after January 1, 2037.
- Projects must meet all prescribed criteria listed in the bill to qualify; the summary does not list every specific criterion required for approval.
- Eligibility depends on land ownership by a religious institution as specified.