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AB-712 • 2026

Housing reform laws: enforcement actions: fines and penalties.

Housing reform laws: enforcement actions: fines and penalties.

Housing Land
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Wicks
Last action
2025-10-10
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 496, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact amount of fines is not specified in the bill.

Housing Reform Laws: Fines and Penalties

This law allows applicants who win lawsuits about housing reform laws to receive reasonable legal costs, requires fines on local agencies that do not comply with these laws, extends the time limit for starting actions after notice is given, and prohibits public agencies from requiring developers to protect them in certain lawsuits.

What This Bill Does

  • Entitles an applicant who wins a lawsuit about housing reform laws to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
  • Requires courts to impose fines on local agencies that do not comply with housing reform laws.
  • Extends the period of limitation for actions under state law by 60 days after written notice is given to the agency.
  • Prohibits public agencies from requiring applicants to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless the public agency in lawsuits alleging violations of rights or benefits provided by a housing reform law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Applicants for affordable housing developments
  • Local agencies responsible for approving housing projects

Terms To Know

Housing Reform Law
A law that establishes or facilitates protections for the benefit of applicants for housing development projects or imposes limitations on a public agency for the benefit of housing development projects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact amount of fines for non-compliance by local agencies.
  • It is unclear how this will affect existing cases before the enactment date.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 496, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-11 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-04 California Legislative Information

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 64. Noes 2. Page 2932.).

  5. 2025-09-04 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 2. Page 2462.).

  7. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-08-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

  9. 2025-07-16 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. 2025-07-03 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  11. 2025-07-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (July 1).

  12. 2025-05-21 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on HOUSING and JUD.

  13. 2025-05-13 California Legislative Information

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

  14. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 64. Noes 2. Page 1512.)

  15. 2025-05-05 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 1436.)

  16. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  17. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 30).

  18. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  19. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  20. 2025-04-10 California Legislative Information

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

  21. 2025-04-09 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  22. 2025-03-11 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on H. & C.D.

  23. 2025-03-10 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on H. & C.D. Read second time and amended.

  24. 2025-03-10 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and JUD.

  25. 2025-02-15 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.

  26. 2025-02-14 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 712, Wicks.
Housing reform laws: enforcement actions: fines and penalties.
Existing law within the Planning and Zoning Law describes various reforms and incentives enacted by the Legislature to facilitate and expedite the construction of affordable housing. Existing law within the Planning and Zoning Law, in certain civil actions or proceedings against a public entity that has issued specified approvals for a housing development, authorizes a court to award all reasonably incurred costs of suit to a prevailing public entity or nonprofit housing corporation that is a real party in interest and the permit applicant of the low- or moderate-income housing if the court makes specified findings.
This bill, where the applicant for a housing development is a prevailing party in an action brought by the applicant to enforce the public agency’s compliance with a housing reform law as applied to the applicant’s housing
development project, would entitle an applicant for a housing development project to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs and would require a court to impose fines on a local agency, as specified. The bill would extend any period of limitation for actions under any state law for a period of 60 days beginning on the date the applicant provides written notice to the local agency indicating its intent to commence an action. The bill would prohibit a public agency from requiring the applicant to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless the public agency in any action alleging the public agency violated the applicant’s rights or deprived the applicant of the benefits or protection provide by a housing reform law. The bill would define housing reform law as a law that establishes or facilitates protections for the benefit of applicants for housing development projects or imposes limitations on a public agency for
the benefit of housing development projects.

Current Bill Text

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