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AB-780 • 2026

Disability access: construction-related accessibility claims: notice of violation and opportunity to correct.

Disability access: construction-related accessibility claims: notice of violation and opportunity to correct.

Labor
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Castillo
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on what happens if a business fails to correct violations or how it affects ongoing legal actions when the law takes effect.

Disability Access: Construction-Related Claims

This bill sets rules for construction-related disability access claims, requiring notice and a chance to fix problems before legal action can be taken against businesses with up to 50 employees.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires businesses with up to 50 employees to receive a letter detailing any accessibility violations before they can face legal action over these issues.
  • Gives businesses 120 days to fix the problems listed in the notice or risk being sued for damages, attorney fees, and costs.
  • Protects businesses from paying damages if they correct the issues within 120 days of receiving a violation letter.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Businesses with up to 50 employees
  • People who file lawsuits over construction-related disability access issues

Terms To Know

statutory damages
Money a court orders someone to pay as punishment for breaking the law.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
A federal law that stops discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas, including jobs and public places.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a business fails to correct the violations within the given time frame.
  • It is unclear how this will affect businesses that are already facing legal action when the law takes effect.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2026-01-31 California Legislative Information

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. 2025-03-17 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

  4. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  5. 2025-02-18 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 780, as introduced, Castillo.
Disability access: construction-related accessibility claims: notice of violation and opportunity to correct.
Existing law prohibits discrimination on the basis of various specified personal characteristics, including disability. Existing law imposes minimum statutory damages for construction-related accessibility claims if the violation of a construction-related accessibility standard denied the plaintiff full and equal access to the place of public accommodation on a particular occasion, as specified. Existing law imposes various limits on a defendant’s liability for statutory damages under specified sets of conditions, including if the defendant, among other things, corrects the construction-related violations within a specified time.
This bill would prohibit a construction-related accessibility claim for statutory damages from being initiated in a legal proceeding against a defendant who employs 50 or fewer individuals, as specified, unless the
defendant has been served with a letter specifying each alleged violation, and the alleged violations have not been corrected within 120 days of service of the letter. The bill would provide that a defendant is not liable for statutory damages, plaintiff’s attorney’s fees, or costs for an alleged violation that is corrected within 120 days of service of a letter alleging the violation. The bill would also prohibit a plaintiff from avoiding the notice and opportunity to correct provisions and the liability limitations by claiming they are seeking general discrimination damages based on a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 if the underlying claim is based on a defendant’s failure to comply with physical accessibility standards under California law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF