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AB-956 • 2026

Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units.

Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units.

Education Land
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Quirk-Silva
Last action
2026-06-11
Official status
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 7. Noes 1.) (June 10).
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units.

AB 956, as amended, Quirk-Silva.

What This Bill Does

  • AB 956, as amended, Quirk-Silva.
  • Accessory dwelling units: ministerial approval: single-family dwellings.
  • units and junior accessory dwelling units.
  • Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, provided provides for the creation by local ordinance, or by ministerial approval if a local agency has not adopted an ordinance, of accessory dwelling units in areas zoned for single-family or multifamily dwelling residential use in accordance with specified standards and conditions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-11 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 7. Noes 1.) (June 10).

  2. 2026-05-27 California Legislative Information

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

  3. 2025-06-24 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  4. 2025-06-04 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on HOUSING and L. GOV.

  5. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

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

  6. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 58. Noes 4. Page 1654.)

  7. 2025-05-15 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-05-14 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 2.) (May 14).

  9. 2025-05-14 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  10. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  11. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  12. 2025-04-28 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 24). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  13. 2025-04-24 California Legislative Information

    (Pending re-refer to Com. on L. GOV.)

  14. 2025-04-24 California Legislative Information

    Assembly Rule 56 suspended. (Page 1265.)

  15. 2025-04-07 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  16. 2025-03-18 California Legislative Information

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

  17. 2025-03-17 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.

  18. 2025-03-17 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and L. GOV.

  19. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  20. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 956, as amended, Quirk-Silva.
Accessory dwelling
units: ministerial approval: single-family dwellings.
units and junior accessory dwelling units.
Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law,
provided
provides
for the creation by local ordinance, or by ministerial approval if a local agency has not adopted an ordinance, of accessory dwelling units in areas zoned for single-family or multifamily dwelling residential use in accordance with specified standards and conditions. Existing law
requires a local agency to ministerially approve building permit applications within a residential or mixed-use zone to create, among others, one detached, new construction, accessory dwelling unit that does not exceed 4-foot side and rear yard setbacks for a lot with a proposed or existing single-family dwelling, as specified.
also provides for the creation of junior accessory dwelling units by local ordinance, or, if a local agency has not adopted an ordinance, by ministerial approval, in single-family residential zones in accordance with specified standards and conditions.
Existing law, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, governs the management and operation of common interest developments. Existing law defines “common interest development” for purposes of the act to include, among other things, a planned development and a condominium project. Existing law makes void and unenforceable any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any instrument affecting the transfer or sale of any interest in a planned development, and any provision of a governing document, that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts the construction or use of an
accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit on a lot zoned for single-family residential use that meets the above-described standards and conditions for those units.
This bill would expand the provision that makes void and unenforceable any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any instrument affecting the transfer or sale of any interest in a planned development to include any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in an instrument affecting the transfer or sale of any interest in a common interest development. The bill would revise the provision governing prohibitions or restrictions on the construction or use of an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit on a lot zoned for single-family residential use to instead apply to the construction or use of an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit
on a lot zoned to allow single-family residential use.
Other existing law also generally makes void and unenforceable any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any instrument affecting the transfer or sale of any interest in real property that either effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts the construction or use of an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit on a lot zoned for single-family residential use that meets the above-described standards and conditions for those units.
This bill would similarly revise that provision to instead apply to the construction or use of an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit on a lot zoned to allow single-family residential use.
Existing law requires a local agency to ministerially approve a building permit application within a residential or mixed-use zone to create, among other things, one detached, new construction, accessory dwelling unit that does not exceed 4-foot side and rear yard setbacks for a lot with a proposed or existing single-family dwelling, as specified.
This bill would increase the number of detached, new construction, accessory dwelling units that a local agency is required to ministerially approve on lots with a proposed or existing single-family dwelling, as described above, to 2. By imposing new duties on local governments with respect to the approval of accessory dwelling units, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

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