Section 65912.123.
Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65912.123.
in effectA development project shall not be subject to the streamlined, ministerial review process provided by Section 65912.124 unless the development project meets all of the following objective development standards:
(a)
The development shall be a multifamily housing development project.
(b)
The residential density for the development, prior to the award of any eligible density bonus pursuant to Section 65915, shall be determined as follows:
(1)
In a metropolitan jurisdiction, as determined pursuant to subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 65583.2, the allowable residential density for the development shall be the greater of the following:
(A)
The maximum allowable residential density, as defined in paragraph (6) of subdivision (o) of Section 65915, allowed on the parcel by the local government.
(B)
For sites of less than one acre in size, 30 units per acre.
(C)
For sites of one acre in size or greater located on a commercial corridor of less than 100 feet in width, 40 units per acre.
(D)
For sites of one acre in size or greater located on a commercial corridor of 100 feet in width or greater, 60 units per acre.
(E)
Notwithstanding subparagraph (B), (C), or (D), for sites within a very low vehicle travel area, within one-half mile of a major transit stop, or within a campus development zone, 80 units per acre.
(2)
In a jurisdiction that is not a metropolitan jurisdiction, as determined pursuant to subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 65583.2, the allowable residential density for the development shall be the greater of the following:
(A)
The maximum allowable residential density, as defined in paragraph (6) of subdivision (o) of Section 65915, allowed on the parcel by the local government.
(B)
For sites of less than one acre in size, 20 units per acre.
(C)
For sites of one acre in size or greater located on a commercial corridor of less than 100 feet in width, 30 units per acre.
(D)
For sites of one acre in size or greater located on a commercial corridor of 100 feet in width or greater, 50 units
per acre.
(E)
Notwithstanding subparagraph (B), (C), or (D), for sites within a very low vehicle travel area, within one-half mile of a major transit stop, or within a campus development zone, 70 units per acre.
(3)
(A)
For a housing development project application that has been determined to be consistent with the objective planning standards specified in this article, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 65912.124, before January 1, 2027, the development project shall be developed at a density as follows:
(i)
Except as provided in clause (ii), 50 percent or greater of the applicable allowable residential density contained in subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (1) or subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (2), as applicable.
(ii)
For a site within one-half mile of an existing passenger rail or bus rapid transit station, 75 percent or greater of the applicable allowable residential density contained in subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (1) or subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (2), as applicable.
(iii)
For a site within a campus development zone, 75 percent or greater of the applicable allowable residential density contained in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2).
(B)
For a housing development project application that has been determined to be consistent with the objective planning standards specified in this article, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 65912.124, on or after January 1, 2027, the development project shall be developed at a density that is 75 percent or greater of the applicable allowable
residential density contained in subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (1) or subparagraphs (B) to (E), inclusive, of paragraph (2), as applicable.
(4)
Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), a development project shall not be subject to any density limitation if the development project is a conversion of existing buildings into residential use, unless the development project includes additional new square footage that is more than 20 percent of the overall square footage of the project.
(c)
The height limit applicable to the housing development shall be the greater of the following:
(1)
The height allowed on the parcel by the local government.
(2)
For sites on a commercial corridor of less than 100 feet in width, 35 feet.
(3)
For sites on a commercial corridor of 100 feet in width or greater, 45 feet.
(4)
Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), 65 feet for sites that meet all of the following criteria:
(A)
They are within one-half mile of a major transit stop.
(B)
They are within a city with a population of greater than 100,000.
(C)
They are not within a coastal zone, as defined in Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000) of the Public Resources Code.
(5)
For sites in a campus development zone, either of the following:
(A)
Forty-five feet, if not located in a metropolitan
jurisdiction, as determined pursuant to subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 65583.2.
(B)
Sixty-five feet, if located in a metropolitan jurisdiction, as determined pursuant to subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 65583.2.
(d)
The property meets the following standards:
(1)
For the portion of the property that fronts a commercial corridor or for a property in a campus development zone, the following shall occur:
(A)
No setbacks shall be required.
(B)
All aboveground parking must be set back at least 25 feet.
(C)
On the ground floor, a building or buildings must abut within 10 feet of the street for at least 80 percent of the
frontage.
(2)
For the portion of the property that abuts an adjoining property that also abuts the same commercial corridor as the property, no setbacks are required unless the adjoining property contains a residential use that was constructed prior to the enactment of this chapter, in which case the requirements of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) apply.
(3)
For the portion of the property line that does not abut or lie within a commercial corridor, or an adjoining property that also abuts the same commercial corridor as the property, the following shall occur:
(A)
Along property lines that abut a property that contains a residential use, the following shall occur:
(i)
The ground floor of the development project shall be set back at 10 feet. The
amount required to be set back may be decreased by the local government.
(ii)
Starting with the second floor of the property, each subsequent floor of the development project shall be stepped back in an amount equal to seven feet multiplied by the floor number. For purposes of this paragraph, the ground floor counts as the first floor. The amount required to be stepped back may be decreased by the local government.
(B)
Along property lines that abut a property that does not contain a residential use, the development shall be set back 15 feet. The amount required to be stepped back may be decreased by the local government.
(4)
For a development project at a regional mall, all of the following requirements apply:
(A)
The average size of a block shall not
exceed three acres. For purposes of this subparagraph, a “block” means an area fully surrounded by streets, pedestrian paths, or a combination of streets and pedestrian paths that are each at least 40 feet in width.
(B)
At least 5 percent of the site shall be dedicated to open space.
(C)
For the portion of the property that fronts a street that is newly created by the project and is not a commercial corridor, a building shall abut within 10 feet of the street for at least 60 percent of the frontage.
(e)
No parking shall be required, including replacement parking, except that this article shall not reduce, eliminate, or preclude the enforcement of any requirement imposed on a new multifamily residential or nonresidential development to provide bicycle parking, electric vehicle supply equipment installed parking
spaces, or parking spaces that are accessible to persons with disabilities that would have otherwise applied to the development if this article did not apply.
(f)
For any housing on the site located within 500 feet of a freeway, all of the following shall apply:
(1)
The building shall have a centralized heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system.
(2)
The outdoor air intakes for the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system shall face away from the freeway.
(3)
The building shall provide air filtration media for outside and return air that provide a minimum efficiency reporting value of 16.
(4)
The air filtration media shall be replaced at the manufacturer’s designated
interval.
(5)
The building shall not have any balconies facing the freeway.
(g)
None of the housing on the site is located within 3,200 feet of a facility that actively extracts or refines oil or natural gas.
(h)
(1)
The development proponent shall provide written notice of the pending application to each commercial tenant on the parcel when the application is submitted.
(2)
The development proponent shall provide relocation assistance to each eligible commercial tenant located on the site as follows:
(A)
For a commercial tenant operating on the site for at least one year but less than five years, the relocation assistance shall be equivalent to six months’ rent.
(B)
For a commercial tenant operating on the site for at least 5 years but less than 10 years, the relocation assistance shall be equivalent to nine months’ rent.
(C)
For a commercial tenant operating on the site for at least 10 years but less than 15 years, the relocation assistance shall be equivalent to 12 months’ rent.
(D)
For a commercial tenant operating on the site for at least 15 years but less than 20 years, the relocation assistance shall be equivalent to 15 months’ rent.
(E)
For a commercial tenant operating on the site for at least 20 years, the relocation assistance shall be equivalent to 18 months’ rent.
(3)
The relocation assistance shall be provided to an eligible commercial
tenant upon expiration of the lease of that commercial tenant.
(4)
For purposes of this subdivision, a commercial tenant is eligible for relocation assistance if the commercial tenant meets all of the following criteria:
(A)
The commercial tenant is an independently owned and operated business with its principal office located in the county in which the property on the site that is leased by the commercial tenant is located.
(B)
The commercial tenant’s lease expired and was not renewed by the property owner.
(C)
The commercial tenant’s lease expired within the three years following the development proponent’s submission of the application for a housing development pursuant to this article.
(D)
The commercial tenant employs 20 or fewer employees and has annual average gross receipts under one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the three-taxable-year period ending with the taxable year that precedes the expiration of their lease.
(E)
The commercial tenant is still in operation on the site at the time of the expiration of its lease.
(5)
Notwithstanding paragraph (4), for purposes of this subdivision, a commercial tenant is ineligible for relocation assistance if the commercial tenant meets both of the following criteria:
(A)
The commercial tenant entered into a lease on the site after the development proponent’s submission of the application for a housing development pursuant to this article.
(B)
The commercial tenant had not
previously entered into a lease on the site.
(6)
(A)
The commercial tenant shall utilize the funds provided by the development proponent to relocate the business or for costs of a new business.
(B)
Notwithstanding paragraph (2), if the commercial tenant elects not to use the funds provided as required by subparagraph (A), the development proponent shall provide only assistance equal to three months’ rent, regardless of the duration of the commercial tenant’s lease.
(7)
For purposes of this subdivision, monthly rent is equal to one-twelfth of the total amount of rent paid by the commercial tenant in the last 12 months.
(i)
For any project that is the conversion of an existing building for nonresidential use building to residential
use, the local government shall not require the provision of common open space beyond what is required for the existing project site.
(j)
Objective zoning standards, objective subdivision standards, and objective design review standards not specified elsewhere in this section, as follows:
(1)
The applicable objective standards shall be those for the closest zone in the city, county, or city and county that allows multifamily residential use at the residential density proposed by the project. If no zone exists that allows the residential density proposed by the project, the applicable objective standards shall be those for the zone that allows the greatest density within the city, county, or city and county.
(2)
The applicable objective standards shall be those in effect at the time that the development application is
submitted to the local government pursuant to this article.
(3)
The objective standards shall not preclude a development from being built at the residential density required pursuant to subdivision (b) and shall not require the development to reduce unit size to meet the objective standards.
(4)
The applicable objective standards may include a requirement that up to one-half of the ground floor of the housing development project be dedicated to retail use.
(5)
For purposes of this section, “objective zoning standards,” “objective subdivision standards,” and “objective design review standards” mean standards that involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development
applicant or proponent and the public official before submittal. These standards may be embodied in alternative objective land use specifications adopted by a city or county, and may include, but are not limited to, housing overlay zones, specific plans, inclusionary zoning ordinances, and density bonus ordinances. In the event that objective zoning, general plan, subdivision, or design review standards are mutually inconsistent, a development shall be deemed consistent with the objective zoning and subdivision standards pursuant to this subdivision if the development is consistent with the standards set forth in the general plan.
References
referencesCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30000.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 65912.124.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 65915.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 65583.2.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026