Abandoned recreational vehicles.

The entire BUILD Housing Act of 2025 (new Government Code Section 65852.22) was removed. This provision would have required local agencies to ministerially approve housing developments of up to 8 units on lots with existing single-family homes or zoned for 8 or fewer units, provided at least one unit was deed-restricted affordable housing at or below 80% area median income (55 years for rental, 45 years for owner-occupied). It also prohibited local agencies from applying standards that would physically preclude such developments.

Amendments to Government Code Section 65585 were removed. These amendments expanded the list of housing laws whose violation could trigger Attorney General enforcement action, including the new BUILD Act provisions, and added detailed court-imposed fine mechanisms (ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per month, with multipliers up to 6x) for jurisdictions that failed to comply with housing element orders.

The recreational vehicle disposal authorization was expanded from only the Counties of Alameda and Los Angeles to also include any public agency within those counties or a state agency.

The sunset date for the recreational vehicle disposal program was extended from January 1, 2030 to January 1, 2032.

A new Section 1 amending Vehicle Code Section 22851.5 was added, authorizing any public agency within Alameda or Los Angeles County or a state agency to implement programs to dispose of abandoned recreational vehicles valued at $4,000 or less. This includes detailed procedures for notice, poststorage hearings, and disposal authorization.

The entities authorized to implement RV disposal programs were expanded from only the Counties of Alameda and Los Angeles to any public agency within those counties or a state agency.

A new Section 2 adds legislative findings declaring that a special statute is necessary for Alameda and Los Angeles counties because of their unique needs related to abandoned recreational vehicles, invoking Article IV, Section 16 of the California Constitution.

The sunset date for the RV disposal authorization was extended from January 1, 2030 to January 1, 2032.

The original housing provisions (formerly Sections 1 and 2) were renumbered as later sections to accommodate the new RV disposal provisions at the front of the bill.

The amendment to Government Code Section 68501 relating to the Judicial Council (described as technical, nonsubstantive changes) was entirely removed from the bill. The bill now focuses exclusively on housing development approvals.

The state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' meaning the bill's requirements on local agencies are now classified as a state-mandated local program, which can trigger reimbursement obligations under the Constitution.

A new provision specifies that an application for a proposed housing development submitted under the new ministerial approval process (Section 65852.22) is ineligible for a density bonus, among other things. This prevents developers from stacking density bonuses on top of the streamlined approval.

The fiscal committee determination changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now has fiscal implications requiring committee review.

The bill was retitled the 'Better Urban Infill and Livable Design (BUILD) Housing Act of 2025' and expanded from a single technical amendment to Government Code Section 68501 (Judicial Council committees) into a comprehensive housing development approval law covering Sections 65585 and new Section 65852.22 of the Government Code.

The bill explicitly states it applies to all cities including charter cities, declaring that adequate housing is a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair under the California Constitution.

New Section 65852.22 creates a ministerial (non-discretionary) approval process for housing developments containing no more than 8 residential units located on a lot with an existing single-family home or zoned for 8 or fewer units, provided the project meets specific site and design requirements.

Eligible sites must be in residential zones within urbanized areas or urban clusters (as designated by the U.S. Census Bureau), served by public water and sewer, and not located on coastal zones, prime farmland, wetlands, high fire hazard severity zones, hazardous waste sites, earthquake fault zones, flood hazard areas, conservation lands, protected species habitat, or conservation easements.

Projects must dedicate at least one unit to deed-restricted affordable housing for households at or below 80% of area median income, with a 55-year restriction for rental units and 45 years for owner-occupied units.

Local agencies are prohibited from applying any development standard that physically precludes construction of eligible projects, and specifically barred from imposing enclosed parking requirements, off-street parking requirements, floor area ratios below 2.0, height restrictions beyond one story above the maximum applicable height, or setback requirements inconsistent with existing law.

Local agencies must approve or deny applications within 60 days of receiving a completed application; if no action is taken within that period, the application is deemed approved. Denials must include written comments listing deficiencies and how to remedy them.

Section 65585 was substantially expanded to give the Department of Housing and Community Development authority to find local governments in violation, create a rebuttable presumption of invalidity for non-compliant actions, and authorize the Attorney General to bring enforcement actions. Courts can impose escalating fines starting at $10,000 per month, tripling after 3 months of continued non-compliance, and multiplying by six after 6 months. The court can also appoint an agent to directly bring a housing element into compliance.

Fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' and state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting the new obligations imposed on local governments. The bill states no reimbursement is required because local agencies can levy sufficient fees.

The original technical amendment to Section 68501 (changing 'chairman' to 'chairperson' and fixing a duplicated word) was retained but renumbered as Section 4 of the amended bill, now appearing after the new housing provisions.