Dwelling units: indoor temperature.

The bill header was replaced from the enrolled format (showing Senate and Assembly passage dates, clerk signatures, and blank Governor receipt date) to the chaptered format showing 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL,' Chapter 522, and the approval date of October 10, 2025.

The legislative counsel's digest and statutory text (Section 1 findings and Section 2 adding Health and Safety Code Section 17914) were reformatted with different line breaks and indentation to match the chaptered publication layout, but the content is identical.

Page numbering changed from 'SB 655' format to 'Ch. 522' format, and the approval block at the end was updated from a blank signature line to reflect the Governor's approval.

The document was reformatted from the official chaptered/enrolled format (with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGISLATION' headers, page numbers, and formal layout) to the web-based bill text format used on the California Legislature website, which includes navigation elements, search tools, and version history links. No changes were made to the substantive text of Section 1 (legislative findings) or Section 2 (new Health and Safety Code Section 17914).

Removed the requirement for the Department of Housing and Community Development to research, develop, and propose building standards (including mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation, shading, and cooling techniques) to achieve a maximum safe indoor air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for newly constructed residential dwelling units by the next triennial code update on or after January 1, 2026.

Removed the separate legislative intent section (former Section 3) that stated the Legislature's intent to enact further legislation on safe maximum indoor temperature policy for all residential dwellings.

Changed 'all state agencies' to 'all relevant state agencies, including but not limited to' and specifically named nine agencies: California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Community Development, Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Public Utilities Commission, State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, State Air Resources Board, State Department of Health Care Services, State Department of Public Health, and Strategic Growth Council.

Added a two-part structure to the agency consideration requirement: (1) agencies must consider the policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, programs, regulations, and criteria including grant criteria; and (2) beginning January 1, 2027, agencies must also consider the policy when revising, adopting, or establishing regulations.

Renumbered the new Health and Safety Code section from 17921.14 to 17914, and added Assembly Member Haney as a co-author.

Removed 'regulations' from subdivision (b)(1), so state agencies are no longer required to consider the safe indoor temperature policy when revising or adopting regulations in the immediate timeframe. They must still consider it for policies, programs, and criteria. The regulation-specific requirement remains only under subdivision (b)(2), effective January 1, 2027.

Added new subdivision (c) stating that the section does not expand any obligation of the state to provide a safe maximum indoor temperature or require expenditure of additional resources to develop infrastructure beyond what may already exist under subdivision (b). This explicitly limits fiscal impact.

Corrected a duplicate word ('agencies agencies' changed to 'agencies') in the list of covered state agencies.

Assembly Member Calderon was added as a coauthor alongside Assembly Member Haney, expanding the bill's legislative sponsorship.

The amendment date was updated from September 2 to September 4, 2025, reflecting a new round of Assembly amendments.

A typo was introduced in Section 1(a): 'United States' was changed to 'United States States.'

Removed the requirement for the California Building Standards Commission and HCD to each submit a report to the Legislature on the standards developed, including the sunset date of January 1, 2031 and compliance with Government Code Section 9795.

Added new Section 17914 to the Health and Safety Code declaring it is the established policy of the state that all dwelling units (as defined in Civil Code Section 1940) shall be able to attain and maintain a safe maximum indoor temperature. This applies to all existing and future dwelling units, not just newly constructed ones.

Added a requirement that all state agencies must consider the new state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, programs, regulations, and criteria (including grant criteria) relevant to achieving safe maximum indoor temperatures in dwelling units.

The building standards provision was renumbered from Section 17921.12 to Section 17921.14 of the Health and Safety Code, likely to avoid a numbering conflict with another pending bill.

Section 25237 of the Public Resources Code was removed. This section required the Energy Commission and other relevant departments to develop an inventory of incentive programs for alternative passive and low-energy cooling strategies, including cool roofs, cool walls, window shading, building shading, weatherization, and landscaping.

The bill title and digest were updated to reflect that the bill now only adds a single section (17921.14) to the Health and Safety Code, rather than three sections across three codes.

Section 739.16 of the Public Utilities Code was removed. This section stated legislative intent that the Public Utilities Commission modify how baseline rates are calculated for high-heat climate zones to support affordable maintenance of a maximum indoor air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with the goal that average electricity bills in those zones not exceed 5 percent of household income.

The Health and Safety Code section number changed from 17921.12 to 17921.14, likely to avoid a numbering conflict with another bill or existing statute.

Removed the requirement for HCD to separately 'develop passive and active strategies' and 'share those strategies with the California Building Standards Commission.' The bill now requires HCD to simply research, develop, and propose standards for adoption by the commission in a single step.

Former paragraph (a)(2), which required HCD to share developed strategies with the California Building Standards Commission as a separate action, was deleted entirely.

The Health and Safety Code section was renumbered from 17958.13 to 17921.12, placing it in a different part of the code.

The bill now adds sections to three codes (Health and Safety Code 17958.13, Public Resources Code 25237, and Public Utilities Code 739.16) instead of just the Health and Safety Code.

New Section 5 expresses legislative intent for state agencies to consider a policy on safe maximum indoor temperature in ALL residential dwellings (not just newly constructed ones) and to revise, adopt, or establish policies, regulations, and grant criteria pertinent to that standard.

The Department of Housing and Community Development now develops and proposes passive and active strategies for the Building Standards Commission to adopt, rather than the Commission independently adopting them. HCD must also share those strategies with the Commission.

New Section 25237 requires the Energy Commission and other relevant departments to develop an inventory of incentive programs for alternative passive and low-energy cooling strategies, including cool roofs, cool walls, window shading, building shading, weatherization, and landscaping.

New Section 739.16 states legislative intent that the Public Utilities Commission modify baseline rate calculations for high-heat climate zones so that the average electricity bill does not exceed 5 percent of household income while maintaining a maximum indoor temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

The report deadline to the Legislature was changed from a fixed date of January 1, 2027 to an open-ended blank (January 1, 2027,____), suggesting the specific date is still being determined.

Language describing the strategies was softened from 'including but not limited to' to 'that may include, but are not limited to,' making the list of required strategies less prescriptive.

The lead agency responsible for developing passive and active strategies to achieve a maximum indoor temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit changed from the California Building Standards Commission (which would directly adopt them) to the Department of Housing and Community Development (which will develop and propose them for adoption by the Commission).

A standalone legislative intent section (former Section 3) directing future legislation on baseline quantity calculation in high-heat climate zones was removed as a separate provision; its substance is now only reflected within the Public Utilities Code section 739.16.

The deadline for developing strategies changed from a fixed date of July 1, 2026 to 'the next rulemaking cycle for the triennial update to the California Building Standards Code, adopted after January 1, 2026,' which is less specific and potentially later.

The legislative report deadline changed from January 1, 2027 to an unspecified date (left blank in the amendment).

The requirement for HCD to develop a load calculation methodology for meeting both minimum heating requirements and cooling maximum temperatures in all climate zones, including passive survivability in extreme temperature events, was removed entirely from the operative text.

The Health and Safety Code section number changed from 17958.13 to 17921.12, moving the provision to a different part of the code.