California Streamlines Small-Lot Home Approvals

The state law created a 60-day ministerial approval path for subdivisions with up to 10 homes on eligible infill sites when requirements were met.
For qualifying projects, approvals bypassed environmental review and public hearings. In multifamily zones, new small lots needed at least 600 sq-ft each.
City standards capped avg. floor space at 1.75K net habitable sq-ft. For the 10-unit cap, multifamily zones excluded ADUs and JADUs.
For the 10-unit cap, single-family zones excluded only JADUs. Los Angeles had pioneered small-lot housing earlier through a local ordinance encouraging compact ownership.
The law aimed to expand homeownership opportunities, but whether these projects functioned as starter homes remained open. Later changes opened vacant single-family lots to redevelopment.