SB 897, AB 2097, and AB 916: Bills Making Headway Toward More Dynamic Housing


Significant pieces of legislation for ADUs are making their rounds through key legislative committees with high prospects of becoming law. Read more to see which bills are making headway toward more dynamic housing. 

SB 897

Authored by Senator Bob Wieckowski, this bill proposes to create new tools to help homeowners finance the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs). Some tools include:

  • Deleting the  2025 sunset date in the current statute, which prohibits a local agency from imposing an owner-occupant requirement.

  • Prohibits a local agency from denying a permit for an unpermitted ADU because of a  building standard violation unless it is a  health and safety violation. 

  • Specifies that the order of construction does not dictate outcomes by allowing a new single-family dwelling to be constructed without the required covered parking, even when permitted along with a  new ADU on the same lot.  

  • Provides grant funding for the construction of ADUs.

AB 2097

Authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, AB 2097 would prohibit public agencies from imposing or enforcing parking minimums on residential developments within half a mile of a major transit stop. This legislation will clear one of the many remaining barriers to building housing by directly increasing transit-oriented infill housing that is critical to addressing the state’s housing crisis.

AB 916

Authored by Assemblymember Rudy Salas Jr. and Sharon Quirk-Silva, this bill will prohibit a legislative body from adopting an ordinance requiring a public hearing as a condition of reconfiguring existing space to increase the bedroom count within an existing dwelling unit. The bill would apply these provisions only to a permit application for no more than 2 additional bedrooms within an existing dwelling unit, paving the way for more JADUs to be created.

Casita Coalition