The California State Legislature has officially adjourned for the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, but CALBO’s advocacy work has not wrapped.

Several measures that CALBO has tracked and advocated on throughout the session are now awaiting action by Governor Newsom, with potential impacts on California’s local building departments.

In CALBO’s latest Legislative Briefing, Executive Director Dr. Matthew Wheeler provides an update on the final actions of the State Legislature, breaks down CALBO’s priority bills and discusses what members should be watching in the weeks ahead.

Inside this briefing:

Legislative Calendar & What’s Next
The Legislature adjourned August 31. Governor Newsom now has until September 30 to sign or veto legislation sent to his desk.

Major Bills Awaiting Action

• AB 306 – Statewide Appeals Process:  Creates a statewide appeals process for Alternative Means and Methods (AMMs) through the California Building Standards Commission.  CALBO advocacy helped significantly narrow the scope of the proposal, but concerns remain.
• AB 1738 – Remote Inspections:  Requires jurisdictions to offer remote inspections for certain residential projects, including heat pump systems, residential re-roofs, PV systems and ESS.  CALBO remains opposed to the one-size-fits-all mandate.
• SB 868 – Plug and Play Solar Act:  Creates new provisions for portable plug-in solar generation devices, including requirements related to system capacity and applicable safety standards.  CALBO remains Opposed.
• AB 1621 - Housing Accountability Act:  Limits projects to two plan checks, with additional reviews permissible when supported by written findings.  Additionally, AB 1621 shortens certain local review and appeals process timelines. CALBO remains Opposed.
• AB 1693 – “Streamlined “Retail Tenant Improvements: Creates a streamlined approval process for certain retail tenant improvements, including shortened review timelines.  Late amendments exclude food retail from the proposal. CALBO remains Opposed.
• AB 1820 – Permit Fee Caps:  Extends existing solar permit fee maximums to charging stations and establishes new caps through 2036.  CALBO-supported amendments allow jurisdictions to provide evidence supporting higher rates when necessary, but remains Opposed to the measure.
• SB 222 – Asynchronous Inspections: Requires asynchronous inspections for certain residential heat pump systems and would require online and automated permitting systems by July 2028.  CALBO remains Opposed. 

The briefing also covers AB 2418, which addresses private permitting, SB 828, related to fireworks storage facilities, and several bills that did not advance before the State Legislature adjourned.

Catch the Full September Legislative Briefing

- Watch the Recording
– View the PDF Handout

Want to Go Deeper?

Join CALBO this fall for State Laws Enforced by Building Departments for 2025-2026 at CALBO Education Weeks. The course takes a closer look at the state laws impacting building departments and the requirements local jurisdictions are responsible for implementing and enforcing.

Burlingame: Thursday, October 1
Costa Mesa: Thursday, October 29
0.6 CEUs | In Person or Virtual

Learn More & Register

For the latest information on legislation CALBO is tracking, visit the CALBO Bill Report.