ARTICLE 3. Administration [65900. - 65909.5.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 3.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65900. Section 65900.

The legislative body of a city or county may, by ordinance, create and establish either a board of zoning adjustment, or the office of zoning administrator or both. It may also, by ordinance, create and establish a board of appeals. Members of a board of zoning adjustment and members of a board of appeals may receive compensation for their attendance at each meeting of their respective boards in a sum to be fixed by the legislative body by which they are appointed. In addition, they may also receive reasonable traveling expenses to and from the usual place of business of such board to any place of meeting of the board within the county or city.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65901. Section 65901.

(a) The board of zoning adjustment or zoning administrator shall hear and decide applications for conditional uses or other permits when the zoning ordinance provides therefor and establishes criteria for determining those matters, and applications for variances from the terms of the zoning ordinance. The board of zoning adjustment or the zoning administrator may also exercise any other powers granted by local ordinance, and may adopt all rules and procedures necessary or convenient for the conduct of the board’s or administrator’s business. (b) In accordance with the requirements for variances specified in Section 65906, the legislative body of the city or county may, by ordinance, authorize the board of zoning adjustment or zoning administrator to decide applications for variance from the terms of the zoning ordinance without a public hearing on the application. That ordinance shall specify the kinds of variances which may be granted by the board of zoning adjustment or zoning administrator, and the extent of variation which the board of zoning adjustment or zoning administrator may allow.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65902. Section 65902.

In the event that neither a board of zoning adjustment or the office of a zoning administrator has been created and established, the planning commission shall exercise all of the functions and duties of said board or said administrator. The legislative body of a county may provide that an area planning commission shall exercise all of the functions and duties of a board of zoning adjustment or a zoning administrator in a prescribed portion of the county.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65903. Section 65903.

A board of appeals, if one has been created and established by local ordinance, shall hear and determine appeals from the decisions of the board of zoning adjustment or the zoning administrator, as the case may be. Procedures for such appeals shall be as provided by local ordinance. Such board may reverse or affirm, wholly or partly, or may modify the order, requirement, decision or determination appealed from, and may make such order, requirement, decision, or determination as should be made, and such action shall be final.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65904. Section 65904.

If a board of appeals has not been created and established the local legislative body shall exercise all of the functions and duties of the board of appeals in the same manner and to the same effect as provided in Section 65903.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65905. Section 65905.

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this article, a public hearing shall be held on an application for a variance from the requirements of a zoning ordinance, an application for a conditional use permit or equivalent development permit, a proposed revocation or modification of a variance or use permit or equivalent development permit, or an appeal from the action taken on any of those applications. (b) Notice of a hearing held pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be given pursuant to Section 65091.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65905.5. Section 65905.5.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, if a proposed housing development project complies with the applicable, objective general plan and zoning standards in effect at the time an application is deemed complete, after the application is deemed complete, a city, county, or city and county shall not conduct more than five hearings pursuant to Section 65905, or any other law, ordinance, or regulation requiring a public hearing in connection with the approval of that housing development project. If the city, county, or city and county continues a hearing subject to this section to another date, the continued hearing shall count as one of the five hearings allowed under this section. The city, county, or city and county shall consider and either approve or disapprove the application at any of the five hearings allowed under this section consistent with the applicable timelines under the Permit Streamlining Act (Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 65920)). (b) For purposes of this section: (1) “Deemed complete” means that the application has met all of the requirements specified in the relevant list compiled pursuant to Section 65940 that was available at the time when the application was submitted. (2) “Hearing” includes any public hearing, workshop, or similar meeting, including any appeal, conducted by the city or county with respect to the housing development project, including any meeting relating to Section 65915, whether by the legislative body of the city or county, the planning agency established pursuant to Section 65100, or any other agency, department, board, commission, or any other designated hearing officer or body of the city or county, or any committee or subcommittee thereof. “Hearing” does not include a hearing to review a legislative approval, including any appeal, required for a proposed housing development project, including, but not limited to, a general plan amendment, a specific plan adoption or amendment, or a zoning amendment, or any hearing arising from a timely appeal of the approval or disapproval of a legislative approval. (3) (A) “Housing development project” has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) of Section 65589.5. (B) “Housing development project” includes, but is not limited to, projects that involve no discretionary approvals and projects that involve both discretionary and nondiscretionary approvals. (C) “Housing development project” includes a proposal to construct a single dwelling unit. This subparagraph shall not affect the interpretation of the scope of paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) of Section 65589.5. (c) (1) For purposes of this section, a housing development project shall be deemed consistent, compliant, and in conformity with an applicable plan, program, policy, ordinance, standard, requirement, or other similar provision if there is substantial evidence that would allow a reasonable person to conclude that the housing development project is consistent, compliant, or in conformity. The receipt of a density bonus including any incentives, concessions, or waivers pursuant to Section 65915 shall not constitute a valid basis on which to find that a proposed housing development project is inconsistent, not in compliance, or not in conformity, with an applicable plan, program, policy, ordinance, standard, requirement, or other similar provision. (2) A proposed housing development project is not inconsistent with the applicable zoning standards and criteria, and shall not require a rezoning, if the housing development project is consistent with the objective general plan standards and criteria, but the zoning for the project site is inconsistent with the general plan. If the local agency complies with the written documentation requirements of paragraph (2) of subdivision (j) of Section 65589.5, the local agency may require the proposed housing development project to comply with the objective standards and criteria of the zoning that is consistent with the general plan; however, the standards and criteria shall be applied to facilitate and accommodate development at the density allowed on the site by the general plan and proposed by the proposed housing development project. (d) Nothing in this section supersedes, limits, or otherwise modifies the requirements of, or the standards of review pursuant to, Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code. (e) The amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) made by the act adding this subdivision do not constitute a change in, but are declaratory of, existing law. However, the amendments to this section in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) shall not affect a project for which an application was submitted to the city, county, or city and county before January 1, 2022.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65906. Section 65906.

Variances from the terms of the zoning ordinances shall be granted only when, because of special circumstances applicable to the property, including size, shape, topography, location or surroundings, the strict application of the zoning ordinance deprives such property of privileges enjoyed by other property in the vicinity and under identical zoning classification. Any variance granted shall be subject to such conditions as will assure that the adjustment thereby authorized shall not constitute a grant of special privileges inconsistent with the limitations upon other properties in the vicinity and zone in which such property is situated. A variance shall not be granted for a parcel of property which authorizes a use or activity which is not otherwise expressly authorized by the zone regulation governing the parcel of property. The provisions of this section shall not apply to conditional use permits.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65906.5. Section 65906.5.

Notwithstanding Section 65906, a variance may be granted from the parking requirements of a zoning ordinance in order that some or all of the required parking spaces be located offsite, including locations in other local jurisdictions, or that in-lieu fees or facilities be provided instead of the required parking spaces, if both the following conditions are met: (a) The variance will be an incentive to, and a benefit for, the nonresidential development. (b) The variance will facilitate access to the nonresidential development by patrons of public transit facilities, particularly guideway facilities.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65906.6. Section 65906.6.

(a) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Inclusionary housing in-lieu fees” means fees imposed as an alternative means of compliance with an inclusionary housing requirement. (2) “Local agency” means a county, city, whether general law or chartered, city and county, school district, special district, authority, agency, any other municipal public corporation or district, or other political subdivision of the state. (b) Commencing on January 1, 2026, a local agency that collects inclusionary housing in-lieu fees and has an internet website shall annually post on its internet website both of the following: (1) The amount of inclusionary housing in-lieu fees collected in the previous year. (2) Whether the inclusionary housing in-lieu fees are intended to be used for a project, if any. (c) Commencing on January 1, 2026, and every five years thereafter, a local agency that collects inclusionary housing in-lieu fees shall post on its internet website both of the following: (1) The amount of inclusionary housing in-lieu fees collected in the past five years. (2) The projects that the inclusionary housing in-lieu fees were spent on.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65907. Section 65907.

If an outdoor expansion of a business to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on indoor dining interferes with, reduces, eliminates, or impacts required parking for existing uses, a local jurisdiction that has not adopted an ordinance that provides relief from parking restrictions for expanded outdoor dining areas shall reduce the number of required parking spaces for existing uses by the number of spaces that the local jurisdiction determines are needed to accommodate an expanded outdoor dining area.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65908. Section 65908.

(a) Any agency which institutes a judicial action or proceeding to enforce zoning regulations may file a notice of the pendency of the action or proceeding in the county recorder’s office of the county where the property affected by the action or proceeding is situated. The notice shall be filed at the time of the commencement of the action or proceeding, and, upon recordation of such notice as provided in this subdivision, shall have the same effect as a notice recorded pursuant to Section 409 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The county recorder shall record and index the notice of pendency of action or proceeding in the index of grantors and any other index relative to the property in question. (b) Any notice of pendency of action or proceeding filed pursuant to subdivision (a) may, upon motion of a party to the action or proceeding, be vacated upon an appropriate showing of need therefor by an order of a judge of the court in which the action or proceeding is pending. A certified copy of the order of vacation may be recorded in the office of the recorder of the county where the notice of pendency of action is recorded, and upon such recordation the notice of pendency of the action or proceeding shall not constitute constructive notice of any of the matters contained therein nor create any duty of inquiry in any person thereafter dealing with the property described therein. Such an order of vacation shall not be appealable, but the party aggrieved by such order may, within 20 days after service of written notice of the order, or within such additional time not exceeding 20 days as the court may, within the original 20 days, allow, but in no event later than 60 days after entry of the order, petition the proper reviewing court to review such order by writ of mandate. No such order of vacation shall be effective, nor shall it be recorded in the office of any county recorder, until the time within which a petition for writ of mandate may be filed pursuant to this subdivision has expired.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65909. Section 65909.

No local governmental body, or any agency thereof, may condition the issuance of any building or use permit or zone variance on any or all of the following: (a) The dedication of land for any purpose not reasonably related to the use of the property for which the variance, building, or use permit is requested. (b) The posting of a bond to guarantee installation of public improvements not reasonably related to the use of the property for which the variance, building, or use permit is requested.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 65909.5. Section 65909.5.

The legislative body of any county or city, including a charter city, may establish reasonable fees for the processing of use permits, zone variances, or zone changes pursuant to the procedures required or authorized by this chapter or local ordinance, but the fees shall not exceed the amount reasonably required to administer the processing of such permits or zone variances. The fees shall be imposed pursuant to Sections 66014 and 66016.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026