CHAPTER 1. General Provisions and Definitions [37600. - 37603.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 1.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 37601. Section 37601.

The Legislature finds and declares that properties and structures of historical or architectural significance are an essential public resource and that it is necessary and essential that cities, counties, and cities and counties be authorized to make long-term, low-interest loans to finance the rehabilitation of properties of historic or architectural significance. Unless local agencies have the authority to provide loans for the rehabilitation of historic properties, many properties of historic or architectural significance will continue to deteriorate at an accelerated rate because loans from private sources are not sufficiently available for their rehabilitation. It shall be the policy of the state to preserve, protect, and restore the historical and architectural resources of the state.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 37602. Section 37602.

Unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions shall govern the construction of this part: (a) “Bonds” means any bonds, notes, interim certificates, debentures, or other obligations issued by a local agency pursuant to this part and which are payable exclusively from the revenues, as defined in subdivision (k), and from any other funds specified in this part upon which the bonds may be made a charge and from which they are payable. (b) “Financing” means the lending of money or thing of value for the purpose of historical rehabilitation of historical properties and includes refinancing of outstanding indebtedness of the participating party with respect to property which is subject to historical rehabilitation, the acquisition of historical properties for the purpose of historical rehabilitation, or the acquisition of historical properties rehabilitated by a redevelopment agency functioning pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) of this division. (c) “Historical rehabilitation” means the reconstruction, restoration, renovation, or repair of the interiors or exteriors of historical properties or their relocation for the purposes of restoring or preserving their historical or architectural significance or authenticity, preventing their deterioration or destruction, continuing their use, providing for their feasible reuse, or providing for the safety of the occupants or passersby. “Historical rehabilitation” includes, but is not limited to, the repairing of architectural facades or ornamentation; removal of inappropriate additions or materials; replacement of facades, ornamentation, or architectural elements previously removed; repairing of roofs, foundations, and other essential structural elements; installing parking areas, if required by local regulation or law for the use for which the property is intended after rehabilitation; or any work done on a historical property in order to comply with rehabilitation standards. “Historical rehabilitation” also includes the cost of interest during construction on a historical rehabilitation loan and incidental expenses directly relating to the historical rehabilitation, including but not limited to architect and engineering fees and the costs of financing. “Historical rehabilitation” does not include the purchase, installation, or restoration of furnishings. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “historical rehabilitation” includes, but is not limited to, the purchase and installation of fixtures necessary for the use for which the property is intended after rehabilitation. By way of example and not limitation, equipment may include fire escapes, if required by local regulation for the use, and heating-ventilating-and-air-conditioning systems; if the intended use is a restaurant, “historical rehabilitation” may include, but is not limited to, the purchase and installation of fixed improvements which are installed as part of the historical property, including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, sinks, dishwashers, and work tables, but shall not include furnishings, such as pots, pans, dishes, or silverware. (d) “Historical rehabilitation area” is a geographic area, with specific boundaries, which is designated by a local agency as an area in which a historical rehabilitation financing program shall apply. It may encompass the entire jurisdiction of the local agency, or any portions thereof, including single parcels. (e) “Historical property” means any building or part thereof, object, structure, monument, or collection thereof deemed of importance to the history, architecture, or culture of an area as determined by an appropriate governmental agency. An appropriate governmental agency is a local official historic preservation board or commission, a legislative body of a local agency, or the State Historical Resources Commission. “Historical property” includes objects, buildings, structures, monuments, or collections thereof on existing national, state, or local historical registers or official inventories, such as the National Register of Historic Places and State Historical Landmarks. (f) “Legislative body” means the city council, board of supervisors, or other legislative body of the local agency. (g) “Local agency” means a city, county, city and county, or redevelopment agency functioning pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) of this division. (h) “Participating party” means any person, company, corporation, partnership, firm, local agency, political subdivision of the state, or other entity or group of entities requiring financing for historical rehabilitation pursuant to the provisions of this part. No elective officer of the state or any of its political subdivisions shall be eligible to be a participating party under the provisions of this part. (i) “Qualified mortgage lender” means a mortgage lender authorized by a local agency to do business with the local agency and to aid in financing pursuant to this chapter on behalf of the local agency, for which service the qualified mortgage lender shall be reasonably compensated. Such a mortgage lender shall be a state or national bank, a federally or state-chartered savings and loan association, or a trust company or mortgage broker which is capable of providing such service or otherwise aiding in financing pursuant to this chapter. (j) “Rehabilitation standards” means the applicable local or state standards for the rehabilitation of historical properties, including any higher standards adopted by the local agency as part of its historical rehabilitation financing program and including standards established pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 18950) of Division 13, except that, for properties listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historical Places, “rehabilitation standards” shall mean, at a minimum, those standards set forth by the United States Department of Interior as “The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings” as those standards may be applicable to any particular historical rehabilitation. (k) “Revenues” means all amounts received as repayment of principal, interest, and all other charges received for, and all other income and receipts derived by, the local agency from the financing of historical rehabilitation, including moneys deposited in a sinking, redemption, or reserve fund or other fund to secure the bonds or to provide for the payment of the principal of, or interest on, the bonds and such other moneys as the legislative body may, in its discretion, make available therefor.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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