SB 457CALIFORNIASession 20252026

California SB 457 requires state housing department to create standardized formulas for calculating residential development capacity

Original title: Housing element compliance: committed assistance: in-kind services: realistic capacity formula.

August 30, 2026

Housing Urban Planning Zoning State Government Affordable Housing Housingelementcompliance committedassistance in-kindservices realisticcapacityformula

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Where This Stands

Currently Unknown. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Version history & redline

7 versions on file

Official version history is partial: 7 linked texts are unavailable or incomplete. Source links remain available below.

Comparing 01/08/26 - Amended Senate → 05/20/26 - Amended Assembly

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Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

The Frame

What this does

By standardizing how cities calculate housing capacity, this bill aims to create consistency in how local governments plan for regional housing needs, potentially reducing legal disputes over land inventory accuracy.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Cities and Counties

Local governments gain access to state-approved tools for housing element compliance and receive legal protections when using them.

Department of Housing and Community Development

The department is tasked with developing new formulas, digital tools, and hiring specialized staff to implement these requirements.

What changed

Last recorded activity August 30, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop and approve standardized formulas and digital tools by July 1, 2028, to help cities and counties calculate the realistic housing capacity of land in their s. It also allows local governments to use these state-approved tools for their planning requirements and provides a legal exemption for their use.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main purpose of SB 457?

It requires the state to provide standardized formulas and digital tools to help local governments accurately calculate how much housing can be built on specific sites in their housing plans.

When do these new requirements take effect?

The Department of Housing and Community Development must have these formulas and tools ready by July 1, 2028.

Will cities be forced to use these tools?

The bill authorizes cities and counties to use the state-approved formulas, but it does not explicitly mandate their use as the sole method.

News Coverage

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Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of Housing and Community Development“State department responsible for housing policy and oversight”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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