California's 2027 Housing Laws: Part 1

Join Holland & Knight's West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group for the first installment of our annual webinar series discussing California's newly enacted laws affecting the housing industry.

Our attorneys will provide an overview of key legislation signed as part of the California Legislature's 2025-2026 session, with particular emphasis on important new laws that reflect the state's continued focus on addressing the acute housing shortage through regulatory reform, financial incentives and enforcement mechanisms.

Part 1: October 27

This session will cover new measures that streamline permitting and approvals, including a new ministerial pathway for townhomes and small lot subdivisions, limits on plan-check reviews and longer timelines for subdivision maps. Our attorneys will also discuss expansions to the Density Bonus Law and changes to housing element and Regional Housing Needs Allocation planning, including a new formula-based approach to identifying housing sites. Additionally, we will cover changes that lower Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) costs and expand where ADUs can be built, as well as reforms aimed at making development fees, infrastructure costs and building standards more predictable.

Part 2: November 10

Our second webinar will focus on targeted California Environmental Quality Act reforms, including new limits on the treatment of environmental impacts associated with increased building height alone and an expanded exemption for public college and university housing. Other topics will include a new litigation amendment that increases the maximum bond amount for lawsuits challenging housing and updates to affordable housing and tenant protections.

Speakers:

Chelsea Maclean  |  Partner, San Francisco
Daniel Golub  |  Partner, San Francisco
Kevin Ashe  |  Partner, Newport Beach and San Francisco
Will Sterling  |  Partner, San Francisco
Noah DeWitt  |  Associate, Newport Beach

Register now to join us for our informative Part 1 presentation. Further details on Part 2 will be sent in a separate email closer to the event date.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE):

After completion of the program, Holland & Knight (and its CLE administration partner, CEU Institute) will apply for CLE credit based on attendee requests. Some programs may not be awarded CLE credits because of content or jurisdictional restrictions. Please be aware that the CLE approval process can be lengthy in some jurisdictions. For New York attorneys, this program's format qualifies for CLE for transitional (newly admitted) and experienced attorneys.