Learn more about our legislative work

Casita-supported and sponsored bills launched the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)  revolution and continue to enhance ADU/JADU and middle housing-related state law annually. Our legislative successes catalyzed the  growth of ADUs as the fastest growing housing type in California, with more than 113,000 ADUs permitted since 2017. Our legislative momentum would not be possible without our extended community of  members, supporters, and ecosystem partners. We continue to rely on and appreciate your support letters, petition signatures, and network sharing of our calls to action.

Our 2025 ADU and Middle Housing Legislation

Casita Coalition is proud to support California legislation to advance ADU and middle housing solutions. We are sponsoring and supporting bills in 2025 to improve access to attainable homes for rent and purchase in our communities, while continuing to work on implementation of bills signed into law in 2023 and 2024. To read the full bill text, click on the link.

Casita sponsoring:

AB 6 (Ward) Residential building code for small unit count developments. This study bill directs the Housing and Community Development agency to convene a working group and report on how more streamlined, lower-cost residential building code could be used for plexes and other low-rise multifamily projects instead of commercial code. We’re proud to co-sponsor this bill with the Council of Infill Builders and California Community Builders.

Casita supporting:

AB 1154 (Carrillo) Removes owner-occupancy restrictions for JADUs (junior ADUs) that don’t share a bath with the primary home. Also removes parking requirements for ADUs under 500 sf.

AB 413 (Fong) Requires HCD public-facing housing resources to be offered in more languages. Handbooks, forms and other resources on ADUs and middle housing prepared by the Housing and Community Development agency would be made available in languages spoken by a substantial number of Californians. Casita Coalition is pleased to support this important equity bill.

AB 474 (Ward) The Home Share Act exempts income from renting a room to a long-term tenant through a nonprofit homeshare organization from the homeowner’s state income tax and prevents such income from affecting income qualifying for assistance programs. Casita Coalition supports homesharing as the least expensive option for adding additional living space to a home at rents attainable to lower income renters.

SB 9—2025 (Arreguin) The confusingly named SB 9 for this year removes owner occupancy restrictions for existing ADUs, in addition to proposed ADUs. This important clarification will require the removal of deed restrictions on existing ADUs and help resolve the patchwork of local rules creating confusion and limiting finance options for homeowners.

SB 462 (Lowenthal). Exempts ADUs in the County of Los Angeles (and other counties where a state of emergency has been declared) from provisions of the Coastal Act requiring a coastal development permit for new development.

AB 736 (Wicks), SB 417 (Cabaldon) Affordable Housing Bond Act. Proceeds from the sale of these bonds would be used to finance programs to fund affordable rental housing and home ownership programs.

Stay tuned for opportunities to support these bills through letters and petitions!

AB 2533 (Carrillo) Unpermitted Unit Legalization—Now in Implementation Phase—Download the Info Sheet

This important new law helps to preserve existing informal ADU rentals and the important role they play for homeowners while ensuring the safety of tenants. The new law specifies the code standards local agencies must use to assess safety, cuts fees and charges for lower resourced homeowners, and requires cities to provide a checklist of standards that units will have to meet, upfront.

Download the info sheet for jurisdiction staff and ADU professionals.

AB 1033 (Ting) Separate Sale of ADUs as Condos—Now in Implementation Phase—Download the Info Sheet

Only 15% of Californians can afford to purchase a home. The economic impacts to the state, communities and families are immense. In the many places in the US where this is common, ADU condos commonly sell for 30-40% less than single detached homes. The new rule allows cities and counties to opt in to this allowance under AB 1033, creating an attainable new starter home supply for those priced out of the market and helping to redress historic housing harms. Congratulations to the Cities of San Jose and Santa Cruz for completing the opt in process, and to Berkeley and the other cities in progress now!

Want to encourage your city to opt in? Download our info sheet now.

Thank you for helping us protect our collective housing policy wins

Casita Coalition monitors the legislative and regulatory landscapes for both opportunities and threats, and we have had to rapidly and effectively address and eliminate significant threats to middle housing progress on several occasions. Two examples below:

State-exempt ADU law interpretation: We took action to reinforce the legislative intent that established the ‘by-right’ state exempt category. If unchallenged, this would have set back CA ADU law by many years and decimated the factory-built ADU industry

SB 1055 (Min) undermined state ADU law that protects homeowner rights

• This bill proposed a dangerous precedent by 'rewarding' cities and counties that have met their Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals for the year for affordable housing by allowing them to reduce the height standards of attached ADUs to 16', below current state law, and shorter than the home the ADU is attached to in some cases

• It would create a confusing patchwork of standards that would change each year, reducing ADU production and disproportionately burdening lower resourced homeowners and builders

• Current ADU height standards are reasonable and based on local zoning for the property--and make ADUs above garages possible when attached to 2-story homes

ADU policy wins have permitted more than 113,000 ADU homes over the last seven years. Your collective action has kept these attainable homes possible for Californians.