Gavin Newsom last week signed a package of housing bills promising myriad reforms to reduce red tape, incentivize construction and boost housing affordability.
They do that in part by opening the door to more types of housing, from high-rises to townhomes to accessory dwelling units, or “granny flats,” in a property’s backyard.
More than 95% of residential land in California is zoned for single-family housing only, a 2024 Zoning Atlas analysis found.
It also blocks local governments from using zoning to limit these types of housing in certain cases.
Bigger smaller housing California has already seen a boom in ADU construction in some areas, but new legislation signed last week further incentivizes the smaller backyard housing by eliminating an impact fee for ADUs above 750 square feet.