California Density Bonus Law (CA)
Tracked preemption from the California overlay bundle.
Overview
← All state preemptionsCalifornia overlay roll-upCalifornia zoning wikiCalifornia building codesFederal overlaysGlossaryFederal-conflict: Not flagged
Effective
1979-01-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:CA
Other California preemptions
California SB 423 — Streamlined Multifamily ApprovalCalifornia AB 2011 — Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs ActCalifornia AB 2097 — Parking Mandate Elimination Near TransitCalifornia SB 9 — Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) ActCalifornia SB 10 — Local Upzoning AuthorizationCalifornia ADU / JADU By-RightCalifornia Builder's Remedy
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
project.very_low_income_unit_pct ≥ 5Preempted fields
3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[category=res_mf].max_units_per_acre | floor_at | base + 50% | Scales 50% → 80% bonus based on affordability tier |
review_type | waive_discretionary | — | |
base_districts[category=res_mf].parking_ratio | cap_at | 1.0 | §65915(p): 0.5/unit studio/1BR; 1.0/unit 2-3BR; 1.5/unit 4+BR affordable component |
Citation
Authority source
CA Government Code §65915
Research notes
Up to 80% density bonus for qualifying affordable housing. Ministerial approval required. Cannot be denied if project meets qualifying thresholds.