The preliminary application: freeze the rules
The core of SB 330 is vesting. Once you submit a complete preliminary application (Gov. Code § 65941.1) and pay the processing fee, your housing project is subject only to the ordinances, policies and standards in effect that day, fees included (§ 65589.5(o)). A later downzoning, new design rule or fee increase doesn't apply to you.
| You keep the vested rules unless | Rule |
|---|---|
| You don't file the full application in time | Within 180 days of the preliminary application |
| The project changes too much | Units or square footage change by 20% or more (a density bonus doesn't count) |
| Construction doesn't start | Within 2.5 years of final approval (3.5 years for 100% lower-income projects) |
Fee increases tied to a cost index, specific health and safety impacts and CEQA mitigation can still apply.
Five hearings, maximum
For a project that meets objective standards, a city may hold no more than five hearings after the application is complete (§ 65905.5). Continued hearings, workshops and appeals all count. Hearings on a legislative approval, such as a zone change or general plan amendment, don't.
No downzoning, no caps
In affected cities, SB 330 bars cutting the residential capacity a parcel had on January 1, 2018, unless the city upzones elsewhere at the same time (§ 66300). It also bars housing moratoria without HCD approval, caps on housing permits, and non-objective design standards adopted after January 1, 2020. Very high fire hazard severity zones are excluded.
Replacement units and occupant rights
A project that removes protected units must replace them (§ 66300.6). Protected units are:
- Homes deed-restricted as affordable to lower- or very low-income households.
- Homes under rent control; in the City of Los Angeles, units under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO).
- Homes occupied by lower- or very low-income households in the past five years.
The project must also include at least as many homes as the site had at its peak in the past five years. Lower-income occupants get relocation benefits, can stay at their old rent if the demolition doesn't go forward, and get a right of first refusal on a comparable affordable home in the new building. Since January 1, 2026, SB 21 lets replacement units count toward density bonus and inclusionary requirements.
Los Angeles adds its own protections
LA's Resident Protections Ordinance (Ordinances 188481 and 188482), in effect since February 11, 2025, requires one-for-one replacement of RSO units, extends affordability covenants to 99 years, lets occupants stay until six months before construction, and sets relocation pay for lower-income occupants at 42 months of the gap between their old rent and a comparable unit's rent. Budget for both before you buy an occupied building.
How to file in Los Angeles
- Fill out City Planning's Housing Crisis Act Vesting Preliminary Application (CP-4062).
- Get the referral form signed by City Planning staff before filing the main case.
- File through the City Planning online portal and pay the fee: the vesting date is the day both are complete.
- File the full application within 180 days.
A preliminary application is worth filing whenever a rule change is on the horizon. A free zoning check shows where your parcel stands today.
Questions
What is SB 330?
SB 330 (Skinner, 2019) is the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, in effect since January 1, 2020. It lets a housing developer lock in the rules in effect on the day a preliminary application is filed, limits a city to five hearings on a project that meets objective standards, bars most downzoning and housing caps, and requires a project to replace any protected homes it demolishes.
Does SB 330 expire in 2030?
No, not anymore. SB 8 (2021) had extended it to January 1, 2030, but AB 130 (Stats. 2025, ch. 22), in effect June 30, 2025, repealed the sunset. The Housing Crisis Act, including vesting, preliminary applications and the five-hearing limit, now has no end date. Older city guidance that says "until 2030" or "until 2034" is out of date.
What does an SB 330 preliminary application lock in?
The ordinances, policies and standards, including fees, in effect when the complete preliminary application and the processing fee are submitted. The project stays under those rules unless it doesn't file a full application within 180 days, changes its unit count or square footage by 20% or more (not counting a density bonus), or doesn't start construction within 2.5 years of final approval (3.5 years for 100% lower-income projects). Fee increases tied to a cost index, specific health and safety impacts and CEQA mitigation can still apply.
How do I file an SB 330 preliminary application in Los Angeles?
Use City Planning's Housing Crisis Act Vesting Preliminary Application (form CP-4062), filed through the City Planning online portal with the processing fee. Staff must sign the referral form before the main case is filed. The preliminary application is optional; it is how a project vests its rules.
Do I have to replace existing units under SB 330?
Yes, if they are protected units: homes deed-restricted as affordable, under rent control (in LA, RSO units), or occupied by lower-income households in the past five years, including units demolished on or after January 1, 2020. The project must also include at least as many homes as the site had at its peak in the past five years. Lower-income occupants get relocation benefits and a right of first refusal on a comparable affordable home in the new building. In the City of Los Angeles, the Resident Protections Ordinance adds one-for-one RSO replacement and higher relocation payments.
Does SB 330 stop a city from downzoning?
Yes. In affected cities, a city can't reduce the residential capacity a parcel had on January 1, 2018, including height, density, floor area, setbacks, lot size and coverage, unless it upzones elsewhere at the same time to keep the total whole. It also bars housing moratoria (without HCD approval), housing caps and non-objective design standards adopted after January 1, 2020. Very high fire hazard severity zones are excluded.
Related guides
Sources
- Gov. Code § 65941.1 (preliminary application)
- Gov. Code § 65589.5(o) (vesting)
- Gov. Code § 65905.5 (five-hearing limit)
- Gov. Code § 66300 (no downzoning)
- Gov. Code § 66300.6 (replacement and occupant rights)
- AB 130 (Stats. 2025, ch. 22), which removed the sunset
- SB 21 (Stats. 2025, ch. 511), replacement units and density bonus
- LA City Planning, SB 330 Preliminary Application referral form
- LA City Planning, Resident Protections Ordinance fact sheet
Last reviewed October 23, 2026. General information, not legal advice; the statute and your city's own rules control.