Amended In Assembly March 24, 2022
Introduced by Assembly Member Bigelow on February 10tth, 2022- Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to administer various housing programs, including programs intended to fund the acquisition of property to develop or preserve affordable housing. Existing law establishes various programs intended to address homelessness in this state.
Existing law declares that the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has extensive technical expertise in wildland fire prevention and vegetation management on forest, range, and watershed lands that, when appropriately applied, can have significant public resource benefits, including decreasing high-intensity wildland fires. Existing law requires the department Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to assist local governments in preventing future high-intensity wildland fires and instituting appropriate fuels management by making the department’s wildland fire prevention and vegetation management expertise available to local governments, as provided.
This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to the provision requiring the department to make its wildland fire prevention and vegetation management expertise available to local governments.
This bill would enact the Tiny Homes of California Act and would require the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to develop and administer a pilot program, within 5 counties selected by the department, for the construction of tiny homes from lumber harvested from public utilities, landowners, cities, counties, cities and counties, or other local governing bodies. By requiring select counties to participate in the pilot program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would define various terms for these purposes and would repeal the Tiny Homes of California Act on January 1, 2028.
The bill would also make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
A “tiny home” shall include any detached, single-family dwelling unit that meets each of the following conditions:
(1) It is used as permanent housing with permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation.
(2) It is built in accordance with all applicable building codes.
(3) It is constructed on or mounted on a foundation and connected to public utility services.
(4) It is a residential dwelling unit of not less than 150 square feet and not more than 400 square feet in living area.
(c) “Lumber” shall have the same meaning as it is defined in Sections 4629.3, 4630, 4650.1, and 4851 of the Public Resources Code.
50482.
(a) The Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, shall develop and administer a pilot program for the construction of tiny homes from lumber harvested by any public utility, landowner, city, county, city and county, or other local governing body.(b) In carrying out its duties under this chapter, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall do both of the following:
(1) Develop guidelines for the construction of the tiny homes.
(2) Select five counties to participate in the pilot program.
(c) The department may adopt regulations to implement this chapter in accordance with the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code)