HCD Releases Draft AB 2011 Guidelines to Facilitate More Housing Near Jobs and Transit

Now Accepting Public Comment

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is pleased to announce the release of Draft AB 2011 Guidelines for review and 30-day public comment period. 

What is AB 2011?

Assembly Bill (AB) 2011, also known as the “Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022,” took effect on July 1, 2023 (with further updates taking place on January 1, 2025 through AB 2243, and January 1, 2026, through AB 893). AB 2011 was passed in response to the state’s ongoing housing crisis by facilitating housing development, including affordable housing, on qualifying commercial sites through a streamlined, ministerial review process for eligible developments.

Why Guidelines?

As both housing developers and local governments can attest, applying housing laws to individual development proposals can pose challenges and raise many questions. This is especially true when a law is relatively new and complex. Recognizing those challenges, the Legislature granted HCD the authority to create guidelines that further explain and clarify terms and requirements laid out in the law. By clarifying areas of potential ambiguity and presenting the statute in a way that makes it easier to navigate, these guidelines will serve as a technical assistance resource for developers and local agencies alike to support accurate and consistent implementation of AB 2011.

Register to attend the Draft AB 2011 Guidelines webinar and submit Public Comments

HCD will be hosting a webinar to give an overview of the Draft AB

2011 Guidelines, also available on our website. The webinar will include opportunities to provide comments on the draft. You can also submit comments and questions before, during, and after the webinar to the AB2011Guidelines@hcd.ca.gov mailbox.

The public comment period ends on June 4, 2026.