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SACRAMENTO, CA — Assembly Bill 2418 (González), legislation aimed at tackling California’s growing backlog of delayed commercial building permits and inspections, unanimously passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee today, clearing another major legislative hurdle before consideration by the full Assembly.
Across California, commercial projects routinely face months-long permitting and inspection delays driven by staffing shortages, inconsistent review timelines and increasing workloads at the local level, increasing costs and creating barriers for businesses seeking to open, expand or reinvest in local communities.
"Permit delays and unpredictable inspections create unnecessary barriers for businesses trying to open, expand, and reinvest in their communities," said Assemblymember Mark González who is the author of AB 2418 "With more accountability and predictability for business owners, we ensure small, local businesses are not stuck waiting for months for approvals -- because a delay in opening a storefront is the difference between a reliable source of economic stability and another shuttered business."
The issue has become a growing concern across the state in recent years, with CBPA leading efforts in the Legislature over the past three years to bring attention to unacceptable delays impacting California businesses and commercial development projects. Those efforts led to CBPA sponsoring AB 2433 in 2024 and now sponsoring AB 2418 by Assemblymember Mark González, legislation aimed at improving the speed, predictability and efficiency of California’s nonresidential permitting process.
“This marks another important milestone in the ongoing effort to address the permitting delays that continue to impact commercial projects throughout Los Angeles and across California,” said Michelle Ware, president and CEO of BOMA Greater Los Angeles. “We appreciate Assemblymember Mark González for his leadership on this issue and for recognizing the real-world impacts these delays have on businesses, property owners and economic activity in communities throughout downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods.”
AB 2418 would establish firm timelines for plan reviews and inspections, requiring local agencies to provide estimated review periods, reducing the definition of an “excessive delay” from 50 days to 30 days, and allowing applicants to utilize qualified third-party plan checkers at the applicant’s expense when timelines are exceeded. The legislation also establishes a 10-business-day “shot clock” for inspections once permitted work is completed.
“This legislation originated from a simple problem we have been dealing with for years, projects that should take weeks to review are instead taking several months,” said Stephane Wandel, President of NAIOP SoCal. “AB 2418 gives building permit applicants additional options to speed up the process by hiring a third-party plan checker when city is overworked and delays become too unreasonable”
AB 2418 has now passed the Assembly Local Government Committee, Assembly Judiciary Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee without receiving a single “no” vote and currently faces no registered opposition. The legislation is supported by more than 26 statewide and regional organizations representing commercial real estate, business, manufacturing, retail, housing, engineering and economic development interests.
AB 2418 is sponsored by CBPA and co-sponsored by NAIOP SoCal, BOMA Greater Los Angeles.
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