Inspection “Shot Clock”

*significantly amended by Senate Local Government Committee on July 9

AB 1308 will help bring new homes to market faster by legally requiring a jurisdiction’s building department to perform final inspections for certain projects within ten business days, once the builder notifies the city or county that construction is complete and ready for inspection.

In recent years, California has made progress making it legal to build more new homes (a.k.a. “entitlements”). However, many jurisdictions in California continue to have slow, unpredictable “post-entitlement” processes for permitting and inspection of new homes as they are built and completed. Slow inspections of elements like framing, plumbing, and electrical systems cause delays that increase costs – and can even prevent would-be residents from purchasing or renting fully-constructed housing. Developers have reported waiting months for a city or county inspector to come out and sign off on a “certificate of occupancy” for fully-built housing. 

AB 1308 will streamline the home building process by requiring local governments to complete final inspections within 10 days for 1-10 unit new residential buildings or additions, bringing new homes online faster.

Updates

  • AB 1308 was amended in the Assembly on 3/24/25. It passed the Assembly Local Government Committee on 4/23/25. It passed the Assembly floor on 5/23/25 by a vote of 71-0. AB 1308 was amended in the Senate on 7/9/2025. It passed the Senate Local Government on 7/9/2025 and the Senate Housing Committee on 7/15/25. It now awaits further action in the Senate.

Author

  • Josh Hoover (AD 7)

Sponsors

  • California YIMBY

Resources