California Legal Codes and Statutes

§ 65850

Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 376, Sec. 1. (AB 1505) Effective January 1, 2018.

The legislative body of any county or city may, pursuant to this chapter, adopt ordinances that do any of the following:

(a)Regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land as between industry, business, residences, open space, including agriculture, recreation, enjoyment of scenic beauty, use of natural resources, and other purposes.
(b)Regulate signs and billboards.
(c)Regulate all of the following:
(1)The location, height, bulk, number of stories, and size of buildings and

structures.

(2)The size and use of lots, yards, courts, and other open spaces.
(3)The percentage of a lot which may be occupied by a building or structure.
(4)The intensity of land use.
(d)Establish requirements for offstreet parking and loading.
(e)Establish and maintain building setback lines.
(f)Create civic districts around civic centers, public parks, public buildings, or public grounds, and establish regulations for those civic districts.
(g)Require, as a condition of

the development of residential rental units, that the development include a certain percentage of residential rental units affordable to, and occupied by, households with incomes that do not exceed the limits for moderate-income, lower income, very low income, or extremely low income households specified in Sections 50079.5, 50093, 50105, and 50106 of the Health and Safety Code. The ordinance shall provide alternative means of compliance that may include, but are not limited to, in-lieu fees, land dedication, off-site construction, or acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units.

Cite this section

Cal. Gov. Code § 65850 (2026)
https://ca.codecond.com/codes/gov/title-7-planning-and-land-use/division-1-planning-and-zoning/chapter-4-zoning-regulations/article-2-adoption-of-regulations/section-65850

Other sections in Article 2 - Adoption of Regulations

§ 65850§ 65850.01§ 65850.02§ 65850.1§ 65850.2§ 65850.3§ 65850.4§ 65850.5§ 65850.52§ 65850.55…§ 65860§ 65860.1§ 65861§ 65862§ 65863§ 65863.1§ 65863.10§ 65863.11§ 65863.12§ 65863.13

This content is for reference, learning, and study purposes only. All legal text should be verified against the official California Legislative Information website, which is the authoritative source for California law. Data last processed: February 15, 2026.