Sacramento passes it. You live with it.
Every week we track the California bills that touch common interest developments, then write up the ones that change what a board actually has to do. Most of these are not law yet. The point is to see them coming while there is still time to budget for them.
SB 1267
SB 1267 is law: Chapter 350 of 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It clarifies who pays when an owner's EV charging station in a common area causes damage, and it states the Legislature's intent that a complying association is protected from liability for a station it does not own.
Read moreAB 739, SB 1117, AB 956, AB 1684, SB 1301, AB 1157
Five bills are sitting on the Governor's desk that land directly on an association: cooling systems, ADU restrictions in your CC&Rs, ADU impact fees, the annual management fee review, and insurance nonrenewals. He has until September 30. Here is what each one does to a board, and what to do in the nine days before he acts.
Read moreAB 1684
AB 1684 passed the Assembly 74-0 and the Senate 38-0. It was enrolled and presented to the Governor on August 27. Zero opposition. When signed, every HOA in California with a cooling restriction on the books is out of compliance. Here is what boards, managers, and owners need to know.
Read moreAB 1684, AB 1184, AB 739, SB 1117, AB 2025, AB 1892, AB 1817
Seven bills moving through Sacramento touch cooling systems, board texts, management fees, ADU impact fees, AI-altered listing photos, common area utility failures and mobilehome termination notices. Two have cleared the Legislature. None of them are law yet.
Read moreAB 956
AB 956 would widen the rule that voids ADU restrictions in governing documents, and it would let owners build two detached units instead of one. If your association is a planned development, part of this has been law for years and your CC&Rs may already be unenforceable.
Read moreAB 1684
AB 1684 would void any governing document, architectural guideline or policy that blocks a cooling system meeting code, and it attaches a two thousand dollar civil penalty plus attorney fees to a willful violation. The exposure sits with the board, not the association's lawyer.
Read moreAB 2050
AB 2050 would require California HOAs to fund reserves so the 30-year projection never drops below zero, starting January 1, 2032. If the projection shows a deficit, 15% of the annual budget would be diverted to reserves, and a special assessment would have to close the gap within nine years.
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