Housing Accountability Act 

What is it?

The Housing Accountability Act (or the “HAA”) was first passed in 1982, and the legislature has strengthened its provisions over time. Its primary effect is to limit local governments’ ability to disapprove or delay housing development projects for arbitrary reasons: under the HAA, if a housing development project complies with the local zoning code and general plan, the local government may not disapprove it except in very narrow circumstances. The HAA is codified at Government Code section 65589.5.

The HAA is one of the oldest and most important pro-housing laws in California. It ties closely to our work at CalHDF.

Learn more about the HAA in our explainer below!