Zoning & entitlements
Preliminary application (SB 330)
The SB 330 filing under Gov. Code § 65941.1 that freezes the ordinances, standards, and fees a housing project will be judged against.
Definition
SB 330 lets a housing development project file a preliminary application under Government Code § 65941.1 — a short statutory checklist plus the processing fee. On submittal, the project generally locks in the ordinances, policies, standards and fee schedules in effect that day, through the Housing Accountability Act's vesting provision.
The freeze has maintenance rules: file the full application within 180 days, and keep changes to unit count or square footage under 20%, or the protection is lost.
Why it matters in an underwrite
It is the cheapest insurance in California entitlement: a thin filing that immunizes the underwrite against mid-process impact-fee hikes, downzonings and new design standards. File the moment site control allows — before a hostile ordinance reaches an agenda. Automatic fee escalators already in place at submittal still apply, so model those, and calendar the 180-day full-application deadline as a hard date.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.