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California Code Library · Topic

Development & building: zoning, codes and approvals

What can be built and how: the Title 24 building codes, every city and county zoning code, and the state planning, environmental and development-finance law above them.

8,950 documents of verbatim text, plus the zoning codes of 482 cities and 58 counties. Where a code is listed section by section, the library holds those sections, not the whole code.

What this topic covers

Browse collected material or search within this topic. Subjects without a dedicated listing include a coverage note.

Plain-English guides

Each guide explains a rule and links the enacted text below. For how the rules apply to a specific property, ask GoCodebook.

Guides

State building codes (Title 24)

The full, enacted text by chapter and section.

City and county zoning codes

482 cities and 58 counties, each code verbatim by chapter and section.

How to read these sources

Start with a research question, then follow the collected sources. These notes explain the organization; the linked provisions supply their conditions and exceptions.

Which sources address the site, and which address the building?

Begin with the city or county code for the site’s zoning and local development rules. Then consult the relevant Title 24 code and local amendments for the proposed work. The building-code and zoning guides explain these separate source layers; a statewide code alone does not describe every local requirement.

Where do housing approvals, environmental review and fees fit?

Use the planning and housing-approval materials to identify the statute relevant to the project. Read environmental and coastal sources as a separate layer, and consult subdivision and finance provisions for maps, fees and funding. The lists distinguish statutes from HCD guidance rather than treating an agency explanation as enacted text.

State and federal law

HCD guidance & enforcement

Program advisories, technical-assistance letters, and notices of violation issued to specific jurisdictions.

Constitutional authority

Federal law

U.S. statutes, regulations and agency guidance on the same subject.

Statutes

The U.S. Code as enacted — the tax credit, voucher, fair-housing and relocation authorities.

View 21 collected documents

Regulations

The Code of Federal Regulations — HUD, Treasury, FTC and government-wide implementing rules, as whole parts and as selected sections.

View 83 collected documents

Agency guidance & handbooks

HUD and IRS handbooks, guidebooks and audit technique guides.

Other documents

View 8738 collected documents

Other topics

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.