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ARTICLE · 14 JULY 2025

New CEQA Exemptions In 2025: Streamlining Housing & Infrastructure Development In California

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On Monday, June 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills, AB 130 and SB 131, which provide new exemptions from, and streamlines the process, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

United StatesEnvironment
Lauren K. Chang
Lauren K. Chang
Brooke Miller
Brooke Miller
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On Monday, June 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two bills, AB 130 and SB 131, which provide new exemptions from, and streamlines the process, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). AB 130 creates a statutory exemption for qualifying infill housing projects, streamlines the CEQA review process for residential projects in the coastal zone, and provides procedural changes to the administrative review process to prevent unnecessary delays for new development projects. SB 131 focuses on accelerating public interest projects, such as clean water infrastructure, park and trail projects, and community support facility projects, by creating new exemption categories and streamlines processes for projects that would otherwise be CEQA-exempt but for a single condition. Both bills also include non-CEQA related provisions which seek to further support infill and public interest development.

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