For architects, developers, and land-use counsel doing San Diego entitlement work — pathway feasibility per SDMC and California state housing law, with audit trail and citations on every result.
Regulations current as of May 2026.
Returns side-by-side per-pathway unit counts with assumptions, audit notes, and statutory citations on every result.
Preliminary analysis for screening. Not professional advice. See full methodology & scope
Coverage
Base zoning (SDMC §131.0440), Affordable Density Bonus (Cal. Gov. Code §65915), Micro-Unit Density Bonus (SDMC §143.0720), Complete Communities (SDMC §143.1010), ADU Home Density Bonus (SDMC §141.0302), stacked Affordable + ADU Home, SB-1211 multifamily ADUs (Cal. Gov. Code §66323), SB 79 transit-oriented development (Cal. Gov. Code §65912.123) — compared in a single view, with all assumptions exposed.
Authority
Every regulation modeled is documented with its SDMC section number, effective date, and plain-language summary on the Regulations page. The audit panel on every result links to those entries — when a pathway yields a specific number, the underlying rule and its citation are one click away. Useful for internal review, due diligence, and regulator-facing documentation.
Currency
California's housing laws change every legislative session. Local code is updated regularly. The platform reflects current law — SB 79 per-parcel eligibility joins the pathway stack as the authoritative transit-overlay map becomes available from SANDAG and HCD. Modeled pathways include AB 1287, SB 79, and SB-1211 — added to the platform as legislation passes and HCD guidance solidifies.
Base zoning
SDMC §131.0440
Affordable Density Bonus
Cal. Gov. Code §65915
ADU Home Density Bonus
SDMC §141.0302
Stacked Affordable + ADU Home
Combined pathway
From the Insights library
May 3, 2026 · 9 min read
California Government Code §66314(d)(3) prohibits local agencies from denying ADU permits because of pre-existing nonconforming zoning conditions on the lot. The rule is broad, HCD interprets it broadly, and the enforcement record against non-compliant jurisdictions is documented. Practitioners working with older lots — particularly the multifamily lots that SB 1211 just opened up — should know what the rule does and doesn't reach.
May 3, 2026 · 9 min read
California's State Density Bonus Law authorizes two distinct departures from local development standards: concessions under §65915(d) and waivers under §65915(e). Practitioners use the terms interchangeably, but the statutory tests, the numerical limits, and the case law that governs each are different. Understanding which mechanism reaches which standard determines whether a project gets the relief it actually needs.
April 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Density Bonus Law allows side-setback reductions — but CBC opening rules, fire access requirements, and construction realities often erase the gain.