California Coastal Act of 1976: Coastal Development Permits Appeal De Novo Review

LegiScan California

Published February 3rd, 2026

Detected March 30th, 2026

Summary

California State Senate Bill 963 proposes amendments to the California Coastal Act of 1976, adding Sections 30628 and 30629 to the Public Resources Code. The bill addresses coastal development permits and introduces de novo review procedures for appeals. The legislation is sponsored by Sen. John Laird and was introduced February 3, 2026, with a hearing scheduled for April 7 subsequently canceled at the author's request.

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What changed

California Senate Bill 963 would add two new sections (30628 and 30629) to the Public Resources Code to modify coastal development permit appeal procedures under the California Coastal Act of 1976. The bill introduces de novo review for appeals of coastal development permits. Sponsored by Sen. John Laird, the legislation passed introduction on February 3, 2026, and was re-referred to the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee after receiving amendments on March 9, 2026.

The April 7 hearing was canceled at the author's request before occurring. Construction firms, developers, and government agencies engaged in coastal development projects should monitor SB963's progress as it could significantly alter appeal rights and procedures for coastal development permits. The bill applies specifically to California Coastal Zone development under the California Coastal Act framework.

What to do next

Monitor SB963 progress through the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
Review current coastal development permit appeal procedures in anticipation of potential de novo review requirements
Engage with legislative counsel regarding amendments to Public Resources Code Sections 30628 and 30629

Source document (simplified)

CA SB963 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session

California Senate Bill 963

CA State Legislature page for SB963
- Summary
- Sponsors
- Texts
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Status

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: Introduced on February 3 2026 - 25% progression
Action: 2026-03-27 - April 7 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
Pending: Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee
Hearing: Apr 7 @ 1:30 pm in State Capitol, Room 113
Text: Latest bill text (Amended) [HTML]

Summary

An act to add Sections 30628 and 30629 to the Public Resources Code, relating to coastal resources.
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Title

California Coastal Act of 1976: coastal development permits: appeal: de novo review.

History

| Date | Chamber | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-27 | Senate | April 7 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. |
| 2026-03-24 | Senate | Set for hearing April 7. |
| 2026-03-18 | Senate | Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W. |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Referred to Com. on RLS. |
| 2026-02-04 | Senate | From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 6. |
| 2026-02-03 | Senate | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |

Code Citations

| Chapter | Section | Citation Type | Statute Text |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Public Resources Code | 30628 | New Code | See Bill Text |
| Public Resources Code | 30629 | New Code | See Bill Text |

California State Sources

| Type | Source |
| --- | --- |
| Summary | https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB963 |
| Text | https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB963#99INT |
| Text | https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB963#98AMD |

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