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SB 904CALIFORNIASession 20252026
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California SB 904 streamlines wildfire rebuilding by mandating electronic permitting and state-led recovery planning

Original title: Recovery from a state of emergency.

August 30, 2026

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The Frame

What this does

This bill changes the administrative burden for residents and businesses rebuilding after wildfires by forcing local and state agencies to modernize their submission processes and proactively plan for regulatory relief.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

local governments

Local agencies must accept electronic permit submissions and may be eligible for state reimbursement for costs associated with these new duties.

wildfire-affected property owners

Property owners may experience changes in permitting timelines and submission methods during recovery efforts.

What changed

Last recorded activity August 30, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

SB 904 requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to identify and recommend the suspension of specific permitting requirements following major wildfires to accelerate rebuilding. Starting January 1, 2028, the bill mandates that all state and local agencies involved in disaster recovery must accept electronic submissions for all applications and permits related to wildfire recovery efforts.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

This bill changes the administrative burden for residents and businesses rebuilding after wildfires by forcing local and state agencies to modernize their submission processes and proactively plan for regulatory relief.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the requirement to accept electronic permit applications begin?
The requirement for state and local agencies to accept electronic submissions for wildfire recovery-related applications begins on January 1, 2028.
What is the role of the Department of Housing and Community Development under this bill?
The Department is responsible for consulting with other agencies to identify permitting requirements that can be suspended after a wildfire and for convening a workgroup to review building code suspensions.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Mandatory Digital Transformation

The bill forces a transition from paper-based to electronic permitting for disaster recovery, signaling a shift toward digital-first emergency response.

Connected Entities

organizationOffice of Emergency ServicesResponsible for making the written determination that a wildfire caused substantMap →
otherCalifornia Building Standards CodeThe set of standards to be reviewed for potential suspension during future emergMap →
organizationCommission on State MandatesDetermines if the bill creates state-mandated costs requiring reimbursement to lMap →
organizationDepartment of Housing and Community DevelopmentPrimary agency tasked with identifying permitting suspensions and convening the Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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