Land Use: General Plan and Specific Plan (CA)


Summary

This practice note explores zoning and land use planning within California's legal system, specifically general plan and specific plan frameworks that government agencies must follow. Other aspects of understanding how a property can be developed—known in land use parlance as "due diligence"—require an understanding of applicable zoning ordinances, constitutional protections against takings and unlaw exactions, laws governing vested rights, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Subdivision Map Act, the Housing Accountability Act, the Development Agreement Law, and a host of other local, state, and federal regulations. These topics are not discussed in this practice note but in the practice notes identified below.