The General Plan

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California 7th-cycle Housing Element and RHNA schedule

Status

HCD has issued 7th-cycle determinations for SCAG (Oct. 15, 2026) and SACOG (Sept. 15, 2026); ABAG's is due Jan. 31, 2028; Nevada County elements are due May 15, 2027.

Last changed
Last verified
First 7th-cycle elements due (Nevada County)
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What it means for recipients

Only effects the cited source itself states. Nothing here is advice.

Changelog 8 entries, newest first

  1. HCD issues SCAG final determination of 1,359,750 units; elements due Oct. 2029 and Apr. 2030

    HCD's letter to SCAG provides a final regional housing need determination of 1,359,750 units for the projection period June 30, 2029 through October 15, 2037, including 141,930 acutely low and 180,582 extremely low income units. Housing elements for jurisdictions in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties are due October 15, 2029, and for Imperial and Los Angeles counties April 15, 2030. SCAG may file an objection within 30 days of the letter.

    Source: HCD, Final 7th Cycle Regional Housing Need Determination, SCAG (Oct. 15, 2026) (hcd.ca.gov)

  2. AB 2296 chaptered, lengthening RHNA timelines after the 7th cycle

    AB 2296 (Chapter 798, Statutes of 2026) amends Government Code sections 65584.03, 65584.04, 65584.05 and 65588. Except for the 7th cycle for councils of governments with a due date in 2027, 2028 or 2029, it extends the subregion-formation window from 28 to 34 months, requires methodology development at least 2.5 years and draft allocations at least 2 years before a scheduled revision, and ties due dates to the estimated adoption date of every second regional transportation plan update. It sets the 8th revision at June 30, 2032 for jurisdictions previously on five-year intervals.

    Source: California Legislative Information, AB 2296 chaptered text (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)

  3. HCD issues SACOG final 7th-cycle determination of 136,057 units

    HCD's letter to SACOG provides a final regional housing need determination of 136,057 units for the projection period June 30, 2029 through May 15, 2037. SACOG's local governments are responsible for updating their housing elements for the planning period beginning May 15, 2029 and ending May 15, 2037; South Lake Tahoe's 291 units are excluded because it lies within the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

    Source: HCD, Final 7th Cycle Regional Housing Need Determination, SACOG (Sept. 15, 2026) (hcd.ca.gov)

  4. SCAG launches 7th-cycle RHNA process with schedule and subcommittee

    SCAG's Regional Council approved a new RHNA Subcommittee and published a schedule, subject to change: HCD determination October 2026, draft methodology to HCD October 2027, draft allocation plan April 2028, appeals in spring and summer 2028, and adoption of the final allocation plan October 2028. SCAG's RHNA page states housing element updates are due to HCD in October 2029, or April 2030 for jurisdictions in Los Angeles and Imperial counties.

    Source: SCAG news release (June 4, 2026) (scag.ca.gov)

  5. ABAG previews Cycle 7: determination due Jan. 31, 2028; elements due Jan. 31, 2031

    ABAG's Executive Board received a Cycle 7 preview stating that the 7th cycle covers the 2031 to 2039 planning period and that housing elements must be adopted by January 31, 2031. Because HCD must now provide the determination three years before the deadline, the deadline for HCD to provide ABAG's determination is January 31, 2028; final RHNA adoption carries a statutory deadline of January 31, 2030.

    Source: ABAG Executive Board, May 21, 2026, Item 13.a, RHNA Cycle 7 Preview (abag.ca.gov)

  6. State Auditor Report 2024-109 released; HCD reports 90.2 percent of jurisdictions compliant

    The California State Auditor's Report 2024-109, Increased Support Is Critical for Local Jurisdictions to Complete Timely Housing Plans, finds the median sixth-cycle review process took 387 days against 171 days in the fifth cycle, and recommends the Legislature consider staggering due dates by smaller regional groupings and jurisdiction size. HCD's same-day release states that as of January 12, 2026, 90.2 percent of jurisdictions had adopted housing elements found in compliance with state law.

    Source: California State Auditor, Report 2024-109 (Jan. 15, 2026) (auditor.ca.gov)

  7. HCD issues Nevada County determination; housing elements due May 15, 2027

    HCD's corrected letter to Nevada County sets a regional housing need of 7,055 units for the projection period June 30, 2027 through May 15, 2035, allocating 3,712 units to unincorporated Nevada County, 1,542 to Truckee, 1,377 to Grass Valley and 424 to Nevada City. The letter states that housing elements are required to be updated by May 15, 2027 and sent to HCD for a determination of compliance.

    Source: HCD, Final Regional Housing Need Determination and Final Allocation Plan, Nevada County (Jan. 8, 2026) (hcd.ca.gov)

  8. AB 1275 and SB 233 chaptered: HCD must issue 7th-cycle determinations earlier

    AB 1275 (Chapter 593, Statutes of 2025) extends HCD's deadline to determine each region's housing need from two to three years before the scheduled housing element revision, with exceptions of two years for regions due in 2027 and 32 months for regions due in 2028 or the first six months of 2029. SB 233 (Chapter 577, Statutes of 2025) requires HCD to consult each council of governments at least 38 months before the 7th revision, except for specified councils of governments. Both were approved by the Governor on October 10, 2025.

    Source: California Legislative Information, AB 1275 chaptered text (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)

Background

HCD's Housing Element and Regional Housing Needs Determination Schedule lists estimated 7th-cycle due dates by region, marked "Estimated" until each regional transportation plan's adoption date is known: ABAG January 31, 2031; SACOG May 15, 2029; SANDAG June 15, 2031; SCAG October 15, 2029; SLOCOG January 15, 2029; Humboldt July 15, 2027; Lake and Mendocino August 15, 2027; Butte June 15, 2030; Santa Barbara February 15, 2031; AMBAG and San Benito December 15, 2031; Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare December 31, 2031; Kings, Madera and Merced January 31, 2032. Non-MPO counties where HCD acts as the council of governments, such as Nevada County, are dated by HCD's determination letters.

SANDAG's RHNA page states the 7th cycle covers the 2031 to 2039 planning period, with the projection period beginning December 31, 2028 and housing elements due approximately June 15, 2031. HCD's 7th-cycle determinations page lists the twenty determinations issued to date.

Sources cited on this page

How this page is maintained: every entry links the primary record it describes. An editor re-reads each source on the "last verified" date above; nothing is added without a source, and nothing is forecast. About our methodology.