Title
Ordinance Amending Various Provisions of Title 17 of the Sacramento City Code, Relating to Registered House Plans (Record No. M26-020) [Published 09/11/2026]
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01624
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing and upon conclusion, pass a Motion: 1) closing the public hearing; 2) determining the ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guideline Sections 15060(c)(3), 15061(b)(3), and 15378(b)(5); and 3) recommending City Council adopt an Ordinance amending Sections 17.600.300 to 17.600.320 of the Sacramento City Code related to registered house plans.
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Contact
Contact: Kevin Colin, Zoning Administrator, (916) 808-5260, kcolin@cityofsacramento.org; Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Bruce Monighan, Design Director, (916) 808-1241, bmonighan@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Applicant
Applicant: Not applicable
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Property Owner
Property Owner: Not applicable
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Ordinance (Redline)
3-Ordinance (Clean)
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: This ordinance originates from the Community Development Department’s efforts to support the City Council’s “Sacramento Streamline” initiative.
Sacramento Streamline
Streamline Sacramento seeks to identify improvements to the City’s development approval process with the overarching goal of increasing the supply and decreasing the cost of housing. It is a customer-driven, cross-departmental effort focusing on all aspects of the permit process. Potential actions are based on internal and external stakeholder input and, collectively, focus on ways to improve consistency, timeliness, and to make the development experience as efficient and certain as possible.
Registered House Plans
Currently, article III (Registered House Plans) of Chapter 17.600 provides a process for the review and approval of house plans (i.e., only the building; no site plan, etc.). Plans are reviewed at the Planning & Design Commission at a noticed public hearing for consistency with design guideline(s) and applicable land use plan(s). Subsequent developments that utilize registered house plans are reviewed for compliance with all applicable standards; however, the aesthetic qualities of homes are not considered a second time. To date, no registered house plans have been proposed.
Ordinance Summary
To incentivize use of the registered house plan process, staff are recommending approval of an ordinance that changes the review authority to the Design Director (instead of the Planning & Design Commission) and removes the requirement for notice and a public hearing. These amendments will save both time and costs compared to current requirements. Developments that utilize registered house plans will realize additional time savings through a narrower scope of review (i.e., that excludes aesthetic qualities of building architecture but includes standards such as setbacks, height, open space, and permitted land uses).
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Public/NeighborhoodOutreachComments
Public/Neighborhood Outreach and Comments: In accordance with City Code Section 17.812.030, a notice of public hearing for this item was published in the Sacramento Bulletin, a newspaper of general circulation used for public notices, on September 11, 2026.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The proposed ordinance advances the following 2040 General Plan policies:
Housing Element Program H28: The City shall work with infill developers and other stakeholders on replicable site plans or architectural plans to reduce pre-development costs and expedite the planning approval process for a variety of ADA-accessible infill housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts, and other workforce housing types, that can be used throughout the City.
Housing Element Policy H-2.3.2 Streamlined Application and Building Process: The City shall continue to facilitate interdepartmental review of development applications, encourage pre-application meetings with planning and building staff, and streamline the overall planning application and building process for all development types.
Housing Element Policy H-2.3.5 Clear Development Standards and Approval Procedures: The City shall maintain and administer clear development standards, and approval procedures for a variety of housing types, including, but not limited to, multifamily housing and emergency shelters.
Staff Analysis: The ordinance advances these policies by reducing both the time and costs of receiving approval for a registered house plan, and by increasing certainty for development that utilize the plans in a subsequent review process. The review authority change also aligns with the overall Site Plan & Design Review process, which is administered by professional staff under the direction of the Design Director.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The ordinance consists of amendments to the Sacramento City Code that do not result in indirect or direct physical changes to the environment. Therefore, the proposed ordinance is exempt from CEQA pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15060(c)(3), 15061(b)(3), and 15378(b)(5).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: On August 25, 2026, the Planning Director initiated, pursuant to City Code section 17.916.010.A, the amendments included within the proposed ordinance. After the Planning & Design Commission’s review of the ordinance, it will next be considered by the Law & Legislation Committee on October 20, 2026, before proceeding to City Council in November 2026.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Staff recommend the Planning & Design Commission pass a motion forwarding an approval recommendation to the City Council. The amendments contained in the ordinance support General Plan policies pertaining to a streamlined and clear development approval process.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable
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