AB 130 & SB 131 Fact Sheets for Public Agencies & Applicants
A high‑level summary of the reforms and their implications for housing and infrastructure projects.
AB 130 & SB 131: CEQA Streamlining Services for Housing and Infrastructure Projects
It has been almost a year since California’s AB 130 and SB 131 were signed into law in June 2025, delivering the most significant California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) reforms in decades. AB 130 and SB 131 are designed to remove long-standing barriers to development while supporting California’s housing, climate, and community goals. These reforms have fundamentally changed how qualifying projects can move through CEQA when properly positioned from the start.
What Kind of CEQA Support Do You Need for Your Development?
Kimley-Horn specializes in helping our public and private clients leverage these CEQA streamlining tools with clarity and confidence. We efficiently guide projects from early screening through entitlement, ensuring documentation is tailored to meet statutory requirements.
- Strategic Eligibility & Fatal‑Flaw Analysis: our environmental team will work with you to assess whether your project qualifies for an AB 130 or SB 131 exemption and identify design or siting adjustments that can preserve eligibility.
- Environmental Constraints & Site Screening: our team conducts upfront screening to confirm avoidance of sensitive lands, hazardous sites, and other disqualifying conditions that can undermine streamlining late in the process.
- Exemption & Streamlined CEQA Documentation: we prepare all required technical memoranda, findings, Notices of Exemption, or focused CEQA documents to support the applicable exemption.
- Tribal Consultation & Compliance Support: we can assist lead agencies with Tribal notification and consultation requirements and clear documentation for the record.
- Hazardous Materials & Technical Coordination: we prepare Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in-house.
- Agency Coordination & Entitlement Support: we work directly with lead agencies to confirm appropriate use of AB 130 and SB 131 provisions, respond to questions, and support decision making consistent with statutory timelines. We also provide trainings to cities looking to educate their teams on these reforms.
- Litigation‑Aware Documentation: our work is structured to minimize CEQA risk by creating clear, defensible records that support exemptions and limited review in the event of a challenge.
Navigate California CEQA Reforms with Confidence
While AB 130 and SB 131 offer powerful tools to accelerate project approvals, success depends on meeting precise statutory requirements and coordinating effectively with local agencies, many of which are still developing their implementation frameworks.
If your project may qualify under AB 130 or SB 131, the right strategy at the outset can be the difference between months and years. Kimley‑Horn’s California planning and environmental professionals are actively advising clients on how to evaluate, position, and implement projects under these new CEQA pathways. Our team supports clients with early feasibility assessments, CEQA strategy development, eligibility screening, agency coordination, and documentation—helping projects move forward and maintaining a reputation for defensible, no-surprise approvals.
AB 130 & SB 131 Expanded Overview & FAQ
A deeper dive into eligibility criteria, timelines, documentation requirements, and frequently asked questions.
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