PILP Resources

Surplus Land Act Affordable Housing FAQ

The California Surplus Land Act (SLA) requires local agencies disposing of their surplus land to prioritize affordable housing development. This FAQ contains a summary of local agency’s obligations under the SLA, highlights changes and clarifications to the SLA since 2020, and describes the SLA in more detail in a questions and answers format.

Surplus Land Act Flowchart

Created in partnership with Easy Bay Housing Organizations, Public Advocates, and PILP, this document provides a quick flowchart to understand how the SLA applies to land that is being sold or leased.

HCD Resources

HCD Surplus Land Act Guidelines

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on August 1, 2024 released final updated Surplus Land Act (SLA) Guidelines! These guidelines provide crucial clarifications for implementing the Surplus Land Act, as amended by AB 480.  

Surplus Land Act Dashboard

In addition to the guidelines, HCD has launched a Surplus Land Act Dashboard. This dashboard highlights the significant impact of the SLA on housing in California. Since 2021, HCD has issued 816 letters and facilitated the creation of 28,419 housing units, including 16,772 affordable housing units. This demonstrates the SLA's vital role in addressing California's housing crisis. The dashboard defines affordable housing units as:

"The sum of all deed-restricted affordable housing units proposed or constructed on surplus land or exempt surplus land. These totals generally do not reflect the additional affordable housing units built on surplus land due to a 15% affordability covenant required when the initial offering of surplus land through a Notice of Availability process does not result in a sale or lease."