Senate Bill 4 — Affordable Housing on Faith & Higher Education Land

Updated: October 2025

Senate Bill 4 (2023) as amended by Assembly Bill 130 (2025), Affordable Housing on Faith & Higher Education Land (Gov Code Section 65913.16) provides a streamlined, ministerial Planning review and approval process for religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to develop affordable multi-family housing on their property subject to the specific criteria outlined in the Affordable Housing on Faith & Higher Education Land Checklist in the Handouts section.

Ministerial permits are exempt from CEQA and are not subject to discretionary review or public hearing provided that they meet specific criteria as detailed in the Small Lot Subdivisions Checklist accompanying the development permit application.

Submitting an Application:

1. Contact a City of Hayward Planner: Contact a planner by emailing planning.division@hayward-ca.gov or calling (510) 583-4216 to determine if the project site is eligible for the provisions of SB 9 and application submittal materials. Please include the project address and a detailed description of your project.
2. Register for an e-Permit Portal account: You must be a registered user of the Hayward e-Permit Portal before you can submit your application. Learn more about how to register on our e-Permit Portal help page.
3. Apply for your Plan Type: Using the e-Permit Portal, apply for your Plan by completing the online application and attaching the required submittal materials. Learn more about how to apply for a Plan on our e-Permit Portal help page.

Required Submittal Materials:

The submittal items below are required for this project type. Please note additional submittal items may be required depending on the project scope. A list of all the submittal requirements can be found in the Development Permit Checklist in Handouts.

• Architectural Plans: Existing and proposed site plan, floor plans, and elevations and Project Data. (See Development Permit Checklist in Handouts for specifics)
• Civil Plans: including Utility, Grading and Drainage, Stormwater Control and Landscape and Irrigation Plans. (See Development Permit Checklist in Handouts for specifics)
• Owner Authorization Form: Only required if the applicant is not the property owner. (See Owner Authorization Form in Handouts)
• Plan Sharing Authorization Form: (See Plan Sharing Authorization Form in Handouts)

Project Review:

Applicants will be notified by email or can login to the e-Permit Portal for updates on their application. Applications will be processed in accordance with the timeframes set forth in Government Code Section 65913.16(l)(1).

Paying Fees:

After submitting your application through the e-Permits Portal, staff will reach out to coordinate payment. The initial application deposit for review of a Ministerial Planning Application is $4,000. The ultimate deposit amount shall reflect the sum of the individual application deposits. If the cost to process the application exceeds this deposit, the applicant or owner must cover the cost. If the cost ends up being less than the deposit, the difference is refunded.