Starter homes and small multifamily: building up to 10 under SB-684 and SB-1123

Two of the most useful housing laws California has passed let a qualifying lot hold up to 10 small homes with no public hearing. The laws open the door. Building ten homes well on one lot is a different skill than building one, and that is the part we do.

What these projects are

SB-684 and SB-1123 let you split a lot and build up to 10 starter homes through a ministerial process, which means approval by the rules instead of by a hearing. The homes are modest by design, often around 1,200 to 1,750 square feet. The result is a small community on a lot that used to hold a single house.

Why building ten is its own discipline

• Shared infrastructure. One driveway, one drainage plan, and utility runs that serve every unit have to be designed and built as a system, not as ten separate jobs.
• Sequencing. Building in the right order keeps crews and deliveries efficient and keeps the site safe and workable while ten structures go up.
• Inspections at scale. Ten units means a lot of inspection points. Planning them so the project moves in one direction is what keeps the schedule honest.

How we approach it

We build these as a single coordinated project with a master schedule, not as ten small contracts that collide on one lot. Repeated details across units mean we can standardize framing, plumbing, and finishes, which is exactly where factory-built methods can cut the timeline further. The goal is a predictable cost per unit and a clean handoff at the end.

First, know the lot qualifies

The word that decides most of these deals is vacant, and it has a specific legal meaning. Before any building, feasibility comes first. ClearPath Development covers these laws in plain language. See SB-684 and SB-1123 explained.

General information from a licensed general contractor, not legal advice. Whether a specific parcel qualifies depends on its facts and the local jurisdiction.