California Assembly Bill AB623

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/13/25
• Refer: 3/3/25
• Report Pass: 3/17/25
• Refer: 3/18/25
• Report Pass: 4/21/25
• Refer: 4/22/25
• Report Pass: 1/13/26
• Refer: 1/15/26
• Refer: 1/22/26
• Failed: 2/2/26

Caption

An act to amend Section 30600 of, and to add Sections 21080.08 and 21080.36 to, add and repeal Sections 4123.9 and 30618 of the Public Resources Code, relating to fire prevention.

Summary

AB 623 would create new exemptions from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for two categories of wildfire-related work: fuel modification projects intended to maintain defensible space around buildings, and fuel reduction projects intended to prevent and contain the spread of wildfires. It also exempts electrical grid resilience or hardening projects from CEQA. In addition, the bill amends the Coastal Act to exempt certain fuel modification and fuel reduction projects in the coastal zone from coastal development permit requirements, while preserving existing emergency-work provisions and notice requirements for other exempt projects. The bill also adds two one-time reporting requirements. By January 1, 2028, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Agency must report to the Legislature on the implementation of the Governor’s March 1, 2025 emergency proclamation expediting critical fuels reduction projects. The California Coastal Commission must also report on fuel modification and reduction projects processed under coastal development permits and public works plans, including application counts, approvals and denials, acreage, and processing times for 2020 through 2026. Both reporting provisions are temporary and repeal on January 1, 2029.

Impact

AB 623 would narrow the application of CEQA and the Coastal Act for specified wildfire prevention and electrical grid resilience projects, reducing environmental review and permitting requirements for qualifying work. It would create a new statutory exemption in the Public Resources Code for fuel modification and fuel reduction projects, and a separate CEQA exemption for electrical grid resilience or hardening projects. It would also amend coastal permitting law to exempt the same wildfire-related projects from coastal development permit requirements in the coastal zone. The bill imposes a limited state-mandated local program because local lead agencies must determine whether projects qualify for the exemptions, but it states that no reimbursement is required.

Sentiment

The available vote history suggests broad support at the committee level: the bill passed the Assembly committee vote 13-0 on a do-pass-as-amended motion and was re-referred to Appropriations. The bill’s framing around wildfire prevention, defensible space, and grid resilience indicates a generally favorable policy posture toward speeding up hazard-reduction work. No committee transcript is provided, so there is no recorded public debate in the materials beyond the bill text and vote.

Contention

The main policy tension is between accelerating wildfire mitigation projects and preserving environmental and coastal permitting review. Supporters of the bill appear to favor faster implementation of fuels reduction and grid-hardening work, especially in light of the Governor’s emergency proclamation. Potential concerns are implicit in the exemptions themselves: CEQA and coastal permitting are being bypassed for projects that can affect land use, habitat, and coastal resources, and the bill requires agencies and local governments to make threshold eligibility determinations. The reporting provisions suggest an additional concern about oversight and transparency, particularly regarding how often the emergency suspension is used and whether projects comply with the 2020 Statewide Fire Plan.