Every city and county in California must now let entrepreneurs open a pop-up shop in a vacant storefront with a single streamlined permit, good for up to 120 days. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1679 on September 30, 2026, turning what used to be a maze of local approvals into a standardized fast track.
The law, authored by Assemblymember Mark González of Los Angeles, creates what it calls a Temporary Commercial Activation authorization. In plain terms, that is a short-term permit that lets a small retail, food, or service business move into an existing vacant commercial space without meeting every rule designed for permanent tenants.
What the permit actually covers
A pop-up operating under this permit can stay open for up to 120 days. Local governments can renew or extend the authorization, but once total use in a single space crosses 12 months within any 24-month window, the city can require the business to apply for standard permanent occupancy. Fees are limited to what it costs the jurisdiction to administer the permit.
The permit does not waive health, fire, safety, or accessibility requirements. Structural alterations are off the table. So is any shift to a higher-risk building classification. The space must already have commercial occupancy approval and cannot be mid-renovation.
“Bureaucratic nonsense and chronic permitting delays are the difference between a vibrant downtown corridor and another shuttered storefront,” González said in announcing the signing.
Why it matters for small businesses
Downtown Los Angeles office vacancy climbed above 35% in 2026, well above the roughly 25% citywide average, according to Hoodline. The problem extends statewide. For landlords sitting on empty space, the law gives them a low-friction way to fill it temporarily. For entrepreneurs, it means the ability to test a concept, build a customer base, and gather real sales data before signing a long-term lease or investing in a full buildout.
Food concepts qualify too, though they are limited to activities like heating, frying, blending, and assembly of non-prepackaged items, consistent with California’s temporary food facility standards.
One catch to watch. Implementation details, including how you apply and what documentation is needed, will vary by jurisdiction. Each city and county can fold the new authorization into existing permitting systems or build a new process. That means timelines and requirements could look different in San Francisco, Fresno, and San Diego.
AB 1679 takes effect January 1, 2027. Entrepreneurs eyeing a pop-up should start identifying eligible vacant spaces and reaching out to landlords now, then check their local city or county permitting office early next year for application details.
