---
type: "Bill"
title: "Code enforcement officers: safety standards."
description: "Existing law defines the term \"code enforcement officer\" as a person who is not a peace officer, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and who is authorized to issue citations or file formal complaints, as specified."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20212022"
identifier: "SB 296"
citation: "California SB 296 (20212022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Code enforcement officers: safety standards."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Limón"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 26
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2021-02-03"
last_action: "2021-10-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/35d7e48b-abfa-48da-84ee-12a74a085dba"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296"
source_hash: "4ec4927b41b27f869261d27e7144a86fb660fbeab6e3b928b23342359a696a25"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 296 (20212022) — Code enforcement officers: safety standards.

Existing law defines the term "code enforcement officer" as a person who is not a peace officer, who has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare requirements, and who is authorized to issue citations or file formal complaints, as specified.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/03/21 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296&version=20210SB29699INT)
2. **05/20/21 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296&version=20210SB29698AMD)
3. **10/07/21 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296&version=20210SB29696CHP)
4. **SB296** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296)
5. **09/03/21 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB296&version=20210SB29697ENR)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. — **16–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 296 Limón Senate Third Reading By Jones-Sawyer — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended — **7–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Limón — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-02-03** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-02-04** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 6.
- **2021-02-10** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-22** Art. IV. Sec. 8(a) of the Constitution dispensed with.
- **2021-02-22** (Ayes 32. Noes 4.)
- **2021-02-22** Joint Rule 55 suspended. (Ayes 32. Noes 4. Page 272.)
- **2021-03-03** Set for hearing March 23.
- **2021-03-24** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 592.) (March 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2021-03-24** Set for hearing April 5.
- **2021-04-05** April 5 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
- **2021-05-14** Set for hearing May 20.
- **2021-05-20** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 1186.) (May 20). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-20** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-05-24** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-06-01** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 1336.) Ordered to the Assembly. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-06-02** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2021-06-10** Referred to Com. on PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-30** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2021-07-14** July 14 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
- **2021-08-26** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (August 26). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-08-30** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2021-09-01** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2602.) Ordered to the Senate. `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2021-09-01** In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
- **2021-09-09** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1 p.m.
- **2021-10-07** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2021-10-07** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 637, Statutes of 2021. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/35d7e48b-abfa-48da-84ee-12a74a085dba`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).