CALIFORNIA LAW TRACKER
California foster care laws
Every California law and bill we track for foster youth and former foster youth. Only laws marked "Signed" are real rights today — always check the official link.
View every state’s law tracker- SIGNED INTO LAWAB 2768
College Fee Deferment for Foster Youth (New Law AB 2768)
Takes effect July 1, 2027
Signed August 30, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens
A new California law (AB 2768, signed in 2026) requires colleges and universities to let foster youth defer enrollment costs — tuition, housing, food and educational materials — until after their financial aid arrives, so they can start classes on time even when aid is disbursed late. The new policies take effect starting with the 2027-28 academic year.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 1051
Faster Child Care for Foster Children (New Law SB 1051)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 30, 2026
Sponsored by Senator Caroline Menjivar
A new California law signed on September 30, 2026 makes it faster for foster children to get child care through the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program. Child care navigators can now send a referral straight to the county welfare department, which must then decide the child's eligibility - cutting delays so child care is not a barrier to a safe, stable placement. The rules start January 1, 2027.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 2764
Equal Extended Foster Care Rules Statewide (New Law AB 2764)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 1, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens
A new California law (AB 2764, signed in September 2026) creates uniform eligibility standards for extended foster care programs statewide. Counties can no longer add their own extra requirements — such as mandatory volunteer hours or work hours beyond the state threshold — that could get 18- to 21-year-olds kicked out of extended foster care housing programs. Where you live in California no longer changes the basic rules of the program.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 2766
College Housing Rights for Current and Former Foster Youth (New Law AB 2766)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 14, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens
A new California law (AB 2766, signed September 14, 2026) strengthens college housing rights for current and former foster youth. Eligible current and former foster youth at California public colleges receive priority for campus housing, including available year-round housing and housing during school breaks. CSU and California Community College campuses with student housing must waive or delay initial housing fees and deposits until your financial aid is disbursed, and cannot cancel your housing because those costs were not prepaid. Costs may still be owed later once your aid arrives. To be eligible, you must submit a FAFSA or California Dream Act application. Foster youth over age 25 who participate in NextUp at a community college can also qualify for priority enrollment.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 1345
Your Belongings Move With Dignity (New Law SB 1345)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 20, 2026
Sponsored by Senator Aisha Wahab
A new California law signed on September 20, 2026 says your personal belongings must be moved in suitcases, duffel bags, backpacks or moving boxes when your placement changes - never trash bags. It also protects your reasonable access to your own clothing and personal items. The rules start January 1, 2027.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 2162
Housing Help Extended to Age 28 (New Law AB 2162)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 27, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan
A new California law (AB 2162, signed September 27, 2026) extends the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program from age 24 up to age 28. This is the state program that helps current and former foster youth — including youth with federal housing vouchers — find, secure and keep housing through county child welfare agencies, with priority for nonminor dependents and young adults formerly in foster care or probation. Services depend on the state continuing to fund the program in the annual budget. Ask your county child welfare agency about housing navigation help once the law takes effect.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 2765
CalFresh Protections for Foster and Former Foster Youth (New Law AB 2765)
Takes effect January 1, 2027
Signed September 18, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens
A new California law (AB 2765, signed September 18, 2026) improves how counties identify and verify CalFresh work-rule exemptions for current and former foster youth, including certain youth with documented physical or behavioral health conditions. It also improves automated recognition of qualifying Extended Foster Care participants, so eligible youth are less likely to lose food benefits over paperwork. IMPORTANT: regular CalFresh eligibility requirements still apply — this law does not guarantee CalFresh benefits to every former foster youth. Apply through your county social services office or BenefitsCal.com.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 243
Easier Financial Aid as an Independent Student (New Law AB 243)
Takes effect January 1, 2026
Signed October 11, 2025
Sponsored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens
California's AB 243 (effective January 1, 2026) makes it easier for current and former foster youth and juvenile-justice-involved youth to be treated as independent students for financial aid, which usually means more aid. A county child welfare worker, probation officer or school liaison can attest to your status so you do not have to dig up confidential court records. Still file the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and check the foster youth box, then ask your caseworker or liaison for the attestation letter for your campus financial aid office.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 349
Higher Payments for Parenting Foster Youth (New Law AB 349)
Takes effect January 1, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Diane Dixon
California's AB 349 (effective January 1, 2026) raises the infant supplement payment for foster youth who are parents and live with their own child in a foster care, Kin-GAP or approved relative caregiver placement, and requires the amount to adjust each year with the California Necessities Index instead of staying flat. The payment goes to the caregiver or provider automatically through the county — no new application — but you can ask your county social worker to confirm the updated rate.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 896
Your Right to Help Plan Placement Moves (New Law AB 896)
Takes effect January 1, 2026
Sponsored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary
California's AB 896 (effective January 1, 2026) requires every county child welfare agency to have a written placement transition policy and to give you a real chance to weigh in before a placement move that cannot be avoided — including timing, who you stay in touch with, and what happens to your belongings. This is now part of the California Foster Youth Bill of Rights. Ask your social worker for your county's transition planning policy; if your rights are ignored, contact the CDSS Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 670
Protection for Parenting Foster Youth
Takes effect January 1, 2022
Signed October 6, 2021
Sponsored by Assembly Member Lisa Calderon
If you are a foster youth who has your own child, this law requires your attorney to be notified within 36 hours if someone reports concerns about your baby, so you have legal help right away instead of facing an investigation alone. It is meant to stop your own children from being pulled into the foster system just because you grew up in it.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 354
Easier Placement with Relatives
Takes effect January 1, 2022
Signed October 8, 2021
Sponsored by Senator Nancy Skinner
This law makes it easier for you to be placed with relatives or close family friends even if they have an old criminal record, by replacing automatic disqualifications with a case-by-case look at whether they are actually safe for you. The goal is keeping you connected to family instead of placing you with strangers.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 612
Modernized Transitional Housing Rules
Takes effect January 1, 2018
Signed October 12, 2017
Sponsored by Senator Holly Mitchell
This law updates and makes permanent the rules for Transitional Housing Placement Plus programs so nonminor dependents can co-sign their own apartment leases and get more consistent case management help. It replaced years of temporary, patchwork regulations with permanent standards you can count on.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 233
Caregivers Can Access Your School Records
Takes effect January 1, 2018
Signed October 15, 2017
Sponsored by Senator Jim Beall
This law lets your foster parent, relative caregiver, or group home staff see your school records — like grades, attendance, and discipline — even if they are not officially your education rights holder. That way the adults caring for you day to day can actually help you with school.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 403
Continuum of Care Reform: Family-Based Placements First
Takes effect January 1, 2017
Signed October 11, 2015
Sponsored by Assembly Member Mark Stone
This major law reshaped California's foster care system to prioritize home-like, family-based placements over group homes, creating short-term residential treatment centers only for kids who truly need intensive care. It also requires child and family teams to help plan your placement and services around your actual needs.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 1228
Priority Campus Housing During Breaks
Takes effect January 1, 2016
Signed October 7, 2015
Sponsored by Assembly Member Mike Gipson
This law gives current and former homeless and foster youth priority for on-campus housing at UC, CSU, and community college campuses, including free housing during school breaks when dorms would otherwise close. Campuses are also asked to make a plan so you are never without a place to stay between terms.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 592
Proof You Were in Foster Care
Takes effect August 17, 2015
Signed August 17, 2015
Sponsored by Assembly Member Mark Stone
This law lets the state give you a letter proving you were once a foster youth, even years after your case closed, so you can show it to colleges, landlords, or benefit programs that ask for it. It took effect immediately so former foster youth could start requesting this proof right away.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWSB 1252
More Time in Transitional Housing
Takes effect January 1, 2015
Signed September 29, 2014
Sponsored by Senator Norma Torres
This law lets counties extend Transitional Housing Program-Plus support from 24 up to 36 months, and up to age 25 instead of 24, for former foster youth who are still in school. That gives you more time to finish your education without losing your housing support.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 216
Graduation Exemption Expanded for Foster Youth
Takes effect September 23, 2013
Signed September 23, 2013
Sponsored by Assembly Member Mark Stone
This law expands the AB 167 graduation exemption so it applies any time you transfer schools after finishing your sophomore year, not just in 11th or 12th grade. Once you are granted the exemption it stays with you even if you move schools again or leave foster care before graduating.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 12
Stay in Foster Care Until 21 (AB 12)
Takes effect January 1, 2012
Signed September 30, 2010
Sponsored by Assembly Members Jim Beall and Karen Bass
The California Fostering Connections to Success Act lets you stay in foster care until age 21 instead of being on your own at 18. You keep housing support, a social worker, and help with school or work — and if you leave, you can re-enter any time before 21.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 194
Priority Registration for College Classes
Takes effect January 1, 2012
Signed October 4, 2011
Sponsored by Assembly Member Jim Beall
This law gives current and former foster youth priority registration at California Community Colleges and CSU campuses (and asks UC to do the same), so you get first pick of the classes you need. That means a better shot at required courses before they fill up and graduating on time.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 167
Skip Extra Local Graduation Requirements
Takes effect January 1, 2010
Signed October 11, 2009
Sponsored by Assembly Member Anthony Adams
If you are a foster youth and you transfer schools in 11th or 12th grade, this law lets you graduate using only the state-required courses instead of your new district's extra add-on requirements. Credits you already earned count, so you do not get stuck needing a 5th year of high school just because you switched schools.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWAB 490
Stay in Your School After a Foster Placement Move
Takes effect January 1, 2004
Signed October 12, 2003
Sponsored by Assembly Member Darrell Steinberg
This law gives you the right to stay in your same school (your school of origin) even if you move to a new foster home, and requires every school district to have a foster youth education liaison to help you enroll and transfer records quickly. Decisions about your schooling must be based on what is best for you, not what is convenient for the system.
READ THE LAW
Federal laws — these apply in every state
These are United States laws, so they protect foster youth in California and everywhere else in the country.
- SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 113-183
Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act
Check the official source for the start date
Signed September 29, 2014
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law requires states to identify and protect foster youth at risk of sex trafficking, encourages normal teenage activities for kids in foster care, and makes sure youth leaving care have key documents like a birth certificate and ID.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 115-123
Family First Prevention Services Act
Check the official source for the start date
Signed February 9, 2018
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law lets states use federal foster care money to pay for services like counseling and parenting classes that can help keep at-risk children safely with their families instead of entering foster care, while also limiting funding for large group homes.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 116-260
Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act
Check the official source for the start date
Signed December 27, 2020
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law gave extra emergency funding and flexibility during COVID-19 so that older foster youth would not be forced to leave foster care and lose support during the pandemic.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 93-247
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
Check the official source for the start date
Signed January 31, 1974
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law was the first major federal effort to require states to set up systems for reporting and investigating child abuse and neglect, which is often the first step that can lead a child into foster care.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 95-608
Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978
Check the official source for the start date
Signed November 8, 1978
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law sets special rules to keep Native American children connected to their families and tribes when child welfare agencies consider foster care or adoption placements.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 96-272
Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980
Check the official source for the start date
Signed June 17, 1980
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law created federal funding for adoption assistance and foster care, and required states to make reasonable efforts to keep families together before removing a child.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 103-382
Howard M. Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994
Check the official source for the start date
Signed October 20, 1994
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law says that agencies cannot deny or delay a child's foster or adoptive placement just because of the child's or family's race, color, or national origin, while also requiring efforts to recruit diverse foster and adoptive families.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 105-89
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997
Check the official source for the start date
Signed November 19, 1997
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law pushed states to move children more quickly toward safe, permanent homes (like adoption) instead of staying in foster care for years, and gave states financial bonuses for finalized adoptions.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 106-169
Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (Chafee Program)
Check the official source for the start date
Signed December 14, 1999
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law created the John H. Chafee program, giving states more money and flexibility to help teens in foster care learn the life skills they need to live on their own after they age out of the system.
READ THE LAW - SIGNED INTO LAWP.L. 110-351
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
Check the official source for the start date
Signed October 7, 2008
Sponsored by U.S. Congress
This law let states use federal funds to support relatives who become foster parents, allowed young people to stay in foster care until age 21 with federal support, and improved help for Native American children in tribal foster care.
READ THE LAW
General information, not legal advice. Questions or corrections? Email policy@helpfosteryouth.org.