SB 1186 Summary

• Requires attorneys to provide written advisories with demand letters and complaints for construction-related accessibility claims, and prohibits demand letters from requesting or demanding money; attorneys must include State Bar license numbers and submit copies to the California Commission on Disability Access and State Bar (until January 1, 2016).

• Establishes procedures for defendants to request court stays and early evaluation conferences if the site was inspected by a certified access specialist (CASp) or had new construction approved after January 1, 2008; extends this right to small businesses with 25 or fewer employees.

• Reduces minimum statutory damages to $1,000 per offense if all violations are corrected within 60 days of being served with complaint, or to $2,000 per offense for small businesses correcting violations within 30 days.

• Requires commercial property owners to disclose on lease forms executed after July 1, 2013 whether the property has undergone CASp inspection and whether it meets accessibility standards.

• Establishes a $1 fee on local business licenses from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2018, with 70% retained locally for CASp services and 30% funding a statewide Disability Access and Education Revolving Fund managed by the State Architect.