Cal. Civ. Code § 8-2-216
Continuation of legal use and occupancy.
Operative Text
The legal use and occupancy of any building or structure may be continued without change, except as may be provided otherwise by this article or as may be legally provided for by any applicable state or local law, ordinance, rule, regulation, code, or standard.
O.C.G.A. § 8-2-216 establishes that a building or structure may continue to be used and occupied in its existing legal manner without being forced to change simply because new rules are adopted. The provision preserves the status quo for lawful uses unless a specific exception is created by the article itself or by another applicable state or local law, ordinance, rule, regulation, code, or standard. In effect, it provides a baseline protection for ongoing legal uses while leaving room for other legal authorities to impose changes.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under O.C.G.A. § 8-2-216, operators of buildings that are already in lawful use generally do not need to alter that use solely because new building or housing standards are enacted, provided no specific exception in the article or other applicable law requires a change. Compliant operators typically document the legal status of their property's use and stay informed about any state or local ordinances, codes, or regulations that might qualify as exceptions to this continuity protection. Maintaining records of the established legal use can be important when questions arise about whether a change is actually required.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
O.C.G.A. § 8-2-216 means that tenants living in a building with an established legal use have a baseline assurance that the lawful character of that occupancy is generally allowed to continue unchanged. If a landlord attempts to alter the terms or nature of occupancy by citing new regulations, tenants may want to examine whether those regulations actually qualify as an applicable exception under this provision or other state and local law. Tenant-rights organizations and local housing agencies can be useful resources for understanding whether a claimed requirement to change use or occupancy is legally grounded under § 8-2-216.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 28, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation