(a)  Any employee housing which has qualified, or is intended to qualify, for a permit to operate pursuant to this part may invoke the provisions of this section.

(b)  Any employee housing providing accommodations for six or fewer employees shall be deemed a single-family structure with a residential land use designation for the purposes of this section. For the purpose of all local ordinances, employee housing shall not be included within the definition of a boarding house, rooming house, hotel, dormitory, or other similar term that implies that the employee housing is a business run for profit or differs in any other way from a family dwelling. No conditional use permit, zoning variance, or other zoning clearance shall be required of employee housing that serves six or fewer employees that is not required of a family dwelling of the same type in the same zone. Use of a family dwelling for purposes of employee housing serving six or fewer persons shall not constitute a change of occupancy for purposes of Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) or local building codes.

(c)  Except as otherwise provided in this part, employee housing that serves six or fewer employees shall not be subject to any business taxes, local registration fees, use permit fees, or other fees to which other family dwellings of the same type in the same zone are not likewise subject. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to forbid the imposition of local property taxes, fees for water services and garbage collection, fees for normal inspections, local bond assessments, and other fees, charges, and assessments to which other family dwellings of the same type in the same zone are likewise subject. Neither the State Fire Marshal nor any local public entity shall charge any fee to the owner, operator or any resident for enforcing fire inspection regulations pursuant to state law or regulation or local ordinance, with respect to employee housing which serves six or fewer persons.

(d)  For the purposes of any contract, deed, or covenant for the transfer of real property, employee housing which serves six or fewer employees shall be considered a residential use of property and a use of property by a single household, notwithstanding any disclaimers to the contrary. For purposes of this section, “employee housing” includes employee housing defined in subdivision (b) of Section 17008, even if the housing accommodations or property are not located in a rural area, as defined by Section 50101.

(e)  The Legislature hereby declares that it is the policy of this state that each county and city shall permit and encourage the development and use of sufficient numbers and types of employee housing facilities as are commensurate with local needs. This section shall apply equally to any charter city, general law city, county, city and county, district and any other local public entity.

(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 952, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1994.)