About

Justin A. Zucker focuses on land use, real estate, and environmental law in California, guiding property owners and developers through complex entitlement processes and construction of development projects.

Justin has expertise counseling clients with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, planning and zoning laws, including the State Density Bonus Law, Housing Accountability Act, SB 423, SB 330, Housing Element Law, and Subdivision Map Act, affordable housing laws, water rights, and code enforcement. His land use and entitlement experience include commercial, mixed-use, institutional, industrial, and residential projects as well as historic renovation and conversion projects. 

Before starting Zucker Law, Justin worked at Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP, and Ropers Majeski in San Francisco, California. In addition, Justin interned for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Bay Area Air District, providing him with a wide-ranging administrative law and regulatory compliance skillset.

Professional Affiliations

  • Planning Commissioner (Chair 2024-2025), City of Piedmont (2021-2025)
  • Board Member, Housing Action Coalition (2023-present)
  • Executive Board Member, Urban Land Institute San Francisco (2024-present)
  • Regulatory Committee Member, Housing Action Coalition (2019-present)
  • Executive Committee Member, California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section (2023-present)
  • Legislative Committee Member (Co-Chair 2024-present), California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section (2020-present)
  • Executive Committee Member (Chair 2017), Bar Association of San Francisco Environmental Law Section (2012-present)
  • Residential Local Product Council Member, Urban Land Institute San Francisco (2023-present)
  • NEXT Committee (Co-Chair 2024), Urban Land Institute San Francisco (2018-present)

Publications & Presentations

  • Panelist, “California Housing Policy 2025: Key Legislative Trends & What to Expect” (Terner Center for Housing Innovation UC Berkeley, March 18, 2025)
  • Panelist, “Outside (and Inside) Lands: Bay Area Land Use Symposium” (UC Law San Francisco, March 14, 2025)
  • Moderator, “Ethics and Environmental Law 2025” (San Francisco Bar Association, March 4, 2025)
  • Panelist, “Real Property Institute: CEQA Workshop” (Continuing Education of the Bar, September 27, 2024)
  • Moderator, “The Intersection of CEQA and the Production of Housing” (California Lawyers Association, 33rd Annual Yosemite Conference September 15, 2024)
  • Contributor, Continuing Education of the Bar, Land Use Due Diligence & Entitlements Practitioner (June 28, 2024) 
  • Moderator, “Ethics and Environmental Law 2024” (San Francisco Bar Association, January 30, 2024)
  • A Time to Build? How Housing Element Law Reform and the Builder’s Remedy are Impacting Housing Production in California, California Lawyers Association, Environmental Law News Volume 32, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2023
  • 2023 Housing Legislation Round-Up, October 18, 2023
  • 2023 California Legislation – Summer Recess Update, Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP Update August 15, 2023
  • Panelist, “Environmental Legislative Update: A 2022 Recap and 2023 Outlook” (San Francisco Bar Association, August 1, 2023)
  • 2023 Legislation at a Glance – Part 2, April 12, 2023
  • 2023 Legislation at a Glance – Part 1, April 5, 2023
  • Moderator, “Ethics and Environmental Law 2023” (San Francisco Bar Association, January 10, 2023)
  • 2022 Housing Legislation Round-Up, October 6, 2022
  • Moderator, “Maximizing State Housing Production Laws and Best Practices” (San Francisco Bar Association, September 27, 2022)
  • Downtown Oakland Specific Plan: ZIP Update, September 21, 2022
  • Oakland: Housing Approved & Zoning Updates, July 20, 2021
  • Draft Zoning Amendments Released for Downtown Oakland, May 12, 2022
  • Oakland ADU Updates: Legalization Amnesty Program, January 12, 2022
  • Moderator, “Ethics and Environmental Law 2022” (San Francisco Bar Association, January 11, 2022)
  • Legislation Seeks Water Conservation in New Buildings, August 19, 2021
  • Accessory Dwelling Units – Oakland Update, April 21, 2021
  • Housing Production Legislation to Watch, December 16, 2020
  • Oakland Entitlement Extensions, Is California Next?, August 12, 2020
  • Moderator, “Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Planning, Preparation, and Predictions” (San Francisco Bar Association, March 5, 2020)
  • SB 50 Revamp: The More HOMES Act Amended, January 9, 2020
  • Jobs Housing Linkage Fee on Offices Could Increase, Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP Update September 17, 2019
  • Draft Downtown Oakland Specific Plan to be Released this Summer, April 23, 2019
  • Moderator, “Environmental Legislation in California: Trends, Directions, and Developments” (San Francisco Bar Association, February 14, 2017)
  • Moderator, “The Clean Power Plan: Tackling climate change through GHG reductions at existing fossil fuel-fired power plants” (San Francisco Bar Association, March 3, 2016)
  • Moderator, “Environmental Legislation in California: Trends, Directions, and Developments” (San Francisco Bar Association, March 3, 2015)
  • Moderator, “The Impact of Greenhouse Gas Restrictions on the California Economy: A Long-Term Prognosis of Costs and Benefits” (San Francisco Bar Association, August 21, 2014)
  • Moderator, “Environmental Legislation in California: Trends, Directions, and Developments” (San Francisco Bar Association, March 31, 2014)