No local agency shall issue any permit or grant any approval necessary to develop any real property which has been divided, or which has resulted from a division, in violation of the provisions of this division or of the provisions of local ordinances enacted pursuant to this division if it finds that development of such real property is contrary to the public health or the public safety. The authority to deny such a permit or such approval shall apply whether the applicant therefor was the owner of record at the time of such violation or whether the applicant therefor is either the current owner of record or a vendee of the current owner of record pursuant to a contract of sale of the real property with, or without, actual or constructive knowledge of the violation at the time of the acquisition of his or her interest in such real property.

If a city or a county issues a permit or grants approval for the development of any such real property, it may impose only those conditions that would have been applicable to the division of the property at the time the applicant acquired his or her interest in such real property, and which has been established at such time by this division or local ordinance enacted pursuant thereto, except that where the applicant was the owner of record at the time of the initial violation of the provisions of this division or of local ordinances enacted pursuant thereto who, by a grant of the real property created a parcel or parcels in violation of this division or local ordinances enacted pursuant thereto, and such person is the current owner of record of one or more of the parcels which were created as a result of the grant in violation of the division or local ordinances enacted pursuant thereto, then the local agency may impose such conditions as would be applicable to a current division of the property, and except that if a conditional certificate of compliance has been filed for record under the provisions of subdivision (b) of Section 66499.35, only such conditions stipulated in that certificate shall be applicable.

The issuance of a permit or grant of approval for development of real property, or with respect to improvements that have been completed prior to the time a permit or grant of approval for development was required by local ordinances in effect at the time of the improvement, or with respect to improvements that have been completed in reliance upon a permit or grant of approval for development, shall constitute “real property which has been approved for development,” for the purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 66499.35, and upon request by the person owning the real property or a vendee of such person pursuant to a contract of sale, the local agency shall issue a certificate of compliance for the affected real property.

(Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 864, Sec. 1.)