Assembly Bill 729 mandates that by October 1, 2030, every inmate residential cell in state correctional institutions and county jails that is connected to an exterior wall must have a window that is at least 1.5 square feet in size and provides at least 92 percent visibility to the outdoors. The bill requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) and county sheriffs to ensure compliance with this requirement, which is contingent upon the structural integrity of the facilities. Additionally, the bill stipulates that each inmate must be allowed to view the outdoors for at least three hours per day, which can be fulfilled through outdoor time, time spent in their cell if it has a compliant window, or by relocating to another area within the facility that has such a window.

To support the implementation of these requirements, the bill allocates $500,000 for fiscal year 2025-26 and $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2026-27 to the DOC for the installation of windows in state correctional institutions. The bill also includes provisions for the sheriff in county jails to ensure similar window access and outdoor viewing time for inmates. The effective date for the outdoor viewing requirements will be the first day of the seventh month following the bill's enactment.