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 that each inmate is allowed to view the outdoors for at least three hours per day through these windows, with provisions for meeting this requirement through outdoor time, time spent in cells with compliant windows, or relocation to areas with compliant windows if necessary.

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 that the window requirements apply only if the structural integrity of the facilities is maintained. The effective date for the outdoor viewing requirements will be the first day of the seventh month following the bill's enactment.