Homeownership has become increasingly out of reach for many Americans. The median age of a first-time homebuyer is forty, home prices have increased by 150% since 2012, and the median single-family home now costs five times the median household income. The U.S. faces a housing shortage of approximately 4 to 8 million homes nationwide, driving up home prices and limiting inventory for young families.
This is a gap many states are now trying to close. Reducing burdensome zoning, land-use, and permitting regulations not only restores property rights, but can also make it easier for Americans to pursue housing options. It also cuts red tape for builders and developers, which improves the supply side of the problem.
Prior to the 20th century, there were relatively few restrictions on property rights in the United States. However, following the 1926 decision in Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., which affirmed local zoning authority, states across the country began to pass zoning enabling acts, granting localities the power to regulate zoning and land-use policies in their communities. In the century since, these regulations have expanded beyond simple zoning laws to encompass minimum lot sizes, building material and color regulations, parking requirements, and more.
As home prices continue to climb, zoning and land-use reforms have been at the forefront of many state legislative sessions and local government agendas. There is no “one-size- fits-all” approach, as forward-thinking states have pursued a wide variety of legislative agendas to remove barriers to more abundant, affordable housing in their communities. Lawmakers have been particularly busy in that regard in the last year, and those efforts have paid off by and large, as a number of bills were successfully enacted into law that eliminated onerous housing regulations.
In Kansas, lawmakers passed S.B. 418, the HOME Act. The legislation allows single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes, and accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, by right anywhere they are zoned, reducing costly discretionary hearings that can derail otherwise compliant housing projects. The bill also reduces minimum lot size requirements for single-family homes under 2,500 square feet and allows property owners to use licensed third-party reviewers to conduct certain inspections if the local authority does not do so within 30 days. These reforms reduce administrative hurdles for property owners and developers, increasing property rights and allowing more housing to be built across Kansas.
Several housing reform bills also passed this session in Virginia. Legislation removing zoning barriers to manufactured housing passed with bipartisan support, allowing single-family manufactured housing anywhere zoned for single-family homes. Gov. Abigail Spanberger also signed bills legalizing ADUs on any lot zoned for single-family use, reducing parking requirements in areas with public transit, and allowing religious organizations to build affordable housing on their land.
Idaho has seen home prices increase by over 85 percent since 2020. This year, the legislature passed several zoning and land-use reform bills aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability. S.B. 1352 would reduce minimum lot sizes in many new subdivisions, allowing smaller, more affordable homes to be built. H.B. 706 legalizes single-stair apartment buildings, reducing red tape for smaller apartment buildings, and H.B. 800 allows manufactured housing on lots zoned for single-family housing. The Idaho legislature also passed H.B. 583, which limits local regulation of short-term rentals, increasing property rights for homeowners.
In addition to zoning reforms, states have passed measures to reduce permitting red tape and backlogs. In Wyoming, the Fast Track Permits Act creates a 30-day deadline for decisions on building permits for single-family, townhome, or duplex housing, with the permit automatically approved if a decision is not reached by the deadline and the parties have not agreed to an extension. The Georgia legislature passed S.B. 447, which would institute a 60-day deadline for decisions on permit applications, and was signed by Gov. Kemp in May 2026. These changes will reduce bureaucratic delays and costs while increasing predictability for property owners and developers.
These reforms build on similar zoning, land-use, and permitting changes enacted across the country in recent years. In 2022, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte convened a bipartisan task force to reform zoning laws across the state. Those efforts culminated in the passage of several zoning and land-use reform laws in 2023, in what has been dubbed the Montana Miracle. The reforms included legalizing ADUs on lots zoned for single-family homes and allowing duplexes on lots zoned for single-family homes, as well as permitting apartments and multifamily housing in commercial areas. These efforts were followed up in 2025 with legislation to reduce parking requirements and limit building height restrictions in downtown areas.
The Montana reforms spurred similar housing packages in other states. In 2025, both New Hampshire and Texas enacted several statewide reforms, with both states now allowing apartments in commercial areas—Texas passing minimum lot size reforms, and New Hampshire reducing red tape on ADUs. Like Montana, these efforts were bipartisan and involved stakeholders and organizations from across the political spectrum. Reforms passed at the local level in Texas have seen cities such as Austin and Houston add thousands of new housing units in recent years, helping to drive down rents and limit home price increases. In 2025, localities in New Hampshire approved the highest number of building permits in 20 years.
Together, these efforts reflect a growing recognition that restrictive zoning and permitting policies have contributed to the nation’s housing shortage. While approaches vary by state, the underlying goal is consistent: to expand housing supply, reduce costs, and make homeownership more attainable for more Americans.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of The National Law Review. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is an advocacy group focused on promoting free-market policies, limited government, and reducing taxes. Some state chapters of AFP have worked to pass legislative reforms that remove barriers to affordable housing, including several bills mentioned in this article.
