Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act

This measure ties certain federal community development grants to a planning step meant to make housing easier to build. Cities and counties that get these grants must, at least once every five years, submit a simple, standardized plan that says for each listed land-use policy: whether they already adopted it, if they plan to adopt it, and how it would help their community. The goal is to discourage overly strict local rules and lower housing costs. Congress notes the nation is short millions of homes, many families are cost-burdened, and the shortage hurts the economy; zoning reform is one part of the fix.

The plan can cover options like allowing duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in areas now zoned for single-family houses; permitting accessory dwelling units on all single-family lots; reducing minimum lot sizes and parking requirements; speeding up permitting; building more homes near transit; allowing manufactured homes and off-site/prefab construction; converting offices to apartments; setting density bonuses or higher height limits; letting multifamily housing in some commercial zones; coordinating historic preservation with new homes; offering tax abatements to support mixed-income neighborhoods; and donating vacant land for affordable housing. These submissions are not binding, acceptance does not mean approval, and the information cannot be used to enforce against a community.

• Who is affected: Communities that receive Community Development Block Grants must file this plan with HUD on a five-year cycle.
• What changes: Report on which pro-housing policies are adopted or planned and why they help; the plan isn’t enforceable or an endorsement.
• When: Takes effect one year after enactment and applies to past and future recipients of these grants.