Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to county zoning ordinances governing residential buildings
Sponsored by the Senate Local Government Committee
Topics:Housing & propertyCities & counties
Same legislation: SSB 3152
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 11, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 11, 2026
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 19, 2026
- Done: Passes the SenateMarch 3, 202628–16
- Stopped: House committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary County boards of supervisors would no longer be allowed to limit how people build or develop residential buildings in unincorporated areas. Any new rules regarding these homes and buildings must be necessary to keep people or property safe. This change affects various types of housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and small apartment buildings with up to 12 units.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to county zoning ordinances that govern residential buildings. Under current law, a county board of supervisors may by ordinance regulate and restrict the height, number of structures, and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes, and may regulate, restrict, and prohibit the use for residential purposes of tents, trailers, and portable or potentially portable structures. This authority is limited to land and structures in the unincorporated area of the county. The bill provides that a county board of supervisors cannot restrict the construction or development of residential buildings, and that any regulation of residential buildings must be necessary for the safety of life or property. “Residential property”, for purposes of the bill, means any single or multifamily residential dwelling and includes single-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses, condominiums and apartments with a maximum of 12 units per building, and all secondary structures to such a single or multifamily residential dwelling.
Why it matters. County boards of supervisors would be prohibited from restricting the construction or development of residential buildings in unincorporated areas. Any regulations regarding residential buildings, including single or multifamily dwellings and secondary structures, would have to be necessary for the safety of life or property.2
Senate subcommittee
Named February 11, 2026 (as SSB 3152). On February 16, 2026 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 16, 2026 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
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91st General Assembly