The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Utah bill establishes fast-track local approval for starter homes and small lots
Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsors: Ray Ward and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill deals with regulation of certain land uses in residential zones located in counties of the first, second, and third class.
Property owners gain an administrative pathway to override conflicting local zoning rules unless local planning commissions explicitly vote to block the request within a specific timeframe.
- State legislatures across the country have increasingly pursued preemption bills to address housing affordability by encouraging higher-density residential development and starter homes. context
- Counties in Utah are classified by population classes under state law, where first, second, and third class categories cover the state's more populated urban and suburban regions. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Property owners
Property owners gain the ability to submit requests for preferred land use regulations that automatically become permitted uses if local bodies fail to act within 45 days.
Counties and municipalities
Local governments must review land use requests within a strict 10-business-day window and take formal public votes to deny requests if they choose to override the default automatic approval.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a city or county does not act on a land use request within 45 days?
What qualifies a residential unit as a starter home under this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
30 actions- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ filed
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules/ substituted
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Motion to Recommend Failed
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Show 24 earlier actions
- Feb 16, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0184S03
- Feb 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0184S03
- Feb 12, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0184S02
- Feb 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0184S03
- Feb 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0184S03
- Feb 11, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0184S02
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Held
- Feb 9, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0184S02
- Feb 9, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0184S02
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 4, 2026House Rules CommitteeBill Substituted by Sponsor in House Rules Comm
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 20, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 17, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0184S01
- Jan 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0184S01
- Jan 16, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0184
- Jan 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0184
- Jan 15, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0184S01
- Jan 15, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0184S01
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0184
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0184
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State Preemption of Local Zoning Timelines
The bill establishes a default approval mechanism where local inaction results in a permitted land use change after 45 days, shifting the traditional burden of municipal zoning approvals.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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