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Read. Follow. Verify.Wisconsin SB 943 updates local zoning purpose statement to include housing, land development, and transportation options
Last action · March 23, 2026: Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1Sponsors: Dora Drake and 15 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Wisconsin SB 943 updates the statutory purpose statement for local by removing references to preventing overcrowding and congestion and adding goals for land development, housing types, and transportation options.
Changes the legal criteria local governments must consider when establishing zoning regulations by replacing references to congestion and overcrowding with requirements to support livable communities, diverse housing options, and .
- Local zoning authority in Wisconsin cities and villages is established and regulated under section 62.23 of the state statutes. 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.
cities and villages
Municipalities must incorporate the newly mandated purposes, such as fostering a range of housing types and advancing complete streets, into their zoning regulations and comprehensive planning.
property owners and developers
Key Facts
- The bill strikes statutory references to lessening street congestion, preventing the overcrowding of land, and avoiding undue concentration of population from the local zoning purpose statement.
- The bill adds statutory requirements to ensure land is developed in a manner that supports healthy, livable communities.
- The bill adds a requirement to foster the development of a range of housing types.
- The bill adds a requirement to advance complete streets prioritizing safety, comfort, and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and motorists.
Show all 5 facts
- The bill retains existing statutory requirements regarding comprehensive plans, fire safety, health and general welfare, adequate light and air, groundwater protection, public requirements, and burial site preservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes does SB 943 make to local zoning laws?
Does this bill apply statewide to all municipalities?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Failed in the Senate.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 23, 2026SenateFailed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenator Keyeski added as a coauthor
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedRead first time and referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced by Senators Drake, Dassler-Alfheim, Larson, Roys, Spreitzer and Wall; cosponsored by Representatives Arney, Clancy, Johnson, Madison, Moore Omokunde, Phelps, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Stroud and Stubbs
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
Show 11 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 55)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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