Housing

died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 761: Revise laws regarding residential covenants

HB 761 revises laws regarding residential property covenants, aiming to protect property owners' rights. It prevents the enforcement of any new or amended restrictions on property use that are more restrictive than those that existed when the owner acquired the property, unless the owner provides express written consent. Owners claiming this protection must record their exception with the county clerk. The bill clarifies how these protections apply to successor owners and maintains the validity of existing covenants, except for newly imposed, more restrictive terms without consent.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill explicitly protects property owners' rights regarding residential covenants, directly addressing 'property rights' within the housing topic as defined.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 871: Revise requirements to connect to municipal water/sewer system

HB 871 aimed to prevent municipalities from requiring a zoning change, specifically from single-family to multi-family, for parcels of land located outside city limits to connect to municipal water or sewer systems. It would have amended existing law to explicitly prohibit this requirement. The bill also included a $1,000 appropriation to the Department of Environmental Quality for updating related documents. This measure would have primarily affected property owners outside city boundaries seeking to access municipal utility services.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRemoves zoning barrier for multi-family development outside city limits, facilitating housing projects and aligning with affordable housing development goals.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 647: Prohibit state land leases to nonprofits

House Bill 647 proposes to prohibit nonprofit organizations from leasing state lands or timber. The bill directly affects nonprofit organizations and the state entities responsible for managing state trust lands. It amends several existing state statutes to make it unlawful for any official or employee of a nonprofit organization to lease state lands or timber on behalf of their organization. This change would restrict the state board's authority to lease state trust lands for commercial or other purposes to nonprofits.

Topics ✗ HousingOpposes HousingRestricts nonprofits' access to state lands for housing development, limiting affordable housing opportunities through lease prohibitions.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Housing

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signed · Montana · House May 19, 2025

HB 492: Revise municipal zoning laws related to parking requirements

HB 492 revises municipal zoning laws by setting new limits on the minimum parking space requirements local governments can impose on new developments. The bill generally caps required parking for residential units at one space per unit and for commercial spaces at one space per 5,000 square feet, with specific exemptions for certain types of projects like affordable housing or smaller commercial spaces. If a city or town chooses to require more parking than these new limits, it must compensate the developer or property owner for the real cost of constructing the additional spaces. This legislation directly affects municipal zoning authorities and developers within those areas.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingExempts affordable housing from parking mandates, reducing development costs and advancing affordable housing goals through zoning reform.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Montana · Senate May 16, 2025

SB 337: Provide a 5 year prepaid property tax exemption during subdivision development

SB 337 creates a temporary property tax exemption for land undergoing residential subdivision development. Developers can qualify by applying to the department and prepaying five times the most recent annual property taxes and assessments for the property. This exemption applies to the real property within the subdivision for up to five years, or until a habitable dwelling is built on an individual lot, or until 95% of the lots in the subdivision contain habitable dwellings. The bill's provisions apply to property tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill incentivizes new housing construction via tax exemption for developers, directly advancing residential subdivision development and increasing housing supply.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Montana · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 133: Revise impact fee laws

SB 133 revises the laws governing impact fees that local governments charge on new development. The bill removes the ability for governmental entities to include an administrative fee within impact charges and limits impact fee increases to the rate of inflation. It also updates definitions related to these fees and details the required documentation for their calculation, such as a service area report.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesLimits local government impact fee increases to inflation, restricting revenue generation for infrastructure projects and limiting fiscal flexibility.85% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill limits impact fee increases to inflation and removes administrative fees, reducing development costs to encourage housing construction, aligning with housing supply goals.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Montana · Senate May 8, 2025

SB 213: Revise the state building code to allow single stairwells in certain buildings

SB 213 revises the state building code to permit certain residential buildings to be constructed with a single stairwell. This change applies to buildings classified as Group R-2 occupancy, which typically includes apartments or condominiums. To qualify for a single stairwell, these buildings must meet specific safety conditions. These conditions include having no more than six stories, a maximum of four dwelling units per floor, an automatic sprinkler system, and at least one window or emergency exit provision for each unit.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill facilitates housing development by allowing single stairwells in certain residential buildings, reducing construction costs and enabling more efficient housing supply under safety conditions.80% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing