This bill amends Montana law to allow property covenants that restrict the sale or lease of homes to individuals with specific incomes or occupations, aiming to preserve workforce housing affordability. The change permits developers or homeowners to legally bind future property sales to buyers who meet certain income or job requirements, ensuring housing remains accessible to workers. By updating the legal framework for land covenants, the legislation enables long-term restrictions on property ownership that support affordable housing goals without requiring government intervention.
This bill directs the state treasurer to transfer $50 million from Montana's general fund to the Housing Montana Fund, which is designed to support affordable housing initiatives. The legislation requires the Department of Commerce to review and update existing administrative rules related to housing programs before the next legislative session begins. These changes take effect on July 1, 2025, and directly impact the state's housing funding structure and regulatory framework.
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.
This joint resolution (LC 4307) requests an interim study to examine ways to increase housing density and affordability in Montana. It directs the Legislative Council to investigate methods for incentivizing denser housing developments, reviewing state programs supporting housing units, analyzing tax impacts on homeowners and developments, and identifying infrastructure funding solutions. The study must include input from developers, local governments, and housing advocates, and report findings to the 70th Legislature by September 15, 2026. This resolution does not create new laws but focuses on gathering data to inform future housing policy decisions.
This bill amends Montana law to clarify that nonprofit organizations can develop and manage "attainable workforce housing" on state trust lands through commercial leases. It updates the definition of "commercial purpose" to explicitly include nonprofit residential development for working-class housing, such as single-family or multifamily projects under a master lease. The change allows nonprofits to lease state lands for this specific housing purpose, while excluding agriculture, grazing, oil/gas development, and individual home sites. This is a technical clarification of existing leasing rules, not a new housing program, directly affecting nonprofits seeking to build affordable housing on state lands.
Montana bill LC 3757 revises rules for the Housing Montana Fund, a special fund supporting low- and moderate-income housing. The bill requires 20% of fund disbursements to go to rural areas based on population and clarifies that money can only fund housing development - not other board expenses. It specifies that loans/grants must help with housing preservation, bridge financing, land acquisition, or technical assistance for eligible applicants like local governments and nonprofits. Repaid loans and interest income must return to the fund, which will now also accept external contributions for housing projects.
This bill (LC 2591) allows Montana local governments to offer property tax abatements for specific types of affordable rental housing. It creates a 10-year phased tax reduction: qualifying housing gets full tax exemption in year one, with taxable value increasing by 11% annually until reaching 100% in year ten. The abatement applies to affordable multifamily housing (5+ units), smaller rentals (4 units or fewer), accessory dwelling units, and affordable trailer courts, all requiring rent to be ≤30% of tenant income (or ≤80% of market rent) for households earning 60-100% of area median income. The tax break covers only building improvements, not land value, and local governments must adopt the program via resolution.
This Montana bill (LC 2516) updates rules for community reinvestment programs to expand affordable housing access. It allows community land trust housing to count as "workforce housing" in inventory and limits annual appreciation on deed-restricted homes to 1% (or the standard share, whichever is higher). Community reinvestment organizations must use 95% of funds in their revolving accounts to help eligible households (earning 60-140% of local median income) buy homes, with the remaining 5% for administrative costs. The changes aim to make homeownership more affordable by restricting how much property value can increase over time while ensuring funds directly support low-to-moderate income buyers.
This bill (LC 3752) aimed to revise state policies governing subsidies and incentives for affordable housing development. It would have directly affected developers, housing agencies, and low-to-moderate income residents seeking subsidized housing. However, the bill died in the drafting process on May 23, 2025, without advancing to committee review or a vote. No specific policy changes were enacted, as the bill never progressed beyond the initial drafting stage. The legislative record shows no further action or details about its proposed mechanisms.
This bill (LC 3714) was a draft proposal to provide state funding for affordable housing projects in "gateway communities" (typically areas near major transportation hubs or economic centers). However, it never advanced beyond the drafting stage, as it was placed on hold in January 2025 and ultimately "died in process" by May 2025. The context does not provide specific details about the funding mechanisms, eligibility criteria, or exact communities affected. Since the bill was not enacted, no concrete policy changes were implemented, and no voting record exists for this proposal.
