Bill > HF1987

This bill establishes the Minnesota Starter Home Act, which significantly limits municipal zoning restrictions on residential housing development to promote more affordable and diverse housing options. The act requires municipalities to permit single-family dwellings, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and townhouses as allowed uses in residential zones, with specific requirements that municipalities must follow. Key provisions include mandating that cities allow at least two residential units on single-family zoned lots, setting maximum lot size requirements (no more than 5,445 square feet for duplexes and single-family homes connected to municipal utilities), restricting setback and lot coverage limitations, prohibiting minimum parking mandates, and preventing municipalities from requiring homeowners associations. The bill also establishes a streamlined administrative review process for residential development permits, ensuring that cities cannot impose more restrictive standards than those for single-family home construction. Municipalities are explicitly prohibited from using zoning controls to effectively block these housing types, and they cannot enact interim ordinances to delay the implementation of these provisions. The act is set to become effective on January 1, 2026, and aims to address housing affordability and increase housing density by reducing local regulatory barriers to new residential development.