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Idaho Legislature – VOTE NO on S1352 - Starter home subdivision (Posted: 03/19/26)
Link: legislature.idaho.gov/s…
See bill link above for current status and committee assignment
See Idaho Insider for links where you can send group emails based on current status and committee assignment: gemstatechronicle.com/l…
Idaho legislators have proposed several concerning bills regarding housing and land use. Their intention is to increase “affordable housing,” something government always fails at and should NOT be tinkering with. While the newer versions (some amended) of these bills generally are less restrictive than their predecessors, they still represent a state takeover of local property and land use matters, have NO place in Idaho, and must be stopped.
Summary (ai assisted)
S1352 revises starter home subdivision rules.
Amendment: legislature.idaho.gov/w…
Grok summary of amendments: grok.com/share/c2hhcmQt…
Engrossed version of bill: legislature.idaho.gov/w…
Summary of amendments made to previous version of S1352
Starter Home Subdivision Definition: “Residential subdivision on at least four four acres of land that is designed to provide attainable homeownership opportunities with single-family detached dwellings on smaller lots that are no greater than one 1,500 square feet per lot, have compact home sizes, and have efficient site design that reduces development costs while maintaining compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods.”
Effective date: Delayed from Oct. 1, 2026 to Feb. 1, 2027.
Historic exemption: Excludes historic districts (Idaho Code §67-4607) and designated historic properties (§67-4614).
Zoning amendments required by city governing boards:
Prohibit requiring minimum lot sizes exceeding 1,500 square feet for lots located in starter home subdivisions unless infrastructure limitations, lot configuration, or environmental constraints make it unfeasible.
Prohibit requiring front or rear setbacks exceeding 15 feet or side setbacks exceeding 5 feet for a primary residential structure on a lot, provided, however, that setbacks along the perimeter of a project may be required to match setbacks of abutting zoning districts
Prohibit requiring lot front widths exceeding 30 feet for narrow lots.
Prohibit requiring lot depths exceeding 70 feet, unless overall lot shape, topography, or environmental or infrastructure constraints require it.
Prohibit imposing permit fees, development impact fees, or utility connection fees for starter home subdivisions exceeding those that would be imposed on other single-family home subdivisions. A local government may provide incentives to builders through fee reductions or waivers for compliance with smaller lot and setback options.
Threshold raised: Applies to cities over 10,000 population (was 5,000).
Infrastructure denials: Cities may condition/deny if existing/planned infrastructure inadequate (same standards as other subdivisions).
Less restrictive rules: Cities may enact milder regulations than state minimums.
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Reason for Recommendation to VOTE NO on S1352
S1352, despite its more relaxed requirements and a clause that allows cities to enact “milder regulations,” still represents a state takeover of decision-making about land use and property rights of individuals, HOAs, and local jurisdictions (cities, planning and zoning, etc.).
The bill still favors utilitarian concepts of "affordable or infill housing." It usurps local control over property and character of a place, and erodes private property rights. It could reduce property values (and thus taxes to counties and cities, likely leading to tax increases to make up the shortfall). And it could erode the quality of life many who fled other states hoped to find in Idaho.
Other states where such collectivist legislation has been enacted failed to yield affordable housing, destroyed the character of single-family home residential neighborhoods, trounced individual property rights and values, blighted areas that were once beautiful, and directly or indirectly caused people (and their tax money) to flee. Do we really want this fate to befall Idaho? Here is a ChatGPT conversation link about negative effects elsewhere of similar measures. We have not removed ChatGPT biases or edited the conversation:
State government should be protecting individual property rights and local control; not destroying them. This bill and any like it must be stopped. Please VOTE NO on S1352 and all other bills that attempt to have the state legislate "affordable housing."
Related
Idaho Legislature 2026 Bills to Support or Oppose: tinyurl.com/yc2jpkeh
