Come and Build It: Housing Policy Reform in Texas

Texas is short more than 300,000 housing units, while 90% of Texans are worried about affordability. To ease these twin crises, policymakers passed an ambitious set of free-market-minded measures to boost supply and lower costs.

Key points:

• The 89th Texas Legislature passed five key housing market reforms to increase supply, reduce government interference, and improve affordability.
• Broadly speaking, these reforms remove outdated zoning barriers and allow the free market to deliver more homes to Texans in need.
• In the years ahead, the Legislature should consider additional improvements, like accelerating construction through permitting reform, allowing for ADUs by-right, and streamlining building codes.