The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law on July 11, 2026, but will it make housing more affordable? While the bipartisan legislation encourages communities to reduce regulatory barriers and increase housing supply, Georgia industry leaders say its impact will depend largely on whether local governments choose to implement the recommendations.
The new law is one of the most significant federal housing packages enacted in years. It encourages municipalities to modernize permitting processes, consider more flexible zoning policies and expand opportunities for housing production. It also includes banking provisions intended to improve access to acquisition and development financing.
However, many of the bill’s key provisions are recommendations rather than federal mandates, leaving implementation in the hands of states and local governments.
What the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Does
The legislation aims to improve housing affordability by:
- Encouraging municipalities to streamline permitting and development approvals.
- Promoting more flexible zoning to increase housing opportunities.
- Supporting additional housing construction through regulatory reform.
- Expanding opportunities for acquisition and development financing.
- Removing barriers that slow the delivery of new homes.
One notable aspect of the legislation is what it does not change.
The final version of the law preserves the growing build-to-rent (BTR) industry. Institutional owners of single-family rental portfolios with more than 350 homes can continue operating under existing regulations, and home builders remain free to sell newly constructed homes to institutional investors. For builders, developers and investors, the legislation provides certainty that existing build-to-rent business models remain intact while broader housing reforms move forward.
NAHB Calls the Law a Major Housing Victory
Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and remodeler from Worthington, Ohio, welcomed the legislation following its enactment.
“NAHB applauds Congress and the Trump administration for delivering a bipartisan housing victory for the American people. Strong support in both chambers makes clear that housing affordability is a national priority. By reducing regulatory barriers, helping builders increase supply and expanding opportunities for homeownership and rental housing, this landmark law is an important step toward easing the nation’s housing affordability crisis. We look forward to working with the administration and Congress to implement it.”
GRLDC: Local Action Will Determine Success
While national organizations are celebrating the legislation, leaders with the Georgia Residential Land Development Council (GRLDC) believe lasting affordability improvements will require continued action at the state and local levels.
“The federal government has encouraged municipalities to improve permitting and zoning, but those recommendations are not requirements,” said Jay Knight, chairman and co-founder of GRLDC. “Communities across the country have been talking about workforce and attainable housing for more than a decade. We certainly hope this legislation helps, but lasting change will still require action where development decisions are actually made—at the local level.”
Knight also noted that while the legislation includes banking reforms intended to encourage additional acquisition and development lending, conversations with community banking partners have not yet indicated that lending practices will significantly change.
“We hope these provisions eventually create more financing opportunities,” Knight said. “More available capital would benefit builders, developers and ultimately home buyers. But at this point, we haven’t seen evidence that community banks will substantially expand acquisition and development lending simply because this legislation passed.”
Georgia’s Housing Reform Efforts Continue
Rather than slowing its advocacy efforts, GRLDC believes the federal legislation underscores why state and local reforms remain essential.
Earlier this year, Georgia enacted Senate Bill 447, landmark permitting reform legislation championed by GRLDC. The law established predictable review timelines, increased accountability and improved transparency throughout the development approval process.
Building on that success, GRLDC is now advocating for final plat and bond reform.
According to the organization, developers often carry completed communities for months while waiting for final plats to be recorded and bonds to be approved. Those unnecessary delays create financing costs that are ultimately passed on to home buyers.
GRLDC is advocating for reforms that:
- Require final plats to be recorded within 15 days after submission of as-built drawings.
- Treat final plat approval as an administrative process rather than requiring action by a commission or city council.
- Limit required performance bonds to 10% of the replacement cost of completed public improvements.
- Require municipalities to inspect completed developments using the same development standards that were in place when the Land Disturbance Permit (LDP) was originally approved.
GRLDC estimates that these reforms could reduce the cost of a new home in Georgia by 1% to 5%, saving homebuyers approximately $4,000 to $20,000, depending on the home’s price.
“Every unnecessary month a completed neighborhood sits waiting for final administrative approvals adds costs that eventually get passed to homebuyers,” Knight said. “There’s no reason a final plat cannot be recorded within 15 days after an as-built is submitted, and this should be an administrative process rather than waiting for a public meeting. Likewise, developers should be inspected using the same standards that were in place when the Land Disturbance Permit was approved. These reforms remove unnecessary costs without compromising quality or public safety.”
What This Means for Georgia Home Buyers and Builders
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act signals that housing affordability has become a national priority. However, whether it ultimately lowers housing costs will depend on how aggressively states, municipalities, lenders and regulators respond.
For Georgia builders and developers, the immediate takeaway is that meaningful local reform remains just as important as federal policy. While Washington can encourage change, local governments still control permitting timelines, zoning decisions, inspections and development approvals that directly affect the cost of building a home.
“If Washington is encouraging improvement from the top down, we’ll continue pursuing improvement from the bottom up,” Knight said. “Georgia has already demonstrated that permitting reform can work. Now it’s time to build on that momentum with final plat and bond reform that can put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of Georgia home buyers.”
As demand for attainable housing continues to outpace supply, industry leaders agree that solving the affordability challenge will require cooperation among federal, state and local governments. For GRLDC, the mission remains focused on pursuing practical, measurable reforms that reduce unnecessary costs, shorten development timelines and make homeownership more attainable for Georgia families.
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