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HB 1814

Appropriation; MDA for coordinating with the MS Main Street Association to expand community investment and downtown revitalization.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Trey Lamar

Illinois law would require many cities to allow middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, cottage clusters) on eligible residential lots starting 2026.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1814

Summary — HB 1814 (Missing Middle Housing Act — Illinois version)

Status: Died in committee (House) — introduced January 2025 (filed Jan. 10 / introduced Jan. 28, 2025 in available text)

Note: The supplied document contains text from more than one bill titled “HB 1814” (including an Arkansas utilities bill). The detailed statutory language below describes the Illinois “Missing Middle Housing Act” text included in the packet.

Purpose / Intent

The bill would require many Illinois municipalities to allow “middle housing” (smaller multi-unit housing types) in areas currently zoned for residential use, with the goal of increasing housing supply and diversity of housing types. It also limits local home‑rule authority insofar as local rules conflict with the new requirements.

Key definitions (selected)

  • Middle housing: duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses.
  • Cottage clusters: at least 4 detached units per acre, each 900–1,500 sq. ft. footprint, with a common courtyard.
  • Townhouse: a row of 2+ attached units, each on an individual lot, sharing at least one wall.
  • New development: creation of a new parcel/lot or new construction of any dwelling on an existing lot.

Major provisions / changes

  • Effective for all new development after January 1, 2026:
    • Cities with population ≥ 25,000 must allow the development of all middle housing types on lots/parcels larger than 5,000 square feet that are zoned for any residential use.
    • Cities with population > 10,000 and < 25,000 must allow at least duplexes on lots/parcels zoned for detached single‑family dwellings. (Municipalities may also allow additional middle housing types.)
  • Exemptions: cities with population ≤ 10,000 and unincorporated lands within county boundaries are not covered by this section.
  • Local regulation limits:
    • Municipalities may adopt siting and design regulations for required middle housing but only if those rules do not, individually or cumulatively, discourage development of the permitted middle housing types through unreasonable costs or delay.
    • Municipalities may regulate middle housing to comply with protective measures adopted under statewide land‑use planning goals.
    • Municipalities remain free to permit single‑family housing where otherwise disallowed and to permit middle housing beyond what this law requires.
  • Home rule: Home‑rule units may not enact regulations inconsistent with this statute; the bill expressly constrains concurrent local home‑rule authority under the Illinois Constitution.

Who would be affected

  • Municipal governments (especially zoning departments and elected bodies) in cities with populations above 10,000, and especially those ≥ 25,000.
  • Property owners, developers, builders, and prospective housing consumers in affected jurisdictions — particularly owners of lots >5,000 sq. ft. zoned residential.
  • Neighborhoods likely to see more multiunit conversions, townhouse or cottage‑cluster developments where previously only single‑family detached homes were allowed.
  • Potential legal and administrative impacts on local zoning codes, permitting processes, and comprehensive planning.

Timeline / procedural notes

  • The operative date for new development is January 1, 2026.
  • The bill as provided was reported as “Died In Committee” (February 26, 2025).
  • The text includes technical/formatting issues in places of the posted version; implementation would require clarifying language for certain jurisdictional details (for example, exact treatment of unincorporated lands and cross‑references).

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Intended to increase housing variety and density (“missing middle”) near established neighborhoods.
  • Could reduce exclusionary single‑family zoning constraints, speeding approvals for small-scale multi‑unit housing.
  • May prompt administrative and legal adjustments by municipalities to align local codes with the state mandate; potential litigation over scope of home‑rule limitations or what constitutes “unreasonable costs or delay.”
  • Local design standards would remain available but would face constraints to avoid effectively blocking the permitted housing types.

If you’d like, I can:
- Draft a short one‑page explainer for municipal planners on immediate implications if the bill had passed, or
- Produce a redlined comparison showing how municipal zoning ordinances would need to change to comply.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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