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DENVER, CO - The House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee today passed legislation to remove restrictions that require minimum lot sizes of over 2,000 square feet for single-family homes. HB26-1114, sponsored by Representatives Rebekah Stewart and Steven Woodrow, passed by a vote of 9-4.
“Every Coloradan deserves a fair shot at homeownership, and our legislation would open up more housing options that families, young professionals and aging Coloradans can realistically buy,” said Rep. Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood. “Open land can be hard to come by in the Denver Metro Area, and it is getting increasingly difficult for affordable housing developers to find lots that meet the minimum lot size requirements. Our communities elected us to make our state a more affordable place to live, and this bill would eliminate barriers to get more housing opportunities built in our neighborhoods that Coloradans can afford.”
“If we want to solve the housing crisis, we have to make it easier to build housing that Coloradans can actually afford, and smaller lot sizes mean smaller price tags,” said Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver. “We know that arbitrary rules, like strict lot size restrictions, are often in place just to keep more housing from being built. Our legislation would allow single-family homes to be built on smaller plots of land to reduce urban sprawl and help more Coloradans realize their dream of becoming homeowners.”
Beginning October 1, 2031, HB26-1114 would prohibit subject jurisdictions from requiring that a lot size for a single-family dwelling be greater than 2,000 square feet.
A 2025 report by the National Zoning Atlas found that 98-percent of land that allows single-family housing has a minimum lot size requirement, with 86-percent of that land having a two-acre minimum lot size mandate.
Rep. Woodrow sponsored a 2024 law to support local governments with their efforts to build more housing near public transit, cycling and walking corridors, places of employment and other centers of community. He also sponsored a law to eliminate parking minimum requirements for most new multi-family residential properties within a quarter mile of a transit stop or station to drive down housing costs and reduce traffic.