Unlocking Housing Supply Through Streamlined and Modernized Reviews Act
Section 206 · Sec. 206 ·
What this chapter is about
This part is about the study of what a housing project does to nature. The housing agency must sort its housing work into three groups by rule. Some kinds of work skip the study. Some get a shorter one. The change reaches only new money, and a yearly report goes to Congress for five years.
“(C) is located on a site of previously disturbed land of not more than 5 acres and substantially surrounded by residential or commercial development; (D) will repurpose a vacant or underutilized parcel of land, or a dilapidated or abandoned structure; and (E) will serve a residential or commercial purpose.”
The section defines an infill project as one inside the limits of a municipality, adequately served by existing utilities and public services, on no more than 5 acres of previously disturbed land largely surrounded by other development, that reuses vacant or underused land or a run-down or abandoned building, and that will serve a residential or commercial purpose.
What the document actually says
“(C) is located on a site of previously disturbed land of not more than 5 acres and substantially surrounded by residential or commercial development; (D) will repurpose a vacant or underutilized parcel of land, or a dilapidated or abandoned structure; and (E) will serve a residential or commercial purpose.”
That sentence, in plain words
The land must already have been built on or dug up. It can be five acres or less. Other buildings must stand around it. The project must reuse empty land or a run-down building and serve homes or shops.
What this is about
Infill means filling a gap in a built-up place. The definition sets the reach of a later rule. A project that fails any part of the test is not covered.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 206 in the PDF
What the document says
“The following housing-related activities shall be subject to regulations equivalent or substantially similar to the regulations entitled ``exempt activities'' as set forth in section 58.34 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2025:”
The section requires the Secretary to write regulations putting eight kinds of housing activity under rules equivalent to the exempt activities rules in section 58.34 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations as they stood on January 1, 2025. They are tenant-based rental assistance, supportive services, operating costs, economic development activities not tied to construction, help for home-buyers of existing or under-construction units, affordable housing predevelopment costs with no physical impact, approval of supplemental assistance to a project already approved, and emergency repair or replacement of heating, cooling, and hot water systems and other necessary utilities.
What the document actually says
“The following housing-related activities shall be subject to regulations equivalent or substantially similar to the regulations entitled ``exempt activities'' as set forth in section 58.34 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2025:”
That sentence, in plain words
A set of housing tasks goes in one group. The rules for that group match a rule already on the books. That rule is the one for exempt work as it stood on January 1, 2025.
What this is about
Exempt work skips the study of effects on nature. These eight kinds of work do not disturb land. Most are payments, services, or paperwork.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 206 in the PDF
What the document says
“(ii) Rehabilitation of 1-to-4 unit residential buildings, and existing housing-related infrastructure, such as repairs or rehabilitation of existing wells, septics, or utility lines that connect to that housing.”
The section requires the Secretary to put a second group of activities under rules equivalent to the categorical exclusions in sections 58.35(b) and 50.19 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations as they stood on January 1, 2025, where the work does not materially alter environmental conditions or materially exceed the original scope. That group covers repair and improvement of public facilities other than buildings kept in the same use without a size or capacity change of more than 20 percent, rehabilitation of buildings of one to four units and their wells, septic systems and utility lines, up to four scattered site units with no more than four on a site, and acquisitions or leases kept for the same use.
What the document actually says
“(ii) Rehabilitation of 1-to-4 unit residential buildings, and existing housing-related infrastructure, such as repairs or rehabilitation of existing wells, septics, or utility lines that connect to that housing.”
That sentence, in plain words
Fixing up a home with one to four units goes in this group. So does fixing the well, the septic system, or the lines that serve it.
What this is about
A categorical exclusion is a class of work that needs no full study. These are small jobs on things that already exist. The lighter rules apply only if the work does not change much.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 206 in the PDF
What the document says
“(vi) Infill projects consisting of new construction, rehabilitation, or development of residential housing units.”
The section requires the Secretary to put a third group of activities under rules equivalent to the categorical exclusions in sections 58.35(a) and 50.20 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations as they stood on January 1, 2025, again only where the work does not materially alter environmental conditions or exceed the original scope. That group covers acquisitions of open space or residential property kept in the same use, conversion of existing office buildings into housing subject to a unit ceiling set by the Secretary and a 20 percent limit on the change in building size, projects of 5 to 15 units on a site, scattered site projects of 15 or more units with no more than 15 on a site, rehabilitation of residential buildings of 5 to 15 units without added density, infill projects, and the voluntary acquisition of properties in a floodway, floodplain, or other delineated area hit by a predictable environmental threat caused or worsened by a federally declared disaster.
What the document actually says
“(vi) Infill projects consisting of new construction, rehabilitation, or development of residential housing units.”
That sentence, in plain words
Infill projects go in this group. That covers building new homes, fixing old ones, and putting up housing on such a site.
What this is about
This group carries more conditions than the lighter one. Turning an office block into homes is on the list. So is buying out a home hit by flooding after a declared disaster.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall apply”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 206 in the PDF
What the document says
“(1) shall only apply with respect to funds appropriated after the effective date of those actions; and (2) shall not apply with respect to a grantee that combines funds appropriated before and after the effective date of those actions to carry out a project.”
The section provides that the agency actions carried out under the streamlining subsection apply only to funds appropriated after their effective date, and do not apply where a grantee combines funds appropriated before and after that date to carry out a project.
What the document actually says
“(1) shall only apply with respect to funds appropriated after the effective date of those actions; and (2) shall not apply with respect to a grantee that combines funds appropriated before and after the effective date of those actions to carry out a project.”
That sentence, in plain words
The new rules reach only money set aside later. They do not reach a body that mixes old money and new money in one project.
What this is about
Congress sets money aside each year. The older money keeps the older rules. A project that draws on both is left out.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHow: statuteSec. 206 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives an annual report during the 5-year period beginning on the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act”
The section requires the Secretary to report each year for five years, starting two years after enactment, to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services. Each report must summarize findings on reductions in review times and administrative cost, with particular focus on the affordable housing sector, and carry any recommendations for revising categorical exclusions or exemptions in title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
What the document actually says
“The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives an annual report during the 5-year period beginning on the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act”
That sentence, in plain words
The housing agency must send Congress a report each year. The reports start two years after this law passes. They run for five years.
What this is about
The reports ask whether reviews got faster and cheaper. They look hardest at affordable housing. They can also ask Congress to change the rules again.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Each distinct thing the section does: the definition of an infill project, the duty to expand and reclassify housing-related activities into three tiers of environmental review, the limits on which funds the change reaches, and the annual report.
The full lists of activities inside each of the three tiers are summarized rather than quoted item by item.
The section directs the Secretary to write regulations equivalent to named parts of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations as they stood on January 1, 2025. Those regulations are not indexed here, so nothing is recorded about what they say. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is likewise not indexed.
