Connecticut 2026 Session Status: In Committee 7 D cosponsors

SB 151 — AN ACT PROHIBITING CERTAIN LAND USE AND ZONING LIMITATIONS ON HOUSING.

Last action — FILE NO. 171

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 7 sponsors

    7 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (7 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

119 added · 9 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amended version of SB 151 has added clarification about the committee's support for the bill and included a fiscal impact statement. This matters because it ensures that both lawmakers and the public have a clearer understanding of the bill's financial implications, as well as the backing it has from the Committee on Housing. Meanwhile, some redundant language was removed to streamline the document. This makes the bill easier to read and understand.

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Previous
Latest
General Assembly Substitute Bill No.
Senate General Assembly File No.
151 February Session, 2026 AN ACT PROHIBITING CERTAIN LAND USE AND ZONING LIMITATIONS ON HOUSING.
171 February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No.
151 Senate, March 25, 2026 The Committee on Housing reported through SEN.
MARX of the 20th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT PROHIBITING CERTAIN LAND USE AND ZONING LIMITATIONS ON HOUSING.
or (B) unreasonably restrict access to or the size of such receptacles for businesses, given the nature of the business and the volumeofitemsdesignatedforrecyclinginaccordancewithsection22a- 241b, that such business produces in its normal course of business, LCO 1 of 4 Substitute Bill No.
or (B) unreasonably restrict access to or the size of such sSB151 / File No.
151 provided nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit such regulationsfromrequiringthescreeningorbufferingofsuchreceptacles for aesthetic reasons;
171 1 sSB151 File No.
171 receptacles for businesses, given the nature of the business and the volumeofitemsdesignatedforrecyclinginaccordancewithsection22a- 241b, that such business produces in its normal course of business, provided nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit such regulationsfromrequiringthescreeningorbufferingofsuchreceptacles for aesthetic reasons;
(6) Prohibit the operation in a residential zone of any cottage food operation, as defined in section 21a-62b;
sSB151 / File No.
LCO 2 of 4 Substitute Bill No.
171 2 sSB151 File No.
151 (7) Establish for any dwelling unit a minimum floor area that is greater than the minimum floor area set forth in the applicable building, housing or other code;
171 (6) Prohibit the operation in a residential zone of any cottage food operation, as defined in section 21a-62b;
(7) Establish for any dwelling unit a minimum floor area that is greater than the minimum floor area set forth in the applicable building, housing or other code;
(B) Prohibit the placement of townhouses in a single-family residential zoning district;
sSB151 / File No.
or LCO 3 of 4 Substitute Bill No.
171 3 sSB151 File No.
151 (C) Prevent the owner of an improved lot in an area zoned for single- family residential use from subdividing the lot into three or fewer smaller lots that conform to local law, provided the improved lot was not created by subdivision within the preceding three years.
171 (B) Prohibit the placement of townhouses in a single-family residential zoning district;
or (C) Prevent the owner of an improved lot in an area zoned for single- family residential use from subdividing the lot into three or fewer smaller lots that conform to local law, provided the improved lot was not created by subdivision within the preceding three years.
-LCO LCO 4 of 4
-LCO sSB151 / File No.
171 4 sSB151 File No.
171 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.
In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.
Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:
None Municipal Impact:
See below Explanation The bill prohibits municipalities that exercise zoning authority under the statutes from imposing restrictions on certain types of homes and lots.
This may result in a grand list increase or decrease beginning in FY that is dependent onhow these buildings would have otherwise been valued.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.
sSB151 / File No.
171 5 sSB151 File No.
171 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 151 AN ACT PROHIBITING CERTAIN LAND USE AND ZONING LIMITATIONS ON HOUSING.
SUMMARY The bill amends the law most municipalities exercise zoning authority under (CGS § 8-2) to prohibit zoning regulations from imposing certain restrictions on townhouses, single-family lots, and single-family homes.
Generally, thebill’slimitationsmake it easier to (1) develop single-family homes and townhouses on smaller lots and (2) more densely develop lots.
For example, under the bill, municipalities may not adopt regulations that prohibit townhouses on single-family lots, ban smaller homes, or set minimum lot sizes over 5,000 square feet.
The bill’s limitations do not apply:
1.
to certain parcels, including those with conservation easements or listed on the State Register of Historic Places (see below), or 2.
if they conflict with applicable building codes, fire codes, or public health and safety regulations needed to address immediate threats to public safety.
Under existing zoning lawand thebill, a“townhouse” isaresidential building constructed in a grouping of three or more attached units, each of which shares at least one common wall with an adjacent unit and has exterior walls on at least two sides (CGS § 8-1a).
EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026 LIMITS ON LOCAL ZONING REGULATIONS The bill generally prohibits regulations from imposing certain restrictions on townhouses or single-family homes or lots.
sSB151 / File No.
Show all 70 changed rows (30 more)
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Latest
171 6 sSB151 File No.
171 Underthebill,zoningregulationscannotsetthefollowinglimitations for single-family homes or townhouses:
1.
minimum lot sizes over 5,000 square feet (around 1/9 acre) if the homes will be located in an area that is served, or will be served, by public water and sewer systems (the bill does not specify a standard for determining whether this requirement is satisfied);
2.
minimum square footage (home size) or exterior dimension requirements (like height limits);
or 3.
lot coverage maximums for the homes and accessory structures like sheds (but accessory dwelling units built as-of-right under CGS § 8-2o are regulated under that law).
Additionally, for single-family homes, regulations cannot set:
1.
required design, architectural, or aesthetic elements or 2.
minimum building setbacks larger than five feet for side setbacks and 10 feet for front and rear setbacks (for homes and accessory structures).
And as mentioned above, under the bill, zoning regulations cannot prohibit townhouses on lots in a single-family zone.
Subdivision of Parcel Into Up to Three Lots While the bill does not amend the law on subdivision regulations, it specifies that zoning regulations cannot “prevent” the subdivision of a lot with a residential structure on it into up to three smaller lots.
But this prohibition does not apply (1) unless the subdivided lots “conform to local law” and (2) if the lot was subdivided within the past three years.
By law, unchanged by the bill, subdivision of a lot into three or more lots generally must be done in conformity with subdivision regulations, which are adopted under powers granted to planning commissions (CGS § 8-18 & 8-25).
sSB151 / File No.
171 7 sSB151 File No.
171 EXCLUDED PARCELS AND EXCEPTIONS The bill’s limits do not apply to local regulation of parcels:
1.
listed, or in a district listed, on the national or state registers of historic places on July 1, 2026;
2.
protected from development by the state’s Farmland Preservation Program;
or 3.
subject to a conservation or preservation restriction, such as an easement.
BACKGROUND Related Bills sHB 5395’, favorably reported by the Planning and Development Committee, generally requires all municipal zoning regulations to treat modular and prefabricated homes like traditionally built homes (“stick- built homes”).
sHB 5502, favorably reported by the Planning and Development Committee, extends the law on approving certain middle housing and mixed-use developments under a summary review process to proposed developments on (1) lots that were previously zoned for residential use and (2) certain lots zoned for industrial use.
sHB 5507, favorably reported by the Planning and Development Committee, extends the as-of-right accessory dwelling unit law to cover all municipalities, even if they previously opted out.
COMMITTEE ACTION Housing Committee Joint Favorable Yea 12 Nay 7 (03/10/2026) sSB151 / File No.
171 8
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How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill prohibits local zoning regulations from imposing certain restrictions on housing development and use.

  • Section 8-2

    Subsection (d) of section 8-2 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes, as amended by section 18 of public act 25-1 of the November special session, is repealed → Zoning regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall not:...

    The entire subsection is replaced to remove restrictions on zoning regulations that can be applied to housing.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Prohibit the operation in a residential zone of any family child care home or groupchildcare homelocatedinaresidence, or require any special zoning permit or special zoning exception for such operation; → Prohibit the operation in a residential zone of any family child care home or groupchildcare homelocatedinaresidence, or require any special zoning permit or special zoning exception for such operation;

    This prohibits local zoning from requiring special permits for residential family child care and group child care homes.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Impose conditions and requirements on manufactured homes, including mobile manufactured homes built in accordance with federal manufactured home construction and safety standards or on lots containing such manufactured homes, including mobile manufactured home parks, if those conditions and requirements are substantially different from conditions and requirements imposed on (A) single-family dwellings; (B) lots containing single-family dwellings; or (C) multifamily dwellings, lots containing multifamily dwellings, cluster developments or planned unit developments; → Impose conditions and requirements on manufactured homes, including mobile manufactured homes built in accordance with federal manufactured home construction and safety standards or on lots containing such manufactured homes, including mobile manufactured home parks, if those conditions and requirements are substantially different from conditions and requirements imposed on (A) single-family dwellings; (B) lots containing single-family dwellings; or (C) multifamily dwellings, lots containing multifamily dwellings, cluster developments or planned unit developments;

    This prevents zoning from imposing unfair conditions on manufactured and mobile homes in comparison to other types of housing.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Prohibit the continuance of any nonconforming use, building or structure existing at the time of the adoption of such regulations; → Prohibit the continuance of any nonconforming use, building or structure existing at the time of the adoption of such regulations;

    Zoning cannot prohibit previously established uses or structures that do not conform to new regulations.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Establish (i) a minimum lot size of greater than five thousand square feet for lotsonwhichasingle-family dwelling ortownhouse may belocated inareas connectedor plannedto beconnectedto publicwater and sewer systems; → Establish (i) a minimum lot size of greater than five thousand square feet for lotsonwhichasingle-family dwelling ortownhouse may belocated inareas connectedor plannedto beconnectedto publicwater and sewer systems;

    This prevents local governments from requiring large minimum lot sizes for single-family or townhouse developments in designated areas.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Require a minimum number of off-street motor vehicle parking spaces for any residentialdevelopment except asprovidedin section [19 of this act] 8-3n; [or] → Require a minimum number of off-street motor vehicle parking spaces for any residentialdevelopment except asprovidedin section 8-3n;

    Zoning regulations cannot mandate off-street parking requirements for residential developments, allowing for more flexible housing designs.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Establish a minimum building setbacks for the home and accessory structures of greater than: (I) Ten feet for front and rear setbacks, and (II) five feet for side setbacks; → Establish a minimum building setbacks for the home and accessory structures of greater than: (I) Ten feet for front and rear setbacks, and (II) five feet for side setbacks;

    This limits local authorities from imposing excessive setback requirements for homes and accessory structures.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Prohibit the placement of townhouses in a single-family residential zoning district; → Prohibit the placement of townhouses in a single-family residential zoning district;

    This change allows for increased housing diversity within single-family districts.

  • Section 8-2(d)

    Prevent the owner of an improved lot in an area zoned for single-family residential use from subdividing the lot into three or fewer smaller lots that conform to local law; → Prevent the owner of an improved lot in an area zoned for single-family residential use from subdividing the lot into three or fewer smaller lots that conform to local law;

    This allows for the subdivision of larger residential lots into smaller lots for development, thereby increasing housing availability.

Action History

  1. FILE NO. 171

  2. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 114

  3. FAV. RPT., TAB. FOR CAL., SEN.

  4. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  5. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/24/26

  6. FILED WITH LCO

  7. Joint Favorable

  8. PUBLIC HEARING 0217

  9. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Housing

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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7 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 180 not signed on

Sponsors (7)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (180)

180 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 180 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 151?
SB 151 is sponsored by Josh Elliott (Democratic), Nicholas Menapace (Democratic), Kadeem Roberts (Democratic), Nick Gauthier (Democratic), Martha Marx (Democratic), Saud Anwar (Democratic), and Anthony L. Nolan (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 151?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 151?
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