Montana Passes Sweeping Legislative Package to Rescind ‘California-Style-Zoning’

The Montana State Legislature recently approved a package of zoning reform bills modeled closely on bills approved in West Coast states, including the state of California, in recent years.

2 minute read

April 16, 2023, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Aerial view of Montana state capitol building in Helena, Montana

Mihai_Andritoiu / Montana state capitol, Helena

The Montana State Legislature on Thursday approved three large pro-development bills, including statewide zoning reforms that “broadly [restore] the right of landowners to build middle density starter homes like duplexes and triplexes in existing urban areas.” Kendall Cotton, the president and CEO of Frontier Montana, broke the news of the legislative accomplishment on Twitter on Thursday evening. More pro-development legislation is expected for approval soon.

To describe the substance of the three bills approved last week, Relman writes the following summary: “Senate Bill 245 will allow multi-family housing and mixed-use development in urban commercial zones that previously only allowed office and retail space and parking. Senate Bill 323 will allow duplexes to be built in cities. And SB 406 will prevent local authorities from creating stricter zoning laws than the state's.”

More specifically regarding SB 323, Relman writes: “Perhaps the most far-reaching is Senate Bill 382, which will require cities to create land-use plans for future population growth and allocate space for more housing.”

Relman also notes that another bill, SB 528, which would legalize the construction of accessory dwelling units, is also expected to pass the legislature soon.

The headlining bill, SB 323, achieves many of the statewide reforms modeled by states to the west, namely Oregon, Washington, and California. Given those precedents, it’s notable that Republican legislators and advocates like the Frontier Group sold these zoning reforms as a rejection of “California-Style” zoning. A statement from Cotton on the Frontier Group’s webpage dedicated to SB 323 reads “If we don’t want Montana to become like California, we must address the strict California-Style zoning regulations in our cities before it’s too late.”

The somewhat confused political angle has not been lost on media outlets. “The deep red state of Montana is full of Republican YIMBYs, and they're using the time-honored bipartisan tradition of mocking California to alleviate their state's housing affordability crisis,” according to an article by Eliza Relman for Business Insider.

A few days before the Legislature’s approval of the package of bills, Ben Abramson wrote for Strong Towns about the fear of “California-style” zoning leading the political momentum for Montana’s statewide zoning reforms.

For more on California’s leading role, at both the state and local level, in paving the way for Montana’s round of zoning reforms, see numerous entries on Planetizen’s Zoning Reform tag. This isn’t the first time Republican politicians have taken a YIMBY turn. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Trump administration also flirted with preemption of local control for the sake of housing development.

Friday, April 14, 2023 in Business Insider

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

April 23 - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

April 23 - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

April 23 - Next City