in effect
Executive Order 14394, signed March 13, 2026, directs multiple federal agencies to review and reduce regulations that the order identifies as barriers to home construction and housing affordability. It does not itself change any rules but instructs agencies to revise or eliminate specific existing requirements within their existing legal authority.
The Army Corps of Engineers and EPA must review Clean Water Act permits and stormwater rules that affect construction sites to look for ways to reduce cost and streamline approval. The Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and HUD, along with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, must review energy-efficiency and water-use standards applied to new homes and manufactured housing. Within 60 days, HUD must publish a list of recommended best practices for state and local governments covering faster permitting, capped fees, “by-right” approval for single-family homes, and fewer restrictions on manufactured housing. The Treasury and HUD must also evaluate how Opportunity Zone tax incentives and New Markets Tax Credits can be better coordinated to encourage single-family home construction in designated low-income areas.
Homebuilders and developers may face fewer or faster federal permit requirements for water-related issues and environmental review if agencies follow through with rule changes. State and local governments are not bound by the best-practices list but may see federal grant requirements or technical assistance programs revised to encourage them to adopt it. Homebuyers, particularly in suburban and rural areas, are the intended long-term beneficiaries if lower regulatory costs translate to more homes being built at lower prices.