Idaho Requires Allowing House Plots To Be As Small As 1,500 Feet

An interesting idea

Why wide-open Idaho is mandating houses on the smallest lots in America

Idaho, one of the most sparsely populated states, is known for its vast stretches of open land. And yet a new Idaho law has imposed the country’s smallest minimum lot size requirements for houses.

The law requires that cities approve housing on lots starting at 1,500 square feet, if certain conditions are met. That’s just a bit more than half the playing area of a doubles tennis court.

Smaller lots exist in parts of the country. Some D.C. rowhouses can be found on land as tight as 900 square feet. But no other state has mandated lots anywhere near as small as Idaho’s.

This seems to be for aimed for single family dwellings, as opposed to duplex townhomes.

“We love our wide open spaces,” said Sen. Ben Toews, a Republican who led the bipartisan legislation. “Having smaller communities actually allows more wide open spaces, because suburban sprawl is a real issue. You’re seeing our farmlands get eaten up by houses.”

Plus, Toews said, he doesn’t think cities should be allowed to prevent developers from building small houses if buyers want them: “I know there’s demand, and I know that regulations have stopped the supply for that demand. I’m a free market guy. I’m just counting on the free market to supply the demand.”

One of those potential buyers is Nicklaus Jones, a welder who moved from Utah to Idaho three years ago. (snip)

Jones said he wants something small — nothing like the mini-mansions he sees under construction. But the small house he envisions is a rarity in Idaho, as it is in most parts of the country, where “starter homes” have been disappearing.

He has a point. Most of the homes that I see being built around Raleigh are bigger. Not necessarily big land, but, not a lot of those 1,100-1,500 square feet homes. They’ll build townhomes instead.

According to the most recent numbers from the Census Bureau, 6 in 10 new homes in 2024 were built on more than 7,000 square feet of land.

Do those numbers include townhome developments?

Opponents say the state shouldn’t block cities from making the rules they want about lot sizes. “The question comes down to: What do we want our town to look like?” said Ben Adams, a state senator who voted against the law. “I was very frustrated that it was called ‘starter-home subdivisions.’ Because the American Dream itself of homeownership? Nobody is dreaming of an 800-square-foot home.”

I expected the people against this to be Democrats, but, Adams is a Republican. Maybe people are good with those small homes, at least to start out. Anyhow, it’s a worthwhile article to read. And, good idea? Bad idea? I’m in favor of it. Heck, maybe you get builders doing tiny homes, under 500 square feet, for young people, who want their own stand alone domicile, rather than a townhome, which also gotten freaking expensive.

Also, why was the government determining the size of plots of land and homes in the first place?