# 2026-05388: President Orders Red Tape Slash for Cheaper Homes Nationwide 2026-05388, Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction, is a Federal Register presidential document from Executive Office of the President published 2026-03-18; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-04). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05388 - As of: 2026-11-04 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-05388 - Title: Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction - Type: Presidential Document - Agencies: Executive Office of the President - Citation: 91 FR 13207 - Published: 2026-03-18 - Effective: unknown - Comments close: not stated - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-11-04 ## In one line President Orders Red Tape Slash for Cheaper Homes Nationwide ## Summary This new order cuts red tape that slows down building affordable homes, making it easier and cheaper for people to buy houses. It affects builders, local governments, and homebuyers by speeding up permits and easing rules around water and land use. These changes start rolling out soon, aiming to save money and boost housing options across the country. ## Effects PRIA read - Easing Water Permits that Slow Homebuilding: benefit, medium. The order directs the Army Corps and EPA to review and revise rules tied to stormwater and waters protections to reduce housing construction and ownership costs. It names specific items for review, including the Construction General Permit for stormwater discharges, federally issued Total Maximum D… - Faster Environmental and Historical Reviews: benefit, medium. The Council on Environmental Quality is ordered to give guidance so agencies use categorical exclusions and other National Environmental Policy Act steps to reduce or remove burdens on housing and related infrastructure projects. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation must also issue guidanc… - HUD Issues State/Local Permitting Best Practices: benefit, medium. Within 60 days of the order dated March 13, 2026, HUD must develop best practices for State and local governments to speed permitting and lower costs. Examples include capping permitting timelines and fees, allowing by-right development for single-family homes, limiting retroactive application of n… - Curtailing Building Mandates and Zoning Limits: benefit, medium. HUD's best practices are to include curtailing mandates that increase construction costs—such as green-energy building requirements or non-evidence-based codes—and re-examining restrictions on manufactured or modular housing. The order also directs removing arbitrary limitations on residential deve… - Reviewing Energy and Water Efficiency Rules for Housing: benefit, medium. The order directs USDA, HUD, DOE, and FHFA to review and, where appropriate, reform or eliminate energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative-energy requirements for housing—explicitly including manufactured housing, Energy Conservation standards for manufactured housing, HUD- and USDA-financed hou… - FHFA and Others to Encourage Manufactured Home Financing: benefit, medium. The order directs FHFA (along with HUD, Commerce, DOT as relevant) to consider reforming programs that constrain development and specifically to review FHFA guidelines and regulations related to chattel lending for manufactured housing and incentives for low-balance home mortgages. - Opportunity Zone and Tax Incentive Coordination for Homes: benefit, low. The Secretary of the Treasury and HUD must evaluate aligning Opportunity Zone tax incentives and the New Markets Tax Credit to expand investment in single-family home construction, including considering linking grants or financing to Qualified Opportunity Funds that develop and sell single-family h… ## Related documents - [2026-22385](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22385): Adjusting Imports of Robotics, Industrial Machinery, and Their Parts and Components Into the United States, 2026-11-02 - [2026-22292](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22292): Further Modifying the Scope of Products of Canada Subject to the Additional Duties Imposed To Offset Canadian Discrimination Against the Co…, 2026-10-30 - [2026-22051](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22051): Decreasing Housing Costs for the American People, 2026-10-28 - [2026-22052](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22052): Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Domestic Petroleum Production, Ref…, 2026-10-28 - [2026-22049](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22049): Adjusting Imports of Wind Turbines and Their Parts and Components Into the United States, 2026-10-28 - [2026-22050](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22050): National Seafood Month, 2026, 2026-10-28 ## Sources - [2026-05388 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/18/2026-05388/removing-regulatory-barriers-to-affordable-home-construction) - [2026-05388 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-03-18/pdf/2026-05388.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-05384, Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05384) - [Next: 2026-05497, Establishing the Task Force To Eliminate Fraud](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05497) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05388 (as of 2026-11-04).