Washington state leaders are considering dozens of bills across the critical policy pillars of supply, stability, and subsidy.

This year, in response to the state’s ever worsening housing shortage and residents’ increasing concern over home costs and rents, the Washington legislature is taking up far more housing bills than ever before: the compilation below covers a whopping 49 bills (and we invite you to note in the comments any we missed).

That’s a lot, but what makes it even more promising is there are bills covering all three of the policy pillars necessary to take on a housing crisis—what are commonly referred to as the three Ss: supply, subsidy, and stability. Alone, each “S” is insufficient; together, they form a mutually reinforcing suite:

Supply: More new homes to reduce the shortage and cool rents and prices

Stability: More protections to safeguard those with the least housing security

Subsidy: More subsidies to help those who can’t afford what the market offers

Most housing bills only address one of the three Ss and need not be expected to cover the others, too. But the legislature can maximize their impact by passing bills from all three categories as a package. They’ve never had more options to work with.

Below we summarize the 50 bills we’re tracking this session. Where you see / marks, we are indicating companion bills between the House and Senate. For some bills, we link to longer explainers we or partners have written on the topic.

1. SUPPLY BILLS

Supply bills loosen overly restrictive zoning laws and regulations that needlessly impede home-building. Adding homes—especially in places with lots of jobs that drive high demand for housing—keeps average prices and rents lower for everyone. Supply measures support subsidy measures because lower prices and rents mean market-rate housing is more affordable to more people, which reduces the need for funding to subsidize housing. And when housing is abundant, stability measures such as rent stabilization are less likely to backfire by squeezing the supply of rentals and will still prevent gouging.

Washington’s supply bills for 2023 fall into two categories: zoning reform and permitting streamlining.

A. Zoning Reform

These bills reform zoning laws and other local codes that make it illegal or cost-prohibitive to build the many types of housing, including so-called “middle housing” like duplexes, triplexes, backyard cottages, and small apartment buildings, that Washington needs to overcome its massive shortage of homes.

Legalize middle housing in residential neighborhoods

HB 1110 / SB 5190 legalizes duplexes, fourplexes, or sixplexes, depending on city size and proximity to transit, schools, and parks, on all residential lots in Washington’s urban communities, subject to the same building form and site restrictions that apply to single-detached houses. Read more.

Make it easier for homeowners to add ADUs (three bills)

HB 1337 removes local regulatory barriers to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), including parking mandates, renter bans (requirements for owners to live on-site), excessive impact fees, and various other restrictions such as minimum lots sizes and bans on stand-alone ADUs. Read more.

HB 1276 / SB 5235 is a weaker bill that ends renter bans with exceptions, legalizes detached ADUs and two ADUs per lot on larger lots, but leaves ADU parking mandates untouched.

HB 1133 / SB 5357 legalizes detached ADUs on properties located outside of designated urban growth areas.

Legalize lot splitting to create lots for smaller, less expensive houses

HB 1245 / SB 5364 allows homeowners to sell off part of their house lot for the construction of another house, authorizing subdivision into lots as small as 1,500 square feet. This creates more affordable homeownership choices, while also providing financial options for existing owners. Read more from Sightline and from the Black Home Initiative.

Legalize more homes and jobs near transit

SB 5466 / HB 1517 legalizes midsize ap...