Live Tracking: ROAD Implementation

Capitol Hill

Monitoring the latest advocacy actions and implementation steps across the federal government.

By NAA Policy Team |

1 minute read

The Big Picture 

The landmark 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law in July 2026. The historic policy now enters the implementation phase, where agencies across the federal government – primarily the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) -- must carry out the work as directed by Congress. 

The National Apartment Association (NAA) is leading the industry’s implementation advocacy and providing this resource to track key administrative deadlines, engagement opportunities and agency actions. 

NAA Implementation Advocacy Priorities

  • What To Know: Directs HUD to develop model code guidance for point-access block buildings, a type of single-stair residential building up to six stories tall. By providing best practices on safety, affordability and construction, the guidance will help state and local governments evaluate potential code changes that could support more flexible and efficient housing development. 
  • What’s Next: The HUD Secretary must issue guidelines to provide states, territories, tribes and localities with model code language, best practices and technical guidance by January 2028. 
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action. 

  • What To Know: Directs HUD to develop nonbinding recommendations to help states and localities modernize zoning and land-use policies that support housing production. The measure promotes reforms such as higher-density development, streamlined permitting, reduced parking requirements and transit-oriented development, helping reduce barriers to new rental housing and expand housing supply. 
  • What’s Next: The Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD has until July 2029 to publish guidelines and best practices for state and local zoning frameworks. In the first two years, the Assistant Secretary must assemble a task force of experts to make recommendations for these guidelines, which will then be published for public comment. The task force must include urban planners and architects, housing developers, community members, public housing and transit agencies, state and local planning officials, academic researchers and home builders.
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action. 

  • What To Know: Allows HUD to prioritize projects located in or benefiting federally designated Opportunity Zones when awarding certain competitive housing grants. By making these developments more competitive for federal funding, the provision aims to encourage additional investment in housing construction, rehabilitation and preservation in economically distressed communities while leveraging existing programs rather than imposing new requirements on housing providers. 
  • What’s Next: The HUD Secretary has been granted immediate authority to give additional weight for grants to applicants with housing-related proposals located in opportunity zones.
  • Current Status: In effect.

  • What To Know: Streamlines inspection requirements by allowing inspections conducted for certain federal housing programs to satisfy requirements across multiple programs, authorizing virtual inspections in rural areas and permitting pre-inspections before units are selected by assisted residents. These changes reduce administrative burdens, speed unit approvals and lease-ups and help connect families with affordable housing more quickly while maintaining housing quality standards. 
  • What’s Next: This provision is self-executing and language is immediately in effect.
  • Current Status: In effect; HUD, Treasury, USDA and/or other agencies relevant to inspections are likely to issue rules or guidance to clarify implementation across agencies. 

  • What To Know: Reauthorizes and modernizes the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, giving communities more flexibility to use funds for affordable housing development and related infrastructure. The law streamlines environmental and administrative requirements, helping reduce project costs, improve development feasibility and accelerate the delivery of affordable housing. 
  • What’s Next: By July 2027, the HUD Secretary must issue rules to carry out several of the modernizations listed in the law. The Secretary also has until January 2027 to complete a review of the implementation of the Build American, Buy America Act (BABA) as it relates to the HOME Program, and 90 days after that review to issue updated guidance clarifying the application of BABA on HOME.
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action.  

  • What To Know: Prohibits “large institutional investors” (LIIs) as defined by statute from purchasing single-family homes. Section 1001’s ban on single-family purchases takes effect 180 days after the Act’s date of enactment, sunsets 15 years later and includes limited exceptions. This provision also includes resident notification and HUD reporting requirements for LIIs. Importantly, because of the industry’s advocacy, forced sale requirements were not included in the final package and build-to-rent housing exemption preserved. 
  • What’s Next: HUD has until January 2027 to implement the ban on single-family home purchases by LIIs. The Secretary of the Treasury may issue related regulations to minimize market disruptions and prevent harm to consumers and communities. 
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action; Treasury may issue additional regulations and clarification. 
  • NAA’s Advocacy: On July 14, just three days after the bill became law, NAA and industry coalition partners sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury requesting a technical clarification as the law begins to be implemented. NAA continues conversations with federal agencies on the importance of this segment of the industry as a flexible and affordable housing option for Americans. 

Additional Pro-Housing Policies

  • What To Know: Authorizes a HUD pilot program to help preserve and improve existing housing stock through whole-home repairs. States and localities can provide grants to eligible low-income homeowners and forgivable loans to qualifying small rental housing providers for repairs and property improvements. While the program creates new funding opportunities for preservation, participating rental owners may be subject to conditions such as limits on rent increases and certain resident protection requirements. 
  • What’s Next: The pilot program to award grants for the whole-home repairs program has been authorized, but funding must be appropriated by Congress.
  • Current Status: Awaiting appropriations by Congress. 

  • What to Know: Increases the cap on "public welfare investments" from 15 to 20% for national and state member banks regulated by the federal government, unlocking significant opportunities for affordable housing and other community development projects, including investments in LIHTC.
  • What's Next: Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, and every 2 years thereafter, the Comptroller of the Currency and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System shall each submit to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, a report, after consulting with the other agency in the development of such report, about public welfare investments that were made by associations under section 5136 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (12 U.S.C. 24) and State member banks under section 9(23) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 338a) in the 2 previous calendar years.
  • Current Status: In progress.

  • What To Know: Explicitly allows Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to be utilized for the construction of affordable housing under CDBG funding with a cap of 20 percent of the amounts allocated to the recipient.  The new flexibilities in this law will allow CDBG recipients to allocate their funding to directly finance new affordable housing construction.    
  • What’s Next: This provision says that it is only in effect for appropriations made after enactment, meaning current CDBG funds do not have the same flexibility. New funds have not yet been appropriated by Congress.
  • Current Status: Awaiting appropriations by Congress. 

  • What To Know: Streamlines HUD environmental reviews by expanding exemptions and categorical exclusions for routine and lower-impact housing activities, including rental assistance, small-scale rehabilitation, predevelopment work and certain new construction projects. By reducing review requirements and prioritizing infill development, office-to-residential conversions and other smaller housing projects, the provision is intended to accelerate housing production and redevelopment while lowering regulatory costs and project delays.   
  • What’s Next: The streamlined environmental reviews specified under this provision will only apply to funds appropriated after enactment and will not apply to a grantee that is combining new funding with old funding. New funds have not yet been appropriated by Congress.
  • Current Status: Awaiting appropriations by Congress. 

  • What To Know: Provides HUD grants to help localities and tribes develop and adopt pre-reviewed housing designs for small and mid-rise mixed-income housing. By encouraging the use of standardized designs, the program aims to reduce permitting delays, streamline approvals and accelerate housing development, particularly in underserved and rural communities. 
  • What’s Next: The HUD Secretary is authorized to award grants to state and local governments to select localities pre-reviewed for housing construction. However, these funds have not yet been appropriated by Congress.
  • Current Status: Awaiting appropriation by Congress. 

  • What To Know: Increases FHA multifamily loan limits across several programs and establishes an index-based formula to adjust those limits annually based on market conditions and construction costs. By expanding access to FHA-backed financing and preserving HUD’s ability to make adjustments in high-cost areas, the provision is intended to improve the feasibility of developing, rehabilitating and preserving multifamily housing.  
  • What’s Next: The HUD Secretary must publish adjustments to the multifamily dollar amounts in the Federal Register for public comment.
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action.

  • What To Know: Incentivizes cities and counties to increase housing production by linking a portion of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to local housing growth. By rewarding communities that expand housing supply, the provision encourages zoning, permitting and land-use reforms that can support new development and reduce barriers to housing construction. 
  • What’s Next: The HUD Secretary until October 2026 to inform eligible communities of their housing growth improvement rate and issue public guidance on best practices and recommendations to reduce regulatory barriers to housing and increase housing supply. The funding adjustments specified in this provision take effect October 2028.
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action.

  • What To Know: Authorizes HUD to create a Moving to Work (MTW) cohort that gives select PHA’s greater flexibility to test innovative approaches within housing assistance programs. The provision aims to improve program effectiveness, inform future HCV reforms and explore opportunities such as positive rental payment reporting to support residents. 
  • What’s Next: By January 2027, and every year thereafter, the HUD Secretary must submit and a report to Congress with a variety of information on MTW PHAs, including administrative plans, performance metrics, demographic data on served households, and more. This report must be publicly available for at least 5 years. After this initial report is submitted, the HUD Secretary may add up to 25 more PHAs into the MTW demonstration, with certain conditions on size and performance.
  • Current Status: Awaiting agency action.

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