In our recent Libertas Institute/Overton Insights poll of 1,000 registered voters in Utah, voter sentiment is broadly aligned on the issue of housing, with 93% saying housing affordability is a concern.

The housing crisis cuts across every demographic line that typically divides the electorate. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents register the same anxiety, with over 90% of each bloc expressing concern. This sentiment is mirrored across various age groups, income levels, and races. Nearly all Utahns recognize the situation for what it is.

So, just how unaffordable has housing become? For one, the average home price across Utah exceeds $500,000, even for modest-sized homes, while median household income is about $95,800. At these prices, families earning six figures or more can still struggle to qualify for or afford a mortgage.

To pay that mortgage is another story altogether. The average monthly payment across counties, including Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, Washington, and Weber, exceeds $3,000 for a median-priced home. More and more young families have to live with parents or siblings to save up for the future. Workers are increasingly commuting from other counties because they can no longer afford to live where they work.

With concern abounding, it’s no surprise that proposals to address this crisis are multiplying. Some advocate for tax credits and incentives to spur development. Others call for increased public investment in multifamily housing. Still others seek out zoning reform to increase the flexibility of what can be built on a single-family lot.

Across the country, various policy proposals to freeze rents, ban short-term rentals, or restrict corporate investors from purchasing single-family homes are constantly making headlines.

Yet while the approach may be up for debate, at the end of the day, it’s safe to say that nearly all Utahns want this problem solved. They want to afford to buy a home, pay their mortgage, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Utahns agree that this is a big problem but constantly disagree on which solutions will generate sustainable, responsible change.

At Libertas Institute, we believe in removing the regulatory barriers that prevent individuals from pursuing creative, independent solutions to this problem. We want parents to be able to build a garage apartment for their children to save money when they come home after college. We want families to be able to split their large single-family-zoned lot and build a second home on the back half of their property to rent out for extra income. These are reasonable, creative solutions that allow individuals to take action to improve their living situation. And our recent poll suggests Utah voters are ready for exactly this kind of reform.

Eighty-two percent of voters support allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs), such as backyard cottages or garage apartments, in their neighborhood. Seventy-two percent back letting property owners in their neighborhood split their lots to build an additional home. These are overwhelming majorities that hold across party lines. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all support these reforms, giving property owners more control over how they use their land and allowing them to address affordability at the local level.

Perhaps the most telling figure, 82% of Utahns want property owners to be a key decision maker on issues that affect their own property, such as being able to build one of these backyard cottages. Only 13% believe the city or local government should make that decision independently.

The regulatory reality provides crucial context for these poll results. Over 99% of residential land in Utah is zoned for single-family homes as a right, most of which include large minimum lot sizes. Many Utah cities prohibit or heavily restrict ADUs, such as backyard cottages or garage apartments, through complex conditional-use permits, turning simple building projects into months-long bureaucratic ordeals. This is the opposite of what voters want.

Several states have already moved to reduce these types of regulatory burdens. Montana passed a law in 2023 that required all cities and towns to allow accessory dwelling units on properties with single-family homes. In 2025 the Montana legislature further lessened regulations on this sort of building. Governor Greg Gianforte framed the reforms around making housing accessible for essential workers: “People like our teachers, law enforcement officers, and first responders should be able to live where they work.”

Montana faces similar challenges to Utah. Between 2020 and 2023, Montana’s population grew by approximately 50,000 people while only 19,000 new homes were built. The resulting price surge made housing increasingly unaffordable. The state’s response, by streamlining regulations and legalizing more housing types, represents a supply-focused solution that allows Utahns to take action to improve housing in their communities.

In Austin over the last few years, policy changes have been made to reduce home prices by increasing the stock of available housing, specifically by encouraging more non-single-family-home lots. Under an amended Land Development Code, more duplexes and triplexes can be built in areas previously zoned only for large-lot single-family homes. The resulting increase in housing supply helped lower average rents in Austin, which are now more than 20% below their 2022 peak.

The deeper insight from voter sentiment in Utah is that many would prefer the freedom to solve their housing problems through their own property and initiative rather than through government programs. Just by supporting ADUs and splitting lots in neighborhoods, voters aren’t demanding the elimination of all rules and regulations. The poll specifically asked about reforms that would retain safety standards, parking requirements, and noise regulations.

What voters are rejecting is a system in which property owners have severely restricted options. When you can build a 500-square-foot shed for lawn equipment without approval, but a 500-square-foot backyard cottage for your daughter requires months of conditional use permit hearings (or is outright prohibited), regulation has gone far beyond protecting health and safety.

Policymakers have the opportunity to act on what their constituents broadly want. Regulatory reform by improving ADU regulations and zoning laws would be a step in the right direction, giving community members the reasonable agency they need to address housing concerns at the most local level: their own backyards.

Olivia Michiels is the Communications Coordinator for Libertas Network and the Poll Analyst for Overton Insights.