GREAT FALLS — Montana’s Land Use Planning Act (link), enacted in 2023 with bipartisan support, is drawing national attention as a finalist for the 2026 Ivory Prize for Policy & Regulatory Reform. The nomination puts a spotlight on how the law could transform housing options in growing communities across the state, including Great Falls.
Ivory Innovations, the non-profit organization behind the prize, searches for forward-thinking policies and projects nationwide that address housing shortages.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
“Our mission is to find the best solutions nationwide to housing affordability and to then deploy those solutions in our affordable housing developments in Utah,” said Amy Tomasso, Vice President of Policy & Partnerships for Ivory Innovations.
She explained the organization’s process: “They kind of scour the internet—articles, journals, publications, news—for who's done innovative work.”
What sets Montana’s Land Use Planning Act apart, according to backers and reviewers, is its emphasis on community-driven planning and regulatory alignment.
“The idea is kind of, you know, let's decide what the community wants. Put that together, make sure our regulations are not contrary to what we say we want. And then, if someone's developing something that we've identified as being needed in an area, then let them go do it,” said bill sponsor Senator Forrest Mandeville (R-Columbus).
The legislation requires all Montana cities and towns with 5,000 or more residents to update their zoning and subdivision regulations and mandates an official housing assessment as part of local planning.
“One of the really cool things is that in the land use plan that LUPA requires that there's a housing assessment required as part of that, so ... your zoning has to allow for that amount of housing that it says you need,” Mandeville explained.
This means that if a city identifies a need for more housing, laws and municipal code must support the construction of that housing, making it more feasible for developers to respond to demand whether for starter homes or multi-family apartment units.
Streamlining the often confusing permitting and hearing process was another key goal.
“A public hearing for that. You'd have the subdivision application. There'd be a public hearing for that. There'd be the annexation process. ...There are all of these different applications that ask completely different things, and these public processes that don't work together,” said Mandeville.
Supporters say these changes could help communities address rising demand—Montana’s population has been one of the fastest-growing in the nation—while still maintaining an open process for public involvement.
The Montana law is now being viewed as a model for other states facing similar housing challenges. “Great example to show other states what's possible. And hopefully copy some of what's been done in Montana,” said Tomasso.
Winners of the 2026 Ivory Prize, who will receive grant funding and national recognition, will be announced on May 12.
