2026-09-10 · Illinois · Legislation · Proposed — not yet introduced

What is proposed. Governor Pritzker announced the BUILD plan — Building Up Illinois Developments — in his February 2026 budget address. The bills were introduced in March 2026: HB 5626, a 40-page House omnibus, plus SB 4060 (middle housing and statewide standards), SB 4061 (single-stair reform), SB 4062 (impact-fee calculation), SB 4063 (third-party plan review), SB 4064 (parking reform) and SB 4071 (ADUs).¹

None reached a floor vote in either chamber, despite Democratic supermajorities. The Senate Executive Committee held only a subject-matter hearing. The package failed at adjournment on June 1, 2026.

Pritzker said at post-session press availability that he will push it in the fall veto session. Because a bill needs only a single vote there, it is genuinely live.

What BUILD would do

• legalize middle housing and ADUs by right in every residential zoning district statewide;
• preempt home rule and void non-conforming local ordinances within eight months;
• tie density to lot size — up to 4 units on 2,500–5,000 sq ft, 6 units on 5,000–7,500, 8 units above 7,500;
• mandate permit-review timelines — 15 days for one- and two-family, 30 days for multifamily — with a right to hire third-party reviewers on a missed deadline;
• eliminate parking minimums for small units and ADUs, capping multifamily parking at 0.5 spaces per unit;
• allow single-stair buildings up to six stories;
• create a private right of action with fee-shifting against non-compliant municipalities.

Funding: $250 million — $100M middle-housing construction, $50M down-payment assistance, $100M infrastructure. The appropriation survived even though the package did not. Target: 225,000 units in five years.

The clause that matters to boards

1. WBEZ, Pritzker's BUILD affordable housing plan and suburban opposition (June 23, 2026) ↩
2. Ancel Glink Municipal Minute, introduction of the BUILD plan legislation (March 9, 2026) ↩
3. CAI national advocacy, 2026 Illinois end-of-session report (ILAC engagement on common-elements language) ↩