STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The House Committee on Land, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs advanced several measures on Monday aimed at protecting individuals’ ability to choose where they live and keeping housing options affordable.

The measures, sponsored by State Representative Gail Griffin, Chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee, address land division policies and ensure individuals can build homes in rural areas, where land is more affordable. The bills include the following:

• HB2090 (acting in concert; evidence; exceptions)
• HB2091 (land division; applicant submissions; review)
• HB2092 (land divisions; disclosure; affidavit; recording)
• HB2093 (subdivided lands; violations; civil penalties)
• HB2094 (contiguous real estate; definition)

“Not everyone wants or can afford to live in the city,” said Representative Griffin. “Some people seek lower property taxes or a quieter lifestyle outside urban areas, and the government should not stand in their way of achieving the American Dream of homeownership.”

Under current Arizona law, individuals may divide land into five or fewer lots or parcels, commonly referred to as “lot splits,” without being subjected to the extensive and onerous subdivision requirements that major residential housing developers must comply with.

The five bills advanced by the committee aim to preserve this practice, allowing Arizonans to build homes for themselves or their families in rural areas at a fraction of the cost of building in urban areas, thereby helping to maintain housing affordability.

This effort aligns with the 2025 House Majority Plan to reduce the cost of living and housing throughout Arizona, while safeguarding individuals’ rights to decide where and how they live, especially during the Governor’s housing moratorium, which has caused land and housing prices to skyrocket in the state’s major metropolitan areas.

“Democrats on the Governor’s Water Policy Council and radical anti-housing advocates have been pushing to reduce the threshold for legal lot splits from five to one, which would completely eliminate this affordable housing option for millions of Arizonans,” Representative Griffin added. “Eliminating this hallmark of housing freedom and affordability would treat every new residential home constructed or manufactured in the state as a ‘subdivision’ for regulatory purposes and force everyday Arizonans to comply with the arduous subdivision laws of this state. Under their proposal, we would never build a new single-family or manufactured home in rural Arizona again.”

“The Legislature has upheld the right to divide and develop land in rural Arizona for decades, and Arizona House Republicans are committed to protecting this essential freedom for generations to come. Preserving the right to live where you choose – and in places you can afford – is fundamental to keeping the American Dream alive and maintaining a low cost of living in our state.”

Learn more about the House Majority Plan here: https://azhousegop.com/2025-majority-plan

Gail Griffin is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 19, which includes areas of Greenlee, Graham, Cochise, and eastern Pima and Santa Cruz Counties. Griffin chairs the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee.