The first accurate accounting of the number of new housing builds across the state is beginning to take shape, with municipalities required to track 2025 data by the end of January.
LD 1184, signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills in July, mandates that all towns with over 4,000 residents keep a registry and file annual reports with the state detailing all housing construction projects.
The legislation is in response to the push to meet Maine’s need for 84,000 more homes by 2030, as laid out in a 2023 study. The law applies to all housing — from single-family homes, including those with accessory dwelling units, to multi-family developments.
Data will track the issuance of residential building permits, dwelling and occupancy permits and buildings that have been demolished.
Towns are also required to list all approvals for affordable housing units for individuals or families whose incomes are 80% or less than the area median income, as determined by the Maine State Housing Authority by county.
In the past, few municipalities have shared housing data with the state, though MaineHousing tracks affordable housing projects and the city of Portland and other large municipalities keep registries.
The cost to towns is projected to be minimal. Over the past few months, the Greater Portland Council of Governments has worked with municipalities to create a simple online form for submitting the data, according to LD 1184 co-sponsor Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport, chair of the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee.
Gere told Mainebiz that, based on pilot-testing feedback from municipalities, she recently introduced a bill to make a few process improvements and give municipalities more time at the beginning of each year to submit data.
Gere expects data from 2025 to be available in the new registry in the late spring.
“As with any new process, there will be kinks to work out as it goes forward,” she said. “The Maine Office of Community Affairs will be working closely with communities to get through any challenges.”