Podcast: NAHB Legal Expert Sheds Light on Next Steps for WOTUS
In the latest episode of NAHB’s Housing Developments podcast, co-hosts CEO Jim Tobin and SVP of Communications Paul Lopez welcome VP of Legal Advocacy Tom Ward to help explain the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision that rescinded key parts of the Biden Administration’s “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule.
Ward provides insight into the new test to determine whether a wetland can be regulated under the Clean Water Act, after the Supreme Court rejected the previous significant nexus test. Learn more about the impact of the decision.
Listen to Housing Developments wherever you get your podcasts or watch a video of the full episode below.
Latest from NAHBNow
According to the NAHB Member Census, 21% of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million.
NAHB filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit immigration case Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega. The case asks whether a person who entered the United States without official inspection may seek release on bond from a judge while the government considers deportation.
Latest Economic News
New homes with 5,000 square feet or more of living space posted an increase in market share last year. In 2025, 27,000 homes of this size were started, accounting for 2.9% of all new homes started. Both the number and market share of homes with 5,000 square feet or more increased from 2024, according to annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).
Twenty-one percent of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business, according to the 2025 Member Census. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million. This means that remodelers are even smaller than NAHB builder members, who had a median of six employees and median annual revenue of $3.7 million, as reported in a recent post.
Total tax revenue collected by state and local governments was up 5.8% from a year ago in the second quarter, according to the Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue published by the U.S. Census Bureau. This was the highest year-over-year growth since the third quarter of 2024 (7.2%).