HUD Terminates Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced yesterday that HUD is terminating the Biden-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule.

A press release issued by HUD noted this action would cut costly red tape imposed on localities and return decision-making power to local and state governments.

“By terminating the AFFH rule, localities will no longer be required to complete onerous paperwork and drain their budgets to comply with the extreme and restrictive demands made up by the federal government,” said Turner. “This action also returns decisions on zoning, home building, transportation, and more to local leaders.”

The HUD press release added that as the agency returns to the original understanding and enforcement of the law without onerous compliance requirements, it can better serve rural, urban and tribal communities that need access to fair and affordable housing.

“We are aware of communities that have been neglected or negatively impacted due to the demands of recent AFFH rules,” said Turner. “Returning to the law as written will advance market-driven development and allow American neighborhoods to flourish.”

With Turner’s action, a locality’s certification that it has affirmatively furthered fair housing, in accordance with the Fair Housing Act, would be deemed sufficient.