YIMBY Law

07/15/2026

⚖️ Can concerns about property values overturn an upzoning?

A Cook County judge says no.

A recent ruling dismissed a lawsuit challenging Chicago's Edgewater upzoning, clearing the way for thousands of potential new homes and reinforcing important legal principles around local land-use decisions.

Our latest explainer discusses what happened, why the court ruled the way it did, and what it could mean for future housing cases.

📖 Read our full analysis here: https://yimbylaw.pulse.ly/6sx6amw4ze

07/07/2026

Can historic preservation laws be used to block new housing?

Our latest blog explores San Mateo's new historic preservation ordinance and why overly broad historic designations can become a powerful tool for delaying or preventing the homes our communities need.

Protecting truly historic places matters. But vague rules shouldn't be used to preserve exclusion or make it harder to build housing.

📖 Read the full blog here: https://yimbylaw.pulse.ly/uz2ijaltcf

06/25/2026

WIN ON OUTCOMES. NOT PROCESS.

Join us for the first-ever YIMBY Law Conference, where attorneys, policymakers, researchers, and advocates from across the country will come together to share the strategies, ideas, and legal tools needed to build more homes.

If your goal is housing built, not just housing discussed, this conference is for you.

🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale now: https://yimbylaw.pulse.ly/thydmjgarc

05/19/2026

Judges shape the rules around housing, land use, permitting, and development, even if most voters rarely hear about judicial races.

That’s why YIMBY Law created a Judicial Voter Guide to help pro-housing voters think through how to evaluate judicial candidates in local elections.

The guide covers what experience to look for, what endorsements can tell you, and why housing and land use perspectives matter on the bench.

Visit the link to read the full guide here: https://yimbylaw.pulse.ly/rgrfvjizpo

03/30/2026

Are Housing Elements valid without environmental reviews? We're about to find out.

We sued the city of Sausalito back in 2023 in part because Sausalito adopted its Housing Element without preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). We scored a victory when the City completed an EIR while the case was pending. But when the court accepted this argument, they avoided answering the question of whether state law requires Housing Elements to undergo that analysis in the first place.

Now, we're appealing to get answers.

Get the details on our latest appeal 👇

YIMBY Law challenges a noncompliant housing plan

02/12/2026

Valentine’s Day is almost here. Today, YIMBY Law dropped some tough love for San Francisco.

After lots of YIMBY organizing, SF passed a major rezoning plan called the Family Zoning Plan.

Though the Family Zoning Plan represents important progress toward getting more homes built, the numbers still don’t add up.

So, YIMBY Law, California Housing Defense Fund (CalHDF), and Californians for Homeownership are stepping in.

Learn more about the lawsuit and its significance: https://yimbylaw.pulse.ly/u09ilpii0m