Montgomery County Is Raising Its Lot Size Minimum — Here's Why It Matters

In March 2025, Montgomery County raised its minimum residential lot size to 40 feet — the first update to its development regulations in over 40 years. Now, just 13 months later, commissioners are being asked to raise it again, to 50 feet. A public hearing is scheduled for April 9, 2026.

Each 10-foot increase in required lot width adds an estimated $100,000 to the cost of a new home. At a time when 56% of Houston-area households already cannot afford the median home price, a second consecutive price increase driven by regulation is not a small adjustment — it is a decision about who gets to own a home in this county and who doesn't.

Ellison Development has built communities in Montgomery County on 30-foot lots — Marie Village, William Trails, and Castle's Edge — and is currently developing Baron Village and Saddle Village. These are the neighborhoods a 50-foot minimum would have made impossible. The families who own homes there are the ones this regulation would have left behind.

Representatives from the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) will be speaking at the April 9 hearing. All Montgomery County residents are welcome to attend — you don't need to speak. Showing up sends a message on its own.