Addressing the Housing Crisis with Modern Zoning and Permitting

How this Helps Vinyl Siding, Other Polymeric Exteriors and PEPA’s Advocacy

For almost 30 years, the Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA) has been at the forefront of advocacy and code development for the homebuilding industry. The trade association’s success in eliminating local bans on vinyl siding and other polymeric exteriors in eight states has become a developing playbook for addressing the nationwide housing crisis.

PEPA has also been a keen observer of zoning and permitting innovations introduced by a growing number of municipalities, as well as by code councils and trade associations that are making an impact.

A recent article on the topic from Gabe Maser, Executive Vice President, Innovation & Growth at the International Code Council (ICC) supports Alex’s premise with a litany of building departments around the country making big strides in curbing regulatory costs – especially by using online customer tools and electronic plan reviews to expedite permit processing.

Maser’s article, “Affordable Housing: What Experts Say About Permitting and Zoning” (ICC Building Safe Journal, February 4, 2026), identifies a shortage of between 4 and 7 million homes that contributes to the current housing crisis. Maser cites the following metropolitan areas that are amending their zoning regulations and consolidating construction permitting processes, thereby reducing costs for homebuyers.

• San Antonio, TX offers a modern online portal that centralizes applications, plan reviews, fee payment, tracking, scheduling, remote video inspection (RVI) and issuance of temporary certificates of occupancy (TCOs) and certificates of occupancy (COOs). These upgrades have significantly sped up approval timelines. The City’s high performance earned it Building Department Accreditation from the International Accreditation Service and helped keep San Antonio among the nation’s highest producers of new, affordable housing.
• Fairfax County, VA, allows partial permitting for early-phase work and expedited temporary partial and instant occupancy certificates. Their efforts were recognized in a national research study for their success in streamlining their processes digitally.
• Raleigh, NC, introduced zoning reforms allowing duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), townhomes and modular housing in areas zoned for single-family homes, as well as eliminating parking mandates, and encouraging smaller home developments. Their Planning and Development leadership believes that these measures can result in thousands of new “middle housing” units, that fit well in existing neighborhoods.
• Seattle, WA is also exploring similar reforms, especially since 75% of its residential land is zoned only for detached single-family homes. The Emerald City is proposing to allow several multi-unit housing structures and ADUs on this exclusive land.

Building Relationships is Key

While these significant strides in zoning and permitting don’t directly impact PEPA’s efforts to eliminate material bans state-by-state, these regulatory reforms are in the same neighborhood (pun intended) with PEPA’S advocacy work.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Alex emphasized. “If these local agencies are willing to change the status quo for zoning and permitting, they are much more open to eliminating bans on more affordable materials – especially since vinyl siding ticks all the other boxes like design, sustainability, fire safety and durability.”

Maser’s article includes an impressive list of influencers in permitting and zoning (in addition to the ICC):

• The Pew Charitable Trust
• The National League of Cities
• The American Planning Association
• The National Association of Home Builders
• Habitat for Humanity
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• The American Enterprise Institute
• The Urban Institute
• The National Zoning Atlas
• The National Housing Trust (and many more)

And we can’t forget the growing number of municipal agencies. Some are existing partners with PEPA, while the rest can become powerful allies.

“We attend trade events and conferences to build new relationships, strengthen existing partnerships and educate all the stakeholders on PEPA’s legislative agendas for unfettered home building markets,” Alex said. “Our primary focus is to roll back regulations that force consumers to purchase homes made from more expensive materials. Communities are requiring builders to use these materials for several reasons. But we now know that this approach has a far more damaging impact on the housing crisis, not to mention the local economy.”

Alex mentioned that PEPA is looking at reform opportunities in Oregon, Kansas, Utah and other states that have not been their main focus.

“There is a lot of growth out west and where the cost of home construction continues to rise, but PEPA’s members’ product sales are also growing out there,” he said. “As long as vinyl siding continues to be the most affordable and cost-effective product, we owe it to ourselves to advocate for free market conditions at the most local levels.”

Alex continues to engage trade and code council partners, as well as the state and local building agents, on the PEPA mission, but has a special appeal to all consumers. “Don’t wait until your next project to advocate for fair trade in the local housing market. Legislative processes take time, and your children are going to want to buy a home someday.”

To learn more about addressing costly municipal bans, zoning and permitting policies in your community, contact Alex at afernandez@polymericexteriors.org.