If you build, own or manage deed-restricted homes in Jackson Hole, the rulebook is about to change, and now is the time to say something about it.
The Town of Jackson and Teton County opened a 45-day public comment period on proposed updates to the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department Rules and Regulations, Buckrail reported on Oct. 9. The Town Council and county commissioners plan to consider adopting the changes at a joint meeting on Monday, Dec. 7, at 1:30 p.m.
"These updates are intended to help improve access to affordable housing and better support local workers, including first responders," the Housing Department said in a press release.
The draft was released at the two boards' Oct. 5 joint meeting. Under the timeline in the staff report, the town will give the changes three readings, on Nov. 2, Nov. 16 and Dec. 7. The county is set to adopt the update Dec. 7.
What's in the draft
The department's table of proposed changes lays out eight policy changes, plus a longer list of clean-up items.
The ones with money attached:
- Vacancy fines. New restricted rental units already can't sit empty for more than 60 days. Under the draft, an owner who goes past that limit without approval gets a notice of default and 30 days to fix it. After that, the owner would be charged $100 for every week the unit stays empty. The fine stops once the Housing Department qualifies a tenant household and a signed lease is submitted, as long as the lease starts within 30 days.
- Annual fee. All restricted units built and restricted after the 2026 rules take effect would owe an annual compliance administration fee. The table puts it at $50 a year per unit. The draft says the amount will be set in the department's fee schedule and may change over time.
The changes for first responders:
- First responders would get first preference in weighted drawings until 20 of them have been housed through the preference.
- First responder households would have to earn 25% of their income from a local business, down from the usual 75%. If the household no longer includes a first responder, the 75% rule comes back.
- A new definition spells out who counts, including law enforcement whose main duties are responding to emergencies, paid and volunteer fire and EMS crews, 911 dispatchers, emergency management staff and paid and volunteer search and rescue.
Other changes would narrow income ranges, add maximum occupancy rules (with room for staff to approve exceptions) and give households displaced by a Housing Department project an extra entry in the weighted drawing. One clean-up item clarifies that homeowners association assessment rules added in 2022 apply only to developments built after those rules were adopted.
How to comment
Comments can go by email to housing@tetoncountywy.gov or by letter to P.O. Box 714, Jackson, WY 83001. People can also speak at the Dec. 7 meeting in person or by Zoom. The full redlined rules and the summary table are posted on Teton County's website.
Why it matters for Contractors
Most of these changes look like tenant and owner issues, but they reach builders too. Developers who build deed-restricted rentals to meet housing mitigation requirements, or as part of a project's approval, are often the owners who would be on the hook for the new $50 annual fee and the vacancy fines. That's a small line item per unit, but it's an ongoing cost that should go into the operating budget of any new restricted project.
The vacancy rule matters for timing. If a new restricted rental building is finished but can't get tenants qualified and leased fast enough, the weekly fines could start once the 60-day limit and the 30-day cure period run out. Builders and owners should talk with the Housing Department early about lease-up, so a slow punch list or slow paperwork doesn't turn into a bill.
The first responder changes could widen the pool of qualified buyers and renters for new units, which helps projects lease and sell.
Contractors who build or own restricted housing know better than anyone how these rules work on the ground. This is the window to tell the town and county what works and what doesn't before the Dec. 7 vote.