- Build-to-rent came up 941 times in 458 meeting documents across 238 jurisdictions in 39 states, with Texas (224), Georgia (113) and Florida (104) leading.
- More than two-thirds of mentions come from places under 150,000 people, and 79% of the meetings also discuss single-family homes, subdivisions, plats or lots.
- Cities say they can zone a subdivision’s form but not its owner, so Texas negotiates projects one by one while Georgia, Colorado and Indiana write build-to-rent into code.
Build-to-rent communities were raised 941 times across 458 meeting documents, spanning 238 jurisdictions and 39 states, according to GatherGov’s analysis, and almost none of it happened in big cities.
Over two-thirds of the mentions came from places under 150,000 residents, between November 2025 and October 2026.
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Suburbs, Not Core Cities
Core cities in 14 large metros, including Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix and Nashville, drew seven mentions combined. Suburban Pearland, Texas, alone had 52, the most of any place nationally.
Texas holds 24% of mentions, or 224, followed by Georgia at 113 and Florida at 104. With Arizona, those four states account for more than half.
The Texas backdrop is soft on rents. Cotality’s index put Houston at 0.6% and Dallas at 1.2% in our brief on single-family rents.
A Subdivision With One Owner
GatherGov found single-family housing, subdivisions, plats or individual lots on the agenda in 79% of those meetings. Same streets, same utility districts, one landlord instead of hundreds of buyers.
In Celina, Texas, Cross Creek Meadows is a 245-acre improvement district with 796 single-family homes plus 266 build-to-rent units, city staff told the council in February. In Mesquite, a July planning packet describes 142 townhome-style and 135 patio-style units on one lot that can’t be sold off individually.
Zone the Form, Not the Owner
In Texas, cities typically handle each project as a negotiated planned development. Cities in Georgia, Colorado and Indiana are adding build-to-rent districts to their zoning. Snellville, Georgia, drafted build-to-rent versions of three single-family districts in a July agenda packet.
Pflugerville was told in November 2025 that a city generally can’t regulate by type of ownership, only form and use. Pearland shows the other path. At a November 2025 workshop, a member said proposals there have all been shot down.
Schools Are Planning for It
Katy ISD’s enrollment forecast counts about 2% of growth from build-to-rent and manufactured homes. A district presenter said in November 2025 to expect that share to rise.
Why It Matters
Build-to-rent is decided in suburban planning commission and school board rooms, so developers face a patchwork. Financing is easing at the same time: HUD opened FHA insurance to build-to-rent communities on October 19, with ground-up loans under Section 221(d)(4).
GatherGov cautions that these figures show what is discussed together, not cause and effect.
What’s Next
Watch whether more Georgia, Colorado and Indiana cities codify build-to-rent districts, and whether Pearland-style rejections spread across Texas suburbs.
