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Idaho nearly halves its regulatory code after seven-year overhaul

Idaho nearly halves its regulatory code after seven-year overhaul

Rule Changes

Zero-based regulation cut the state's administrative code by half, and the legislature made the review permanent

October 2nd, 2026: Human Progress reports on Idaho's regulatory reduction

Overview

Updated Oct 20

Idaho let its entire regulatory code expire on June 30, 2019, forcing agencies to justify every rule they wanted to keep. The state eliminated 2,176 pages in that first reset and another 2,065 during a five-year review that ended July 1, 2026, for 4,241 pages total, according to the Manhattan Institute. By then, Idaho had cut 49.1% of its administrative code from its 2018 peak.

The legislature made the review permanent in 2023, requiring agencies to examine rule chapters every eight years, and the first cycle began in 2026. In a Washington Post opinion piece published Oct. 14, former Idaho budget official Alex J. Adams urged other governments to adopt the model. House Bill 917, introduced in the 2026 session, would require agencies to use AI to review regulations, and no public action on it has been reported.

Why it matters

Idaho proved a state can reverse decades of regulatory accumulation—and turned the review into a permanent legal requirement, not a one-time purge.

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Key Indicators

49.1%
Reduction in regulatory code volume
Idaho's administrative code shrank by nearly half from its 2018 peak by July 2026.
4,241
Pages of regulations eliminated
Manhattan Institute counted 2,176 pages cut in the 2019 reset and 2,065 more during the five-year review, for 4,241 pages total.
381
Rule chapters remaining
Down from 736 chapters totaling more than 8,200 pages.
8
Year review cycle
The legislature made periodic review permanent in 2023, requiring agencies to review rule chapters every eight years.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand

(1905-1982) · Cold War · philosophy

Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.

"Idaho has proven what any rational mind knew all along: half its regulatory code was never a necessity, but a monument to the mystique of coercion—it vanished, and the state did not collapse. Let the remaining half face the same test, and if a machine of reason can help expose the irrationality of every rule, then let it, for the only standard that matters is the individual's right to his own productive life."

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People Involved

Brad Little
Brad Little
Governor of Idaho
In office; directing the eight-year rule review cycle and permitting streamlining
 Alex J. Adams
Alex J. Adams
Former Idaho budget official
Co-author of a Manhattan Institute issue brief; published a Washington Post opinion piece on Oct. 14, 2026, urging other governments to adopt Idaho's model

Organizations Involved

State of Idaho
State of Idaho
State Government
Implemented Zero-Based Regulation across all executive branch agencies

The state government that reset its entire regulatory code and required agencies to re-justify every rule.
Idaho Legislature
Idaho Legislature
State Legislature
Made Zero-Based Regulation permanent in 2023

The state legislature that let the regulatory code expire in 2019 and later made periodic review a legal requirement.
Manhattan Institute
Manhattan Institute
Think Tank
Documented and analyzed Idaho's regulatory reform

The think tank that published multiple reports on Idaho's Zero-Based Regulation and described it as a model for other states.

Timeline

January 2019 October 2026

9 events Latest: October 2nd, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Human Progress reports on Idaho's regulatory reduction

    Latest Report

    Human Progress published a report on Idaho's regulatory overhaul, noting the state nearly halved its regulatory code.

  2. ZBR cycle ends with 49.1% reduction

    Milestone

    The five-year review cycle concluded on July 1, 2026. The Manhattan Institute counted 4,241 pages eliminated from the code.

  3. House Bill 917 Introduced for AI-Assisted Regulation Review

    Legal

    The 2026 session saw House Bill 917, which would require each agency to acquire or develop AI systems and complete an AI-assisted review of all regulations and guidance documents within six months.

  4. Little Signs SPEED Act Executive Order

    Policy

    Executive Order 2025-02, the Strategic Permitting, Efficiency, and Economic Development (SPEED) Act, aims to streamline Idaho's permitting rules.

  5. Idaho cuts 3,235 pages of regulations

    Milestone

    The state had eliminated 3,235 pages of regulation, a 38% decrease from the 2018 peak.

  6. Legislature makes ZBR permanent

    Legal

    The legislature enshrined periodic review in the state's Administrative Procedure Act, requiring agencies to review rule chapters every eight years.

  7. Executive Order 2020-01 establishes ZBR

    Policy

    Little required executive branch agencies to review and generally repeal and replace each rule chapter on a staggered five-year schedule covering 2021-25.

  8. Idaho's regulatory code expires

    Policy

    The legislature did not extend existing rules, so the entire administrative code expired. Agencies had to republish only rules they considered necessary.

  9. Little takes office, issues deregulation executive orders

    Policy

    Governor Brad Little issued the Red Tape Reduction Act and Licensing Freedom Act executive orders within his first weeks in office.

Scenarios

1

Idaho's 8-year review keeps the code lean

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Manhattan Institute analysts who documented the ZBR cycle

The 8-year review cycle that began in 2026 maintains the discipline of the five-year ZBR process. Agencies continue to justify rules from zero, and the code stays near its current size. Governor Little has said he will focus on streamlining permitting rules in the first two years of the cycle.

2

Rules creep back as review discipline fades

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Manhattan Institute, which noted the 8-year cycle may not preserve ZBR's reduction targets

The 8-year cycle lacks the five-year process's reduction targets, repeal-and-replacement structure, and cross-jurisdictional analysis. Without those guardrails, agencies add rules faster than they remove them, and the code grows.

3

Other states adopt Idaho's model

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Competitive Enterprise Institute and Manhattan Institute, which describe Idaho as a national model

Governors and lawmakers in other states copy Idaho's Zero-Based Regulation approach. The Manhattan Institute published a step-by-step guide for states, and CEI has promoted the model. If two or more states enact similar laws, the model becomes a national trend.

4

AI Assists Idaho's Next Regulatory Review

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Idaho Legislature, via House Bill 917

House Bill 917, from the 2026 session, would require each agency to acquire or develop AI systems and finish an AI-assisted review of all regulations and guidance documents within six months. If enacted, AI would help run the eight-year review cycle that began July 1, 2026.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1977

Zero-based budgeting under Carter (1977)

President Jimmy Carter introduced zero-based budgeting for the federal government in 1977. Agencies had to justify every expense from zero each year instead of starting from the previous year's budget.

Then

The approach was applied to federal budgeting but was largely abandoned by the Reagan administration.

Now

It became a management concept that states later adapted to other domains.

Why this matters now

Idaho's Zero-Based Regulation applies the same logic to regulations: start from zero and require agencies to justify what should survive.

1981

Reagan's regulatory relief (1981)

President Ronald Reagan created a Task Force on Regulatory Relief in 1981 and required cost-benefit analysis for major new regulations. His administration slowed the growth of federal rulemaking.

Then

The task force reviewed hundreds of existing regulations and recommended dozens for revision or repeal.

Now

It established cost-benefit analysis as a standard tool in federal rulemaking, though the stock of regulations continued to grow.

Why this matters now

Reagan's effort focused on new rules and cost-benefit analysis. Idaho's ZBR went further by resetting the entire existing code and requiring periodic re-justification.

Sources

(13)
+7
Human Progress Office of the Governor of Idaho Manhattan Institute Competitive Enterprise Institute Regulatory Transparency Project Cicero Institute Idaho Legislature The Washington Post Competitive Enterprise Institute Manhattan Institute Competitive Enterprise Institute Cicero Institute Manhattan Institute