President Donald Trump once said that U.S. citizens can take care of their private property “better than any government.” And he’s right.

Private property is the foundation of the free-enterprise system, the bedrock of capitalism, and the key to preserving individual liberty. It is what allows families to build generational wealth, communities to grow, and citizens to control their own destinies through hard work and determination. 

And yet, states like Massachusetts are using an intricate web of zoning laws and permitting rules to tell small landowners what they can and cannot do with their property. According to a new report from the Private Property Rights Institute, rural landowners run into numerous obstacles when acting in their own interest to do what owners feel is the best use of their property.

Not only does Massachusetts rank among the worst U.S. states for property tax competitiveness, alongside the likes of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont, but local zoning and state permitting erect even more barriers to freedom.

In many cases, small landowners lease land for wind, solar, and storage use, helping cover sky-high property taxes, preserve multi-generational farms, and strengthen rural economies. Many farmers, including those in Massachusetts, see energy projects in the same way they see crops — land tied to revenue and critical resources. Energy leasing provides steady, long-term income alongside traditional farming, with the flexibility to return the land to traditional use after the energy lease ends.

But property owners are only allowed to pursue energy projects that the state finds to be favorable, limiting how the land can be used. The promise of setting up large solar fields and generating income is only just beginning to provide income to small landowners, as many of the solar sites were unable to connect to the broader grid while awaiting upgrades for the grid to handle the dislocated power generation that solar energy provides.

The rules around energy production have become confiscatory, as the power production for small landowners looking to reduce or eliminate their electric bills become more complicated and prices continue to rise. Residents that want to go off-grid are not allowed and must maintain a connection to the electrical grid, and they are charged maintenance fees while using little to no electricity from the grid.

Another recent development sees homeowners who are looking to add rooms to their house or living space to provide a way to care for elderly parents or support adult children with a separate place to live. Yet many localities will not allow homeowners to add to a house, although they can (through new state regulation) create separate living spaces on their property if they follow new rules.

Here in Massachusetts, we are not immune. From urban neighborhoods to rural towns, property owners are increasingly facing excessive restrictions on what should be simple, lawful uses of their land. This is why I am calling for a formal state study into local government overreach here in Massachusetts. We need to fully understand the scope of the problem and develop reforms that restore balance.

Local government officials should not have unchecked power over land use or interfere with the rights of law-abiding property owners. State regulations should not force property owners to limit the uses of their property if they are environmentally sound. Our study will identify where regulations have gone too far and propose solutions to ensure that Massachusetts residents retain the freedom to make decisions about their land while still protecting health, safety, and community standards.

The consequences of doing nothing are severe. Across the country, a handful of activists or unelected boards have been able to derail projects worth millions of dollars — projects that could create jobs, generate tax revenue, and strengthen local economies. When this happens, it doesn’t just hurt individual property owners; it weakens entire communities and undermines our state’s economic growth. We need to balance conservation, development, and shared resources with informed decisions.

Government officials must come to terms with a fundamental truth:  Private property rights are central to preserving the American dream and the free-enterprise system. When they block a farmer from leasing land, a family from improving their home, or a small business from expanding operations, they are not just interfering in private decisions; they are striking at the very foundation of freedom and prosperity.

Selectmen and town planning boards are asking for clearer guidelines, sample ordinances, and technical assistance to help them make sound permitting decisions within the complex governance systems they navigate today. We can help give them that by at least studying Massachusetts’s regulatory environment and proposing key reforms.

John Gaskey is a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He represents the Second Plymouth House District, which includes the towns of Wareham and Carver and portions of the town of Middleborough.