BUILD Act Authorizes $1.5 Billion for Small Town Police and Fire Station Upgrades Through 2028

The new Building Up Infrastructure for Local Departments Act of 2025 (BUILD Act) is essentially a massive infrastructure booster shot aimed squarely at smaller communities. If you live in a town with fewer than 50,000 people, this bill sets up two new federal grant programs designed to upgrade or completely rebuild your local police and fire stations.

The $4 Million Question: Who Gets the Cash?

This bill establishes two parallel grant programs, each authorized for $250 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2028—meaning Congress has authorized a potential total of $1.5 billion over three years for this effort. The Department of Justice (DOJ) will manage the grants for law enforcement agencies, and FEMA will handle the grants for fire departments. The key restriction is the population cap: only agencies serving fewer than 50,000 residents are eligible. This means large metropolitan areas are completely locked out, ensuring the money goes to the smaller, often cash-strapped jurisdictions. Each grant award is capped at $4 million.

What Can They Actually Build?

This isn't just a blank check for new bricks and mortar. The bill is very specific about where the money must go. For both police and fire departments, the funds must be used for facility modification, upgrades, or new construction that directly supports one of five key areas: improving emergency services, enhancing training and development, boosting recruitment and retention efforts, supporting community engagement, or improving overall community safety. For example, a small-town police department could use the funds to build a dedicated, modern training facility (supporting training and retention), or a fire department could build a station addition that allows them to house EMS equipment more efficiently (improving emergency services).

However, there's a slight catch here, which is common in construction bills. The bill requires the project to "directly relate" to those five goals. This language is a bit subjective. While the intent is clearly to fund operational improvements, that phrase could potentially be interpreted broadly enough to fund administrative offices or general facility upgrades that aren't strictly mission-critical, as long as the applicant can argue a connection. The Attorney General and FEMA Administrator will need to issue clear guidance on this to prevent the funds from being diverted to less essential projects.

Why This Matters to You

If you live or work in a smaller community, the impact of the BUILD Act could be significant. Many rural and suburban public safety facilities are decades old, lacking modern ventilation, technology infrastructure, or adequate space for training or equipment. When a fire station can't house modern, larger fire trucks, or a police department's lack of space hinders confidential victim interviews, it affects the quality of service. This funding aims to fix that. For the firefighter or officer, better facilities can mean safer working conditions, better training, and improved quality of life—all factors that help with recruitment and retention in tough labor markets.

For taxpayers, the bill includes mandatory oversight. The Attorney General and FEMA must report publicly to Congress every two years on how the money is being spent. Even more importantly, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is required to conduct studies within one year to document the current state of infrastructure for these small departments and project their needs for the next decade and beyond. This ensures future funding decisions will be based on hard data, not just guesswork.