Act No. 181 Page 1 of 2
2024
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly. It
is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive. It has been prepared by the
staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly. It is not
intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 181 (H.687). An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection
through land use
Subjects: Land use; conservation and development; Act 250; Natural Resources
Board; municipal zoning; State Designation Program; property transfer tax;
education property tax; municipal property tax; housing
This act makes multiple changes to laws related to land use and housing.
This act renames the Natural Resources Board to the Land Use Review Board,
changes it to have five full-time members appointed by the Land Use Review Board
Nominating Committee, and gives it the authority to review regional plans and maps and
approve areas for Tier 1A status under the new Act 250 Tier system.
Under Act 250, it creates a new Act 250 criterion for forest blocks and habitat
connectors, lowers the amount of required mitigation for primary agricultural soils for
wood products manufacturers to 1:1 protected to affected acres, amends the definition of
accessory on-farm business and creates an Act 250 exemption for those businesses, and
creates a new Act 250 jurisdictional trigger for the construction of roads.
The act creates a new system for determining Act 250 jurisdiction over a project based
on the project location’s features. The new system will use “Tiers,” with the Land Use
Review Board approving municipal applications for Tier 1, adopting rules related to Tier
3, and studying what changes are needed for Tier 2. The act exempts certain housing
developments from Act 250 temporarily while the Tiers are developed.
The act delays by two years the due dates for the environmental justice work required
under existing law.
The act directs the regional planning commissions to update the regional plans and
maps to include new land use categories. The new plans and maps will be used as part of
the Act 250 Tier system.
This act makes multiple changes to the municipal zoning laws on issues including
density, parking, and appeals of permits.
This act renames the Municipal and Regional Planning Fund to the Municipal and
Regional Planning and Resilience Fund and allows grants from the Fund to be spent on
resilience planning, including flood protection and climate resilience.
This act updates the State Designated Areas Program by renaming it to the Vermont
Community Investment Program, updating the requirements for designation of an area,
changing some of the incentives associated with the designations, and changing the
authority for designating areas to the Land Use Review Board. It changes the title of the
State Downtown Development Board to the Vermont Community Investment Board and
changes its duties.
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Act No. 181 Page 2 of 2
2024
This act increases the code improvement tax credit from $50,000.00 to $100,000.00
and the flood mitigation tax credit from $75,000.00 to $100,000.00 under the Downtown
and Village Center Tax Credit Program.
This act imposes a new property transfer tax rate of 3.4 percent on residential property
that is used as a second home and makes various updates to the property transfer tax,
including the creation of some new exemptions. It also creates an education property tax
exemption to freeze property values of certain newly constructed and rehabilitated
principal residences.
The act makes a number of changes to State housing programs, including amending
the Vermont Rental Housing Improvement Program to incentivize accessibility
improvements. It creates the new Resident Services Program. It also appropriates funds
to the First-Generation Homebuyer Program, the Land Access and Opportunity Board,
the Manufactured Home Improvement and Repair Program, and several eviction
prevention initiatives.
This act requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to publish
a housing accountability report on an annual basis through 2030.
This act imposes additional rental data collection requirements through the landlord
certificate for use in emergency management and statewide housing needs assessments
and requires additional safety disclosures for short-term rentals. This act imposes new
flood risk disclosure requirements for both real estate and residential rental units,
including mobile homes and mobile home parks.
This act grants the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board an assignable right of
first refusal for privately owned age-restricted properties and requires owners of privately
owned age-restricted properties to provide notice of rent increases.
This act tasks the Department of Housing and Community Development and the
Vermont League of Cities and Towns with reporting on land banks. It tasks the State
Treasurer’s office with developing a pilot program for positive rent payment credit
reporting. It also creates a legislative study committee to study landlord-tenant laws and
evictions processes.
Multiple effective dates, beginning on June 17, 2024
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Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6086(f), 10-6086, 10-6089, 10-6007, 10-6083a, 10-220, 4-34, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086(a), 10-127, 24-4382, 10-6081, 24-4460, 24-4348(f), 24-4348, 24-4348a
As Passed By the House -- Official: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6086(f), 10-6086, 10-6089, 10-6007, 10-6083a, 10-220, 4-34, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086(a), 10-127, 24-4382, 10-6081, 24-4460, 24-4348(f), 24-4348, 24-4348a, 10-6093, 24-4412(11), 24-4412, 10-6001(3)(A)(xi), 10-6001(3), 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 24-4302, 24-4345a, 24-4347, 24-4306, 24-76A, 32-5930aa, 32-5930bb, 32-5930cc, 32-5930ee
As Passed By the House -- Unofficial: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6086(f), 10-6086, 10-6089, 10-6007, 10-6083a, 10-220, 4-34, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086(a), 10-127, 10-6093, 24-4412(11), 24-4412, 10-6081, 10-6001(3)(A)(xi), 10-6001(3), 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 24-4382, 24-4460, 24-4302, 24-4345a, 24-4347, 24-4348, 24-4348a, 24-4306, 24-76A, 32-5930aa, 32-5930bb, 32-5930cc
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6086(f), 10-6086, 10-6089, 10-6007, 10-6083a, 10-220, 4-34, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086(a), 10-127, 24-4382, 10-6081, 24-4460, 24-4348(f), 24-4348, 24-4348a, 10-6093, 24-4412(11), 24-4412, 10-6001(3)(A)(xi), 10-6001(3), 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 24-4302, 24-4345a, 24-4347, 24-4306, 24-76A, 32-5930aa, 32-5930bb, 32-5930cc, 32-5930ee, 10-6081(y), 3-6004, 3-6005, 3-6006, 3-6007, 24-4413, 24-4414, 24-4464, 24-4465, 10-8504, 24-2792, 32-5930aa(6), 32-9602, 32-9610, 10-6029, 32-9602a, 32-9610(c), 24-4306(a), 32-435(b), 32-435, 32-4152(a), 32-4152, 32-9603, 10-699, 24-4010, 32-6069, 32-3102, 20-2676, 10-6236(e), 10-6236, 10-6201, 9-2602
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6083a, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086, 10-6086(a), 10-127, 10-6093, 24-4412(11), 24-4412, 10-6081, 10-6001(3)(A)(xi), 10-6001(3), 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 10-6081(y), 24-4382, 24-4460, 3-6004, 3-6005, 3-6006, 3-6007, 24-4302, 24-4345a, 24-4347, 24-4348, 24-4348a, 24-4413, 24-4414, 24-4464, 24-4465, 10-8504, 24-4306, 24-76A, 32-5930aa(6), 32-5930aa, 32-5930bb, 32-5930cc, 32-9602, 32-9602a, 32-9610(c), 32-9610, 24-4306(a), 32-435(b), 32-435, 32-4152(a), 32-4152, 32-9603, 10-699, 24-4010, 32-6069, 32-3102, 20-2676, 10-6236(e), 10-6236, 10-6201, 9-2602
As Enacted: 10-6021, 10-6025, 10-6027, 10-6022, 10-6084, 10-6083a, 10-6001, 10-6086(a)(8), 10-6086, 10-6086(a), 10-127, 10-6093, 24-4412(11), 24-4412, 10-6081, 10-6001(3)(A)(xi), 10-6001(3), 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 10-6081(y), 24-4382, 24-4460, 3-6004, 3-6005, 3-6006, 3-6007, 24-4302, 24-4345a, 24-4347, 24-4348, 24-4348a, 24-4413, 24-4414, 24-4464, 24-4465, 10-8504, 24-4306, 24-76A, 32-5930aa(6), 32-5930aa, 32-5930bb, 32-5930cc, 32-9602, 32-9602a, 32-9610(c), 32-9610, 24-4306(a), 32-435(b), 32-435, 32-4152(a), 32-4152, 32-9603, 10-699, 24-4010, 32-6069, 32-3102, 20-2676, 10-6236(e), 10-6236, 10-6201, 9-2602
Senate proposal of amendment to House proposal of amendment to Senate proposal of amendment Official: 24-4464, 24-4465, 32-9602, 32-9603, 32-4152(a), 32-4152
Senate proposal of amendment to House proposal of amendment to Senate proposal of amendment Unofficial: 24-4464, 24-4465, 32-9602, 32-9603, 32-4152(a), 32-4152
House proposal of amendment to Senate proposal of amendment Official: 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 10-6001, 10-6001(3), 32-9602, 32-9602a, 32-9610(c), 32-9610, 24-4306(a), 24-4306, 32-435(b), 32-435, 32-9603, 10-6236(e), 10-6236, 9-2602
House proposal of amendment to Senate proposal of amendment Unofficial: 10-6001(3)(D)(viii)(III), 10-6001, 10-6001(3), 32-9602, 32-9602a, 32-9610(c), 32-9610, 24-4306(a), 24-4306, 32-435(b), 32-435, 32-9603, 10-6236(e), 10-6236, 9-2602