Rep. Sibilia: Act 181 Update Thursday Zoom

Hello friends and neighbors,

I am hearing from many of you and your town leaders with questions about Act 181 of 2024 and what it means for your land and your community. Many of these questions are coming up now because parts of the law are moving from planning into implementation.

I have been writing and speaking about this issue for the past three years as the bill was developed and passed. If you are looking for background, you can review past updates on my website: www.LauraSibiliaVT.com

In summary, Act 181 is a 171 page, 111 section (that is a really big, really complex bill) major update to Vermont’s land use and development laws. It changes how Act 250 works, creates a new Land Use Review Board, and shifts more decision-making into a system based on mapped areas that determine where development is encouraged or more restricted. It adds new environmental criteria, including protections for forest blocks and habitat connections, and introduces new triggers for when Act 250 applies, including road construction and development in certain mapped areas. At the same time, it expands exemptions to make it easier to build housing in designated growth areas, updates local zoning requirements, and creates new programs, incentives, and tax changes tied to housing and resilience. It is a historic restructuring of how land use decisions are made across the state, affecting permitting, planning, and development at both the local and state level.

What is the current status of Act 181? It passed over the governor’s veto in 2024. I voted no on the bill and no to override the governor’s veto. There are several bills to change aspects of the bill this year. H.730 and S.325.

What is H.730?
H.730 is a proposal from the Rural Caucus to delay implementation, to notify all land owners about the changes to their land and to provide guidance to listers and assessors on how to value changes to land use. We wrote about it in November of 2025. The bill is currently hanging on the wall in the House Environment Committee

What is S.325?
S.325 is a Senate proposal that would adjust the timeline for parts of Act 181, including delaying the road rule and Tier 3 implementation, to allow more time for clarity and input. This bill is up for debate in the Senate this week, and presuming it [passes will head to the House Environment Committee.
Link to S.325

What are you doing, Laura?

On March 24, I spoke at the State House with members of the Rural Caucus about what we are hearing and the work underway. Link to my remarks
Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 25, the Rural Caucus will hold a listening session focused on Act 181. These conversations are helping inform the work ahead and where more clarity is needed.
I will hold a public Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 26 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM to answer questions and hear directly from you. Link to sign up and receive the Zoom link

There is work to do, and your input matters. Please stay engaged and continue to reach out with questions.

As always, please reach out if you need help navigating state services or want to share what you’re seeing locally. I read and value your notes, even if I can’t always respond immediately. I do not have staff and I work year-round, so if you do not hear back in a day or two, please follow up or send a text. If you find my work useful and are able to support it, you can do that here.

Thank you for staying engaged and staying in touch!

Rep. Laura Sibilia
Windham-2 District (Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, Wardsboro)
Email: lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us
Phone: (802) 384-0233