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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont bill transfers energy standards to Fire Safety, mandates residential code, and establishes task force
Last action · January 20, 2026: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Energy and Digital InfrastructureSponsor: Scott Campbell
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill renames the Division of Fire Safety to the Division of Fire and Building Safety, transfers jurisdiction over Residential and Commercial Building Energy Standards from the Department of Public Service to the new division by December 31, 2029, and requires the adoption of a residential building code for public buildings with residential units by December 31, 2027.
Property owners, builders, and developers will face consolidated building and energy code oversight under a single state division, new certification mandates tied to occupancy permits, and potential civil penalties or private rights of action for noncompliance.
- The Vermont General Assembly considers legislation relating to building energy standards and safety divisions to manage state construction codes. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Builders and Contractors
Must comply with updated energy standards, contract clauses, and certification requirements when constructing residential and commercial buildings.
Municipalities
May be assigned enforcement responsibilities by the Commissioner and must coordinate occupancy permits with energy standard certifications.
Property Owners
Must obtain energy standard certifications as a condition precedent for occupancy permits and may bring civil actions for noncompliance.
Key Facts
- Renames the Division of Fire Safety to the Division of Fire and Building Safety.
- Transfers jurisdiction over Residential and Commercial Building Energy Standards (RBES and CBES) from the Department of Public Service to the Division of Fire and Building Safety, effective December 31, 2029.
- Requires the Division of Fire Safety to adopt a residential building code for public buildings containing residential units based on the International Residential Code by December 31, 2027.
- Creates the Building and Energy Codes Integration Task Force to oversee a streamlined transition, ceasing to exist on January 1, 2030.
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- Appropriates $50,000.00 from the General Fund in fiscal year 2027 for a permanent, exempt full-time residential building code administrator position.
- Establishes certification requirements for residential and commercial building energy standards as a condition precedent to obtaining a certificate of use or occupancy.
- Sets civil penalties of up to $250.00 per day, up to $10,000.00 per year, for knowingly making false certifications or failing to certify under CBES.
- Allows aggrieved persons to bring civil action for damages, injunctive relief, court costs, and attorney's fees against persons obligated to certify compliance.
- Requires residential contractors registered under 26 V.S.A. chapter 106 to execute a written contract for work exceeding $10,000.00 that explicitly mandates compliance with RBES and CBES.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the transfer of building energy standards to the Division of Fire and Building Safety take effect?
What is the penalty for making a false certification regarding commercial building energy standards?
When must the new residential building code be adopted?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Consolidation of Building Safety and Energy Standards
The bill shifts oversight of building energy codes away from the Department of Public Service into an expanded Division of Fire and Building Safety, aligning energy efficiency rules with general fire safety enforcement.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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