The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont bill requires property assessors to reduce grand list values for parcels restricted by wetlands
Last action · January 6, 2026: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on FinanceSponsor: Steven Heffernan
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What This Bill Would Do
Assessing officials must account for any reduction in property value caused by state and municipal wetland development restrictions when determining the value starting July 1, 2026.
Property tax assessments for landowners with protected wetlands will directly reflect development limitations imposed by state and local laws, potentially lowering municipal property and education tax burdens for affected parcels.
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.
landowners with parcels containing wetlands
Their property grand list values must account for any reduction in value caused by state and municipal wetland development restrictions.
assessing officials
They are required to account for property value reductions resulting from wetland use and development restrictions when valuing parcels.
Key Facts
- Assessing officials must account for reductions in property value caused by state and municipal laws regulating land with wetlands when determining grand list values.
- Wetlands are defined to include Class I wetlands, Class II wetlands on the Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory, and wetlands determined to be significant by the Secretary of Natural Resources.
- The definition of wetlands includes required buffer zones around Class I and Class II wetlands established by the Secretary of Natural Resources.
- The act takes effect on July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will property containing wetlands be valued under this bill?
What land is classified as wetlands under this legislation?
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 6, 2026SenateIntroducedRead 1st time & referred to Committee on Finance
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
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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