Governor Phil Scott Signs Executive Order to Promote Housing in Vermont

Montpelier, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott today signed Executive Order 06-25, which aims to promote housing construction and rehabilitation and address Vermont's severe housing shortage. The order addresses regulatory barriers and permitting requirements, energy code standards, and permitting costs associated with housing projects.

"For years, I've been sounding the alarm about the housing shortage in Vermont. And despite many agreeing, we haven't done anywhere near enough to make a real dent in the number of homes we need in Vermont," said Governor Phil Scott. "This executive order addresses many of the challenges we're seeing, to help developers and homebuilders, so we can make a dent in the number of homes we desperately need."

Currently, a quarter of Vermont renters spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs, which will continue to trend in the wrong direction if action isn't taken. With 40,000 new homes needed by 2030 to meet the demand, Governor Scott's executive order takes steps to increase the pace of homebuilding in the state.

The order requires performance metrics to be reported to the Governor on a monthly basis. Metrics include the average permit processing times for housing projects, number of permits issued under expedited procedures, the impact on fee revenue and any resulting budget adjustments, as well as regulatory barriers identified and resolved.

Executive Order 06-25 can be found by clicking here.

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