H 749 Vermont House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An act relating to land use and conservation

This bill sets new conservation targets for Vermont: requiring 30% of the state's land to be conserved by 2030 and 50% by 2050, including public, private, and federal lands. It replaces previous conservation goals with these specific targets and mandates biennial updates to a public land conservation inventory. Key mechanisms include requiring resource mapping of forest blocks and habitat connectors to guide development decisions, and updating rules to minimize forest fragmentation while supporting agricultural and historic land uses. The bill directly affects landowners, developers, and conservation groups by changing how land use permits are reviewed and how conservation progress is tracked. These changes aim to align development with ecological goals under Vermont's Act 250 land use framework.
Bill status introduced 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Jan 22, 2026