Vermont’s Executive Order 06-25: What Builders and Homeowners Need to Know
Vermont is at a turning point in housing. The state faces one of the most pressing housing shortages in its history, a challenge affecting everyone from first-time homebuyers to local employers. In response, the state has issued Executive Order 06-25, a major step toward easing regulatory barriers and accelerating responsible housing development.
At Silver Maple, we’re paying close attention. These new directives will influence how Vermont construction companies design, plan, and build homes in the coming years. With these updates, Silver Maple will reshape how we estimate, craft, and deliver projects across our residential, commercial, and aviation sectors.
The takeaway: This order creates opportunities for faster builds and reduced costs, but it also calls for careful balance between growth, environmental responsibility, and design integrity. This post breaks it all down.
A New Direction for Vermont Construction
Governor Scott’s Executive Order 06-25 seeks to “promote housing construction and rehabilitation” across Vermont by modernizing the state’s permitting and review systems.
Key highlights include:
- Energy code flexibility: Builders can now choose whether to follow the 2020 or 2024 energy standards, helping reduce costs and avoid construction delays.
- Expedited Permitting: Priority review for housing projects, reduced fees, and even “deemed approved” timelines.
- Streamlined environmental review: Oversight now focuses on mapped wetlands, with smaller buffer zones and more straightforward review steps.
- State Land for Housing: Agencies must identify underutilized state land suitable for development.
- Interagency coordination: The order creates a “Housing Leadership Team” to simplify permitting and align housing goals.
Together, these measures signal Vermont’s most ambitious push yet to make Vermont construction more feasible and predictable in alignment with housing needs.
What These Changes Mean for Vermont Home Builders
1. Energy Code Reform
What changed: Builders can now comply with either the 2020 or 2024 Residential/Commercial Building Energy Standards.
Impact: This flexibility enables Vermont home builders to tailor strategies based on each client’s priorities, optimizing for cost, energy efficiency, or long-term sustainability.
2. Expedited Permitting and Review
What changed: Housing-related applications receive priority, with timelines shortened by as much as 50%.
Impact: Predictability and speed are critical in Vermont construction. For years, the zoning process in Vermont has been inconsistent at best and, at worst, obstructionist. While we believe it would be in the best interest of the state to move zoning authority under one state umbrella instead of breaking it into multiple fiefdoms with disparate agendas, this move is at least a step in the right direction. Shorter approval timelines can lead to earlier groundbreakings, lower carrying costs, and smoother coordination with design and engineering teams.
3. Environmental Review Adjustments
What changed: Wetland buffer zones are reduced from 50 feet to 25 feet, and oversight applies only to mapped Class II wetlands.
Impact: While this could open new development opportunities, Silver Maple remains committed to responsible environmental stewardship. Flexibility should never come at the expense of Vermont’s natural integrity. At Silver Maple, we’ll continue to go beyond compliance, ensuring every project meets our standards for craftsmanship, community, and environmental care. That said, wetlands compliance has become increasingly challenging over the past five years, so reasonable, achievable adjustments to existing restrictions that continue to keep our wetland resources safe are very welcome.
4. State Land & Coordination
What changed: State agencies will identify land that can be repurposed for housing and coordinate permitting systems across departments.
Impact: This modernization lays the groundwork for future collaboration between Vermont home builders and public agencies, potentially unlocking new housing opportunities statewide.
Connecting Executive Order 06-25 and Vermont Act 250
While Executive Order 06-25 focuses on administrative efficiency, the recent updates to Vermont Act 250 reshape how and where development occurs. Act 250 now introduces location-based jurisdiction tiers, potential exemptions for certain housing projects, and a new Land Use Review Board to oversee appeals. Together, these reforms are creating a more predictable and responsive framework for Vermont construction.
For Vermont home builders like Silver Maple, this means we can help clients plan smarter by choosing sites, timelines, and budgets with clear regulatory guidance.
The Broader Impact on Vermont’s Building Landscape
Positive trends:
- More predictable timelines
- Incentives for private investment
- A pragmatic approach to energy codes
Challenges ahead:
- Coordination between local and state agencies
- Early-stage confusion as new systems launch
- Balancing speed with Vermont’s long-standing environmental values
At Silver Maple, we believe these changes are an opportunity to rethink what’s possible in Vermont construction. To design and build responsibly while helping communities grow.
What It Means for Silver Maple Clients
For Silver Maple’s clients, these changes could mean a more streamlined, transparent, and efficient building experience. Faster permitting timelines may allow projects to move from design to groundbreaking more quickly, while flexibility in energy codes gives homeowners and builders greater choice in balancing sustainability with budget.
Land use updates may also open up new development opportunities across Vermont, creating the potential for thoughtfully designed residential projects in previously limited areas. And while environmental oversight has been simplified, Silver Maple remains committed to the same high standards of stewardship and craftsmanship that have long defined our work.
In short, this is a pivotal opportunity to help clients build smarter, faster, and with greater clarity. In Vermont’s evolving construction landscape, Silver Maple will continue our integrated approach by combining design, construction, and permitting strategy, positioning us to turn these policy changes into real-world value.
Looking Ahead: Balancing Speed, Cost, and Stewardship
Vermont stands at a crossroads: how to accelerate housing without losing what makes this state special. The changes under Executive Order 06-25 and Vermont Act 250 mark a pivotal moment, one that calls for innovation, responsibility, and collaboration.
At Silver Maple, our mission is to create durable, high-quality commercial, aviation, and residential spaces through expert craftsmanship, sustainable practices, and a collaborative approach. As rules evolve, our role is to ensure that every home, hangar, and commercial space reflects our enduring values: craftsmanship, community, and care for the land.
Planning a project in 2026 or beyond? Our team can help you navigate these changes with clarity, compliance, and creative freedom.