Rep. Wood: Repeal coming for problematic parts of Act 181

April 19, 2026 | By Rep. Theresa Wood 

Over the course of the last several weeks, the legislature has heard from many concerned Vermonters about Act 181 from 2024. 

Act 181 was the result of a years-long public process that updated the 50-year-old Act 250 land use law. Act 181 also created the Land Use Review Board, responsible for implementing Act 250/Act 181. The new board replaced the Natural Resources Board.  

The overall intent of the updated legislation was to move from a parcel-size regulatory system to a system based on parcel location. Additionally, Act 181 was intended to improve the state's climate resiliency, reduce forest fragmentation, and enable housing growth in designated locations that have public utilities such as water and sewer, with less regulation. Over the last two years, there has been increased, faster housing construction (despite the high cost of construction), fueled in part by the regulatory reform from Act 181.

However, as the Land Use Review Board (referred to as “LURB” for short) started to design and publish maps, it became clear that other provisions of the law – primarily Tier 3 and the so-called “road rule” – were resulting in outcries from landowners, real estate agents, some municipalities, and others that the law had gone too far in impacting private ownership rights.

Over the course of the legislative session, the Senate passed S.325, which primarily extended the deadlines for implementing Act 181 in order to more fully assess the impacts. As that bill moved to the House, it became clear that more than delays were needed. 

The House Environment Committee has taken three weeks of testimony and is continuing to revise S.325. It is clear that the committee will be putting forth a complete repeal of both the “road rule” and Tier 3. This will be voted on by the full House, where I expect passage, and then returned to the Senate for further review and a vote on the changes made by the House.

Vermonters’ voices were heard on this important issue, and I intend to vote for the repeals when the bill moves to the House floor for a vote.

Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, represents the Washington-Chittenden House district, which covers Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore. She chairs the House Human Services Committee. twood@leg.state.vt.us