Witness tells House committee Vermont needs single residential building authority, better tools to implement 2024 energy code

House Energy and Digital Infrastructure members on Wednesday, April 23 heard detailed testimony that Vermont’s residential building‑code and energy‑code system leaves homeowners and contractors without a clear path to compliance and to remedies when construction fails.

Sandy Fitztoom, a licensed architect, told the committee the state “really is a mess” when it comes to authority over owner‑occupied single‑family homes and urged moving residential jurisdiction and related training and certification to the Division of Fire Safety. “Vermont is the only state in the nation that has no path to jurisdiction over single family homes,” Fitztoom said during roughly an hour of prepared remarks and questions.

The testimony centered on three linked problems: (1) the 2024 energy code has been adopted in rule but supporting materials — a published codebook, implementation software and a builder handbook — are not available statewide; (2) no single state or local code official has clear jurisdiction over owner‑occupied single‑family construction, leaving gaps for interpreting and enforcing codes; and (3) training, certification and permitting systems are uneven across the state, reducing practical compliance and…