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Committee debates H.206 flood-disclosure changes; proposes simple buyer notice check box and more research
Summary
The House General & Housing Committee discussed H.206, an amendment to prior flood‑disclosure law aimed at fixing problems where FEMA flood maps are unavailable. Members considered a compromise check‑box that would let sellers indicate 'yes/no/unknown' about FEMA maps and asked staff for revised language and further research.
Montpelier — During the March 14, 2025, House General & Housing Committee meeting members discussed H.206, an act relating to selling real property within FEMA‑mapped flood hazard areas, and flagged complications tied to missing FEMA maps in parts of the state.
Committee members said the original bill would have required a seller to inform a buyer whether a property appears on FEMA’s flood map. Members and staff noted that FEMA maps do not exist for many Vermont localities or can be hard for sellers to locate online. As a result, committee member Peter Tucker suggested—and staff later circulated—the idea of a three‑option check box on seller disclosures: “yes,” “no,” or “I don’t know.” Committee members described that as a possible compromise to give buyers notice without demanding an unreliable online lookup.
Members also reviewed how the earlier law the bill would amend (Act 191) included related disclosure requirements; the group asked whether the amendment should be extended to mobile home parks and other transaction types that had been included in the prior act. Committee members asked staff (Cameron and others) to review the statutory cross‑references and to prepare revised language reflecting the check‑box compromise and any necessary technical fixes.
No formal committee vote on H.206 was recorded during the session. Committee leadership said H.206 would be taken up after the lunch recess; staff were asked to do follow‑up drafting and research, including checking how Act 191 and related sections apply to mobile home parks.
