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Lawmakers introduce bill removing FEMA-map requirement from flood-disclosure law
Summary
Representative Tom Stevens introduced H.106 to the General & Housing Committee on Feb. 7. The bill would remove a requirement that sellers provide an official FEMA map showing whether a property sits in a flood zone, a change proponents say is needed because not every Vermont town has an up‑to‑date FEMA map.
Representative Tom Stevens introduced H.106 to the General & Housing Committee on Feb. 7, saying the bill would amend last year’s flood-disclosure law to remove a requirement that sellers provide an official FEMA map showing whether a property sits in a flood zone.
Stevens said the change responds to a practical problem: "not every town has a FEMA map. What do we do about that?" He told the committee that the previous law had assumed FEMA maps would be available for towns statewide and that sellers could be placed in an unfair position if maps do not exist or are not current.
Why it matters: Supporters framed the bill as balancing buyer information with practical limits on seller obligations. Stevens said the original change aimed to make flood disclosure a legal requirement rather than a purely professional duty of realtors, and that the prior law’s mapping requirement could penalize sellers who lack access to an official map.
Details and stakeholders: Stevens said he worked with the Realtors Association in drafting the correction and that the bankers association and others have an interest in the issue. He noted there are multiple ways of mapping flood risk, FEMA’s map-updating process can be slow, and alternative mapping services exist that are not readily available to individual consumers.
Next steps: The committee treated H.106 as an introductory item; Stevens said the committee will take testimony at a later date and he will seek input from realtors, banks and other stakeholders. No vote was taken during the Feb. 7 meeting.
Ending: Committee members asked follow-up questions about statewide mapping efforts and whether enforcement or bank policies affect disclosure. Stevens said the proposed bill would remove the specific FEMA-map requirement but would preserve seller disclosure obligations under the statute.
