Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Senate advances bill clarifying land-posting law, defines ‘annually’ as 12 months
Loading...
Summary
Senator Williams reported H.7.23 would define “annually” as a rolling 12-month (365-day) period for land-posting under 10 V.S.A. §5201, addressing a recent interpretation that tied posting to the calendar year; the Senate ordered third reading after a short Q&A about outreach.
Senator Williams, the sponsor reporting for the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, told colleagues that H.7.23 would clarify Vermont’s land-posting statute by defining “annually” to mean once every 12 months (365 days) starting on the date a parcel is posted and recorded with the town clerk.
"This restores a commonsense understanding of the law and ensures that the landowner receives a whole year of protection from the date of posting," Senator Williams said, describing the bill as a targeted fix to resolve confusion created by a recent interpretation that effectively tied posting to the calendar year.
Why it matters: under the prior interpretation, a landowner who posted in November could see protection lapse on Dec. 31 and be required to repost in winter, creating inconsistent protection windows across the state and extra burden on landowners, town clerks and law enforcement, Williams said.
The bill amends 10 V.S.A. §5201 and establishes a rolling 12-month period that begins on the date of posting; it explicitly does not change the visible-sign requirement, spacing or boundary rules, trespass law or enforcement authority, nor does it alter the existing reasonable-person standard, Williams said.
Senator from Windsor asked about outreach: "I'm wondering what educational measures are being undertaken to inform land owners of these changes," the Senator from Windsor said. Williams replied, "I don't know the answer to that, Mister President, but I can find the answer by third reading."
Procedural status: the presiding officer ordered H.7.23 read a third time after a voice vote. The sponsor told the Senate the bill was reported out of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee 5–0–0 and that several stakeholders, including the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and municipal clerks, had testified in support.
Next step: H.7.23 is scheduled for third reading; the sponsor said he will provide details about planned education or outreach to landowners before that reading.
