Vermont HOA Compliance

Vermont HOA Compliance

3. Compliance topics grid

Governance 06
Governing Statute
Governance
Fining Authority
Governance
Board Elections
Governance
Director Qualifications
Governance
Records Inspection
Governance
Budget Approval
Governance
Finance 05
Reserve Studies
Finance
Assessment Limits
Finance
Collections & Liens
Finance
Foreclosure
Finance
Insurance Requirements
Finance
Property & Mods 05
Architectural Review
Property & Mods
Solar Rights
Property & Mods
EV Charging
Property & Mods
ADUs & Modifications
Property & Mods
Fence & Exterior
Property & Mods
Resident Use 05
Short-Term Rentals
Resident Use
Flag Display
Resident Use
Political Signs
Resident Use
Religious Displays
Resident Use
Pet Restrictions
Resident Use
Safety & Upkeep 02
Condo Safety Inspections
Safety & Upkeep
Water Conservation
Safety & Upkeep
Transactions 02
Mediation & Dispute Resolution
Transactions
Estoppel & Resale
Transactions

1. Introduction

Vermont handles common interest community questions through the Vermont Common Interest Ownership Act, which the legislature codified in Title 27A of the Vermont Statutes Annotated. The title runs through general provisions, creation, management, and purchaser protection.1 The state also keeps a separate Condominium Ownership Act on the books at 27 V.S.A. chapter 15, and that chapter covers condominium ownership, bylaws, records, liens, insurance, and tenant protections during conversions.2 Title 27A's definitions and structure place common interest communities — including condominiums and planned-community forms — at the center of association-governed property in Vermont.3

When a dispute reaches court, civil HOA matters move through Vermont Superior Court, and appeals climb to the Vermont Supreme Court because state law designates the Supreme Court as the appellate division and the Superior Court as the trial division.4

One thing Vermont does not have is a dedicated HOA regulatory agency. The Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation lists real estate brokers and salespersons among the regulated professions, but it does not license community association managers as a separate profession.5

Recent activity stays narrow. Lawmakers have introduced bills that address common interest community resources, meeting access, and housing-use restrictions, and this update includes no recent appellate HOA-governance case.6,7,8,9 In national terms, Vermont stands as a UCIOA-based, low-volume jurisdiction that concentrates its statewide association law in a single statutory title.10

2. Primary statute and key resources

  • Vermont Common Interest Ownership Act, 27A V.S.A. Title 27A serves as the primary common interest ownership statute, and its articles cover creation, management, and purchaser protection.11
  • Condominium Ownership Act, 27 V.S.A. chapter 15. Chapter 15 stands as the separate condominium statute, and it sets out bylaws, records, liens, insurance, and conversion rules.12
  • Vermont Superior Court and Vermont Supreme Court, 4 V.S.A. chapter 1. Title 4 assigns trial matters to the Superior Court and sends appeals to the Supreme Court.13
  • Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. OPR's professions index lists Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons and identifies no separate community association manager profession.14
  • Vermont Attorney General, Consumer Assistance Program. The Consumer Assistance Program receives general consumer complaints and handles consumer-protection intake for Vermont residents.15

4. Vermont's recent regulatory landscape

Recent Legislation

Vermont lawmakers are moving on three fronts this session: a state resource center for owners, remote-access rules for unit-owner meetings, and limits on private use restrictions.

Status Pending — House General and Housing
⌾ Last verified May 9, 2026
Docket

H.172 · 2025-2026 Session

Effective
N/A
Sunset
N/A
An act relating to establishing a Common Interest Community Resource Center
Synopsis

H.172 sits in the House Committee on General and Housing, where lawmakers referred it on February 11, 2025.[16] The introduced text would add 10 V.S.A. § 700 and direct the Secretary of State to launch a Common Interest Community Resource Center with online guides on organization, governance, budgeting, conflict resolution, transparency, and rights and responsibilities.[17] The bill proposed a July 1, 2025 effective date, but no enacted date applies while the bill remains pending.[18]

Operational impact
What this means, by role
Property managers A state resource center could become a first-reference source for routine owner and board questions.
HOA board members Standardized education materials could reduce common governance disputes, though association documents still control local obligations.
Community association attorneys Counsel will need to check any future Secretary of State materials against governing documents and 27A V.S.A.
Homeowners Owners would gain a no-cost state reference point for basic rights and responsibilities.
Status Pending — House General and Housing
⌾ Last verified May 9, 2026
Docket

H.562 · 2025-2026 Session

Effective
N/A
Sunset
N/A
An act relating to common interest communities
Synopsis

Representative Charles Kimbell introduced H.562 by request on January 6, 2026, and the House referred it to the Committee on General and Housing the same day.[19] The short-form bill would require every unit-owner meeting within a common interest community to be accessible by telephone, video, or other electronic means.[20]

Operational impact
What this means, by role
Property managers Management firms may need to revise meeting notices, virtual platforms, and minutes procedures if the language advances.
HOA board members Boards should treat the bill as pending only, not as a current meeting-access mandate.
Community association attorneys Counsel should watch whether the final text covers all meetings or only specified unit-owner meetings.
Homeowners Owners would gain expanded remote participation rights if the bill passes, but no such right exists today.
Status Passed Senate, pending House
⌾ Last verified May 9, 2026
Docket

S.328 · 2025-2026 Session

Effective
N/A
Sunset
N/A
An act relating to housing and common interest communities
Synopsis

The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs sponsored S.328; after Senate passage, the House referred it to Ways and Means on April 30, 2026.[21] As introduced, the bill would have barred common interest communities from prohibiting unit leasing, family child care home use, or installation of electric vehicle supply equipment.[22] The Senate-passed version instead directs Legislative Counsel to deliver a Common Interest Community Report by November 15, 2026 covering leasing, commercial uses, ADUs on exclusive-use land, and EV charging on exclusive-use land, and proposes a July 1, 2026 effective date.[23]

Operational impact
What this means, by role
Property managers Track S.328 closely because future amendments could reshape rental rules, architectural approvals, and EV charging requests.
HOA board members Boards may need to revisit restrictions before denying leasing, child care, ADU, or EV charging requests if the legislation advances.
Community association attorneys Counsel should separate the introduced language from the Senate report language when advising on current law.
Homeowners Owners gain no new statutory right unless the bill passes, but the topics under study could affect future use rights.

Recent Court Rulings

The Vermont Supreme Court has issued no HOA-governance opinion in the past 36 months.24,25 Trial-court orders on condo insurance and contract disputes do not set Vermont appellate precedent.

Regulatory Developments

Vermont operates no HOA-specific agency. OPR licenses real estate brokers and salespersons, and general consumer complaints flow through the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program.26,27

Active Policy Debates

The active debate in Montpelier centers on three questions: whether Vermont should add state-backed education for common interest communities,28 whether it should require remote access for unit-owner meetings,29 and whether it should study or limit private restrictions on leasing, commercial uses inside dwelling units, ADUs, and electric vehicle supply equipment.30

5. Closing note

HOA Weekly will keep watching Vermont as new bills, rulings, and regulatory developments arrive. Federal frameworks also reach Vermont associations — the Fair Housing Act, ADA, FDCPA, SCRA, and OTARD all apply in some form. Federal coverage will move to /federal/ once that section opens.31

Footnotes

  1. Vermont General Assembly, Title 27A, Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (1994) ↩
  2. Vermont General Assembly, 27 V.S.A. chapter 15, Condominium Ownership Act ↩
  3. Vermont General Assembly, 27A V.S.A. § 1-103, Definitions ↩
  4. Vermont General Assembly, 4 V.S.A. chapter 1, Judiciary ↩
  5. Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation, Professions ↩
  6. Vermont General Assembly, H.172 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  7. Vermont General Assembly, H.562 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  8. Vermont General Assembly, S.328 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  9. Vermont Judiciary, Supreme Court Published Opinions and Entry Orders ↩
  10. Vermont General Assembly, Title 27A, Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (1994) ↩
  11. Vermont General Assembly, Title 27A, Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (1994) ↩
  12. Vermont General Assembly, 27 V.S.A. chapter 15, Condominium Ownership Act ↩
  13. Vermont General Assembly, 4 V.S.A. chapter 1, Judiciary ↩
  14. Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation, Professions ↩
  15. Vermont Attorney General, Consumer Assistance Program ↩
  16. Vermont General Assembly, H.172 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  17. Vermont General Assembly, H.172 as introduced ↩
  18. Vermont General Assembly, H.172 bill status, Act information tab, 2025-2026 session ↩
  19. Vermont General Assembly, H.562 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  20. Vermont General Assembly, H.562 as introduced ↩
  21. Vermont General Assembly, S.328 bill status, 2025-2026 session ↩
  22. Vermont General Assembly, S.328 as introduced ↩
  23. Vermont General Assembly, S.328 as passed by the Senate, official version ↩
  24. Vermont General Assembly, 4 V.S.A. chapter 1, Judiciary ↩
  25. Vermont Judiciary, Supreme Court Published Opinions and Entry Orders ↩
  26. Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation, Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, Statutes, Rules, Resources ↩
  27. Vermont Attorney General, Consumer Assistance Program ↩
  28. Vermont General Assembly, H.172 as introduced ↩
  29. Vermont General Assembly, H.562 as introduced ↩
  30. Vermont General Assembly, S.328 as passed by the Senate, official version ↩
  31. U.S. Department of Justice, Fair Housing Act; ADA.gov, Americans with Disabilities Act; Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Regulation F; U.S. Department of Justice, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; Federal Communications Commission, Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule ↩
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