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H 170

An act relating to University of Vermont and State Agricultural College residential living space

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Angela Arsenault and 7 co-sponsors

If Burlington’s housing vacancy drops below 5%, UVM must cap enrollment to fall semester levels and ensure all housing meets municipal and safety codes, with ongoing monitoring and

Read first time and referred to the Committee on Education
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Bill Summary · H 170

Summary of H.170 (2025-2026) – Vermont

This summary outlines the main purpose, key provisions, affected parties, and procedural/timeline aspects of House Bill H.170 introduced in the 2025-2026 Vermont legislative session. The bill concerns University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (UVM) residential living space and housing coordination with Burlington.

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes enrollment controls for UVM if Burlington’s vacancy rate falls below 5%.
  • Ensures university-owned or affiliated housing meets municipal housing codes and rental health/safety standards.
  • Creates a UVM Housing Task Force to monitor compliance and coordinate actions between the City of Burlington and UVM.

Key provisions

Enrollment cap tied to Burlington housing vacancy (Sec. 1)

  • Burlington, in collaboration with UVM, must publish an annual citywide housing vacancy rate using standard auditing practices, published by July 31 each year.
  • If Burlington’s vacancy rate is below 5%, UVM must limit its student enrollment to the number enrolled as of the end of the fall semester immediately after the vacancy rate publication. In other words, enrollment is capped to the fall semester count at that time.

Residential housing requirements and annual reporting (Sec. 2)

  • UVM must ensure all university-owned or affiliated housing complies with:
    • Municipal housing codes (minimal standards for dwellings) adopted under 24 V.S.A. chapter 123, as applicable to the municipality where the housing is located.
    • Rental housing health and safety standards under 20 V.S.A. chapter 172.
  • Applicability:
    • Standards apply to housing in use as of July 1, 2025, and to all new or repurposed housing on or after July 1, 2025.
  • Compliance and accommodations:
    • UVM must reasonably strive to achieve compliance promptly.
    • Current students in on-campus housing not meeting requirements must be offered compliant housing before such housing is offered to new students.
    • If a space is designed for two students but fails to meet the standards, it must be offered to students with documented medical accommodation needs as a single-occupancy unit.
  • Annual housing impact report (due January 15 each year):
    • Provides a compliance summary, including a list of non-compliant housing, violations, and the number of affected units and students.
    • Includes analysis of on-campus and affiliated housing capacity, enrollment trends (including off-campus housing by municipality), plans for future housing, and steps to achieve compliance.
    • Exemption from typical reporting expiration rules: 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) expiration does not apply to this annual report.

UVM Housing Task Force (Sec. 2)

  • Establishes the UVM Housing Task Force to monitor compliance, under the oversight of the State Auditor.
  • Composition includes:
    • State Auditor or designee (Chair)
    • One House member (appointed by the Speaker)
    • One Senate member (appointed by the Committee on Committees)
    • Mayor of Burlington or designee
    • Two UVM Board of Trustees members (one of whom is a student)
    • One Burlington city councilor (appointed by the City Council President)
  • Duties:
    • Review activities and recommend actions to ease Burlington housing pressures linked to student enrollment.
    • Review and recommend amendments to City-UVM housing agreements.
    • Recommend potential legislative changes to ensure compliance.
  • Annual reporting: The Task Force must report to the General Assembly by January 31 each year on activities and recommendations. This report is exempt from 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) expiration.
  • Per diem: Legislative members may receive per diem and expense reimbursement for adjourned-session meetings.

Housing agreements (Sec. 2)

  • City of Burlington-UVM housing agreements must include enforceable commitments to:
    • Build new housing that complies with municipal ordinances for minimal dwelling standards.
    • Align housing development with Burlington’s broader housing strategies.

Affected parties

  • University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (UVM)
  • City of Burlington
  • Burlington residents and housing market
  • Current and prospective UVM students (especially those in on-campus housing)
  • UVM housing operators and affiliated housing providers
  • Burlington municipal officials and the Burlington City Council
  • Vermont General Assembly and the State Auditor (overseeing the Task Force)

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Effective date: The act takes effect upon passage.
  • Enrollment cap trigger: Tied to annual publication of Burlington’s housing vacancy rate (by July 31); if rate < 5%, enrollment cap applies to the fall semester count after publication.
  • Compliance timeline: Standards apply to housing in use as of July 1, 2025 and to new/repurposed housing on or after July 1, 2025.
  • Reporting cadence: Annual housing impact report due January 15; Task Force annual reporting due January 31.
  • Task Force operation: Must meet at least biannually; chaired by the State Auditor.

Observations on impact

  • The bill creates a lever to curb enrollment growth in response to tight local housing markets, directly tying university enrollment to municipal housing conditions.
  • It imposes explicit alignment of university housing with local and state safety codes, potentially driving renovations or replacements of non-compliant units.
  • It establishes a formal governance and oversight mechanism (the Task Force) to coordinate housing strategies between the City and UVM, with potential legislative recommendations.
  • The combination of enrollment limits and mandatory compliance could influence both on-campus housing planning and off-campus housing dynamics in Burlington.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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