Vermont’s Fire Risk Crisis: Why Residents Face 13 Times Higher Death Rates While Regulations Block Housing Upgrades
Despite the documented fire risks, Vermont’s regulatory framework creates significant financial obstacles to upgrading dangerous housing while aggressive energy codes add thousands to renovation costs
Vermont residents face dramatically higher fire death risks than Americans in the safest states. In 2023, Vermont recorded 15.4 fire deaths per million population, compared to states like Rhode Island and Hawaii that maintain rates often below 4 to 5 deaths per million. At Vermont’s historical worst in 1983, the state recorded 57 deaths per million population—the highest in the nation—creating a risk differential of more than 13 times compared to the safest states today.
While Vermont has made progress since the 1980s through mandated smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, the state’s current rate still exceeds the national average of 13.1 per million. This persistent elevated risk stems largely from the state’s aging housing infrastructure and the complex regulatory environment that makes safety upgrades economically challenging.
Century-Old Buildings Dominate Vermont’s Housing Stock
The fire risk connects directly to Vermont’s unusually old housing inventory. While approximately 12% of housing nationwide was built before 1940, Vermont’s figure exceeds 25%, according to Legislative Joint Fiscal Office data. For renters, the situation is more pronounced, with more than 34% of rental units constructed before 1940.
This translates to approximately 75,000 homes built before modern safety standards existed. An estimated 191,325 Vermont homes were constructed before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned for residential use. These structures frequently contain hazardous materials, outdated electrical systems, and structural deficiencies that increase fire risk.
Census data from 2022 indicates at least 19,637 Vermont households live in homes with potentially serious quality issues, including problems with heating, electrical systems, or structural integrity. These deficiencies are concentrated in regions like Rutland and Caledonia counties.
Heating Systems Compound Fire Dangers
Vermont’s cold climate creates additional fire hazards. Malfunctioning heating systems or devices cause approximately one in three residential fires in Vermont, with fireplaces accounting for 19% of reported heating-related fires. Wood-burning systems, common in Vermont homes, require regular maintenance to prevent creosote buildup and chimney fires.
The culture of wood heating—involving fireplaces, wood stoves, and pellet stoves—occurs predominantly in older homes that may lack proper ventilation or updated chimney systems. In the three coldest northeastern states, including Vermont, heating-related fires occur at rates more than four times the national average.
Rural Geography Delays Emergency Response
Vermont’s rural character compounds fire risks. Designated as the most rural state with 61.8% of residents in rural areas, the state relies heavily on volunteer fire departments. Only 1.5% of Vermont fire departments employ professional, career firefighters—the lowest percentage nationally.
While volunteer firefighters provide crucial community protection, the inherent “turnout time” involved in volunteers reaching stations before responding adds critical minutes to emergency response. In fire emergencies where every minute matters, these delays can prove fatal.
Building Codes Create High-Cost Renovation Barriers
Despite the documented fire risks, Vermont’s regulatory framework creates significant financial obstacles to upgrading dangerous housing. The 2025 Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code establishes minimum standards that trigger when renovations qualify as “extensive modifications.”
Under Vermont law, almost any building that is not an owner-occupied single-family home is considered a public building, including rental properties and multi-family structures. This classification requires full building code compliance.
Fire sprinkler system installation represents the largest cost barrier. While new construction costs range from $0.50 to $3.00 per square foot, retrofitting existing buildings costs $2.00 to $7.00 per square foot. For historic structures with lath-and-plaster walls, costs can reach $4 to $6 per square foot, potentially totaling $19,000 for a 3,200-square-foot building.
Energy Codes Add Thousands to Renovation Costs
Beyond fire safety requirements, the 2024 Residential Building Energy Standards added an estimated $12,000 to average home costs over previous 2020 codes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Builders report these requirements are complex and difficult to apply to older homes, with delays in software and code books making compliance challenging.
When energy code requirements combine with mandatory lead paint abatement and asbestos management for pre-1978 structures, the total cost of making an old house “livable” often exceeds the market value of the renovated unit.
Act 250 Creates Additional Development Hurdles
Vermont’s landmark land use law adds another regulatory layer. Act 250 requires projects to satisfy 10 primary criteria and 32 sub-criteria, a process often described as time-consuming and expensive. Recent reforms attempt to streamline the system but face implementation challenges.
Many municipalities are opting out of Tier 1A and 1B designations due to administrative burden and concerns about inheriting existing Act 250 permit conditions, according to Vermont Chamber of Commerce testimony. The “Road Rule,” which triggers Act 250 jurisdiction for road construction longer than 800 feet, risks bringing small-scale rural projects under state review.
Historic Preservation Conflicts With Safety Upgrades
State officials describe the synthesis of modern fire safety and historic preservation as a “dilemma”. Historic buildings rarely meet modern life-safety requirements, often featuring open stairways, narrow corridors, and improperly oriented doors.
Current codes generally limit single-stairway residential buildings to four stories, while housing advocates note that allowing single-stair buildings up to six stories could reduce construction costs by 6% to 13%. This restriction limits density achievable in designated downtown centers.
Regulatory Layers Leave Dangerous Housing Unchanged
The combined effect of these regulations creates what housing advocates describe as an economic environment where basic safety renovations become financially unviable. Property owners face a choice between expensive full compliance with modern standards or leaving dangerous conditions unchanged.
These regulatory barriers result in much of Vermont’s housing stock remaining in what officials term “unpermitted limbo” or “deferred maintenance,” perpetuating the conditions that contribute to the state’s elevated fire death rates.
Housing Advocates Propose Reform Solutions
The “Let’s Build Homes” coalition identifies removing barriers in Tier 1 areas as essential to reaching the target of 30,000 new homes by 2030. Proposed solutions include ROOT Zones that would replace discretionary hearings with clear, objective rules, and by-right development allowing projects in growth areas to bypass Act 250 review.
Financial reforms under consideration include expanding the Vermont Housing Improvement Program, which currently offers up to $30,000-$50,000 per unit for rehabilitation, and waiving sales tax on residential construction materials to reduce costs by approximately 3%.
What Happens Next
Several key dates will shape Vermont’s housing regulatory landscape while fire risks persist in aging structures. The Tier 1A and 1B Act 250 jurisdictional changes take effect January 1, 2026, though municipal participation remains uncertain pending final opt-in decisions.
The interim Act 250 exemption for accessory dwelling units expires July 1, 2028, requiring legislative action for extension. Tier 3 expanded jurisdiction begins December 31, 2026, which will bring approximately 300,000 acres under enhanced Act 250 review.
The Legislature continues examining comprehensive housing legislation, with ongoing committee hearings addressing the tension between safety regulations, environmental protection, and housing affordability. The effectiveness of reforms in reducing both housing shortages and fire risks in Vermont’s century-old housing stock will become clearer as implementation proceeds through 2026 and 2027.