Vermont's Current Use Program

Current Use Program

Vermont's Agricultural and Managed Forest Land Use Value Program -- better known as the Current Use Program -- was created in the late 1970’s as a companion to legislation that required towns to list property at 100 percent of fair market value. Because of escalating land values, it was clear that property taxes based on fair market value were placing a heavy property tax burden on owners of productive farm and forest lands.

The Current Use Program offers landowners use value property taxation based on the productive value of land rather than based on the traditional "highest and best" use of the land. In 2000, the current use value of the land in the program averaged about 20 percent of the full fair market value (Vermont Department of Taxes, 2001).

The Current Use Program includes a Land Use Change Tax as a disincentive to develop land. The tax is 20 percent of the fair market value of a property, or, in the case of the sale of part of a property, a pro rata share of the fair market value of the entire property.

The program is administered by the Vermont Department of Taxes. You can obtain more information by calling the Vermont Department of Taxes Current Use Program at (802) 828-5869 or by e-mail at vttaxdept@tax.state.vt.us