Planning
Resources for
​Local Boards and Staff 
Planning Commissions 
Zoning Administrators and
Development Review Boards 

Below are links to handbooks, manuals, templates, check-sheets and other tools with information on local land use planning and bylaw adoption, development regulation and review, and the state rules (24 V.S.A. Chapter 117) that govern these activities.  

Planning and Zoning

Planning can address just about any issue of local concern. The planning commission is the primary body responsible for planning for the community, usually concentrating on writing the municipal plan. Community planning can be divided into two steps:

• Planning where the visions and goals of the community are discussed and established and a means of achieving the goals are determined.
• Implementation where the goals from the planning stage are brought to reality through projects or regulations.

Also visit the Agency of Commerce & Community Development's Land Use Planning page for information on local land use planning and regulation.

These handbooks, manuals, templates, check-sheets and other tools are divided into four sections.
(​You can browse them by the following)

Boards, Commissions, and Staff

Planning Commissions

Zoning Administrators

Development Review Boards

Community Planning Toolbox

​The Community Planning Toolbox introduces users to the issues, techniques and resources for planning for Vermont's downtowns and villages, as well as the natural resources that surround them.

​It features case studies and sample tools that demonstrate how other communities have addressed similar challenges to those facing your community.