Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 24 > Chapter 117 > Subchapter 1 - General Provisions; Definitions

• Accessory dwelling unit: means a distinct unit that is clearly subordinate to a single-family dwelling and has facilities and provisions for independent living, including sleeping, food preparation, and sanitation, provided there is compliance with all the following:

• Affordable housing: means either of the following:

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Bylaws: means municipal regulations applicable to land development adopted under the authority of this chapter. See
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Element: means a component of a plan. See
• Equilibrium condition: means the width, depth, meander pattern, and longitudinal slope of a stream channel that occurs when water flow, sediment, and woody debris are transported by the stream in such a manner that it generally maintains dimensions, pattern, and slope without unnaturally aggrading or degrading the channel bed elevation. See
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fees: shall mean earnings due for official services, aside from salaries or per diem compensation. See
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fluvial erosion: means the erosion or scouring of riverbeds and banks during high flow conditions of a river. See
• following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
• Forest block: means a contiguous area of forest in any stage of succession and not currently developed for nonforest use. See
• Habitat connector: means land or water, or both, that links patches of wildlife habitat within a landscape, allowing the movement, migration, and dispersal of animals and plants and the functioning of ecological processes. See
• Hazard area: means land subject to landslides, soil erosion, fluvial erosion, earthquakes, water supply contamination, or other natural or human-made hazards as identified within a "local mitigation plan" enacted under section 4424 of this title and in conformance with and approved pursuant to the provisions of 44 C. See
• Impact fee: means a fee levied as a condition of issuance of a zoning or subdivision permit that will be used to cover any portion of the costs of an existing or planned capital project that will benefit or is attributable to the users of the development or to compensate the municipality for any expenses it incurs as a result of construction. See
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Land development: means the division of a parcel into two or more parcels, the construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, or enlargement of any building or other structure, or of any mining, excavation, or landfill, and any change in the use of any building or other structure, or land, or extension of use of land. See
• Legislative body: means the selectboard in the case of a town, the trustees in the case of an incorporated village, and the mayor, alderpersons, and city council members in the case of a city, and the supervisor in the case of an unorganized town or gore. See
• Municipality: means a town, a city, or an incorporated village or an unorganized town or gore. See
• Municipality: means a town, a city, or an incorporated village or an unorganized town or gore. See
• National Flood Insurance Program: means the National Flood Insurance Program under 42 U. See
• Nonconforming use: means use of land that does not conform to the present bylaws but did conform to all applicable laws, ordinances, and regulations prior to the enactment of the present bylaws, including a use improperly authorized as a result of error by the administrative officer. See
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, and any other incorporated or unincorporated organization or group. See
• Plan: means a municipal plan adopted under section 4385 of this title. See
• Planned unit development: means one or more lots, tracts, or parcels of land to be developed as a single entity, the plan for which may propose any authorized combination of density or intensity transfers or increases, as well as the mixing of land uses. See
• Planning commission: means a planning commission for a municipality created under subchapter 2 of this chapter. See
• Public road: means a State highway as defined in 19 V. See
• Recreational trail: means a corridor that is not paved and that is used for hiking, walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicle riding, horseback riding, and other similar recreational activity. See
• Regional plan: means a plan adopted under section 4348 of this title. See
• Regional planning commission: means a planning commission for a region created under subchapter 3 of this chapter. See
• Renewable energy resources: means energy available for collection or conversion from direct sunlight, wind, running water, organically derived fuels, including wood and agricultural sources, waste heat, and geothermal sources. See
• River: means the full length and width, including the bed and banks, of any watercourse, including rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, and branches which experience perennial flow. See
• River corridor: means the land area adjacent to a river that is required to accommodate the dimensions, slope, planform, and buffer of the naturally stable channel and that is necessary for the natural maintenance or natural restoration of a dynamic equilibrium condition and for minimization of fluvial erosion hazards, as delineated by the Agency of Natural Resources in accordance with river corridor protection procedures. See
• Rural town: means a town having, as at the date of the most recent U. See
• said: when used by way of reference to a person or thing shall apply to the same person or thing last mentioned. See
• served by municipal sewer and water infrastructure: means :

• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Should: means that an activity is encouraged but not mandated. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Structure: means an assembly of materials for occupancy or use, including a building, mobile home or trailer, sign, wall, or fence. See
• Town: shall include city and wards or precincts therein; "selectboard members" and "board of civil authority" shall extend to and include the mayor and aldermen of cities; "trustees" shall extend to and include bailiffs of incorporated villages; and the laws applicable to the inhabitants and officers of towns shall be applicable to the inhabitants and similar officers of all municipal corporations. See
• Village: shall mean an incorporated village. See
• Wetlands: means those areas of the State that are inundated by surface or groundwater with a frequency sufficient to support vegetation or aquatic life that depend on saturated or seasonally saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction. See