Vermont Carry Laws

Magazine Limit - 10 Rounds Long Guns / 15 Rounds Handguns

Vermont bans large-capacity magazines over 10 rounds for LONG GUNS and over 15 rounds for HANDGUNS (13 V.S.A. s. 4021) - the ban covers manufacture, possession, transfer, sale, purchase and import, but magazines lawfully possessed on or before April 11, 2018 are grandfathered; out-of-state residents may bring otherwise-lawful magazines in only for organized shooting competitions. Penalty: up to 1 year and/or $500.

MAGAZINE CAPACITY
VERMONT

Vermont bans large-capacity magazines over 10 rounds for LONG GUNS and over 15 rounds for HANDGUNS (13 V.S.A. s. 4021) - the ban covers manufacture, possession, transfer, sale, purchase and import, but magazines lawfully possessed on or before April 11, 2018 are grandfathered; out-of-state residents may bring otherwise-lawful magazines in only for organized shooting competitions. Penalty: up to 1 year and/or $500.

Authority: 13 V.S.A. s. 4021 (Act 94 of 2018, effective April 11, 2018).

Prohibited Places - Where You Cannot Carry

Vermont (permitless carry, but four statutory no-go zones): firearms are prohibited in school buildings and on school buses (13 V.S.A. 4004, up to 1 year/$1,000 first offense), in designated courthouses without court authorization (13 V.S.A. 4016, up to 1 year/$500, with checked-firearm storage where the building is secured), inside hospital buildings (13 V.S.A. 4023, fine up to $250, notice posted at entrances), and at polling places and the walks leading to them on election day - including town clerks' offices during early voting - with a firearm-left-in-vehicle exception (13 V.S.A. 4027, up to 1 year/$1,000); there is no Vermont ban on carry in bars, churches, parks, or general government buildings.

PROHIBITED PLACES - WHERE YOU CANNOT CARRY
Vermont

Vermont (permitless carry, but four statutory no-go zones): firearms are prohibited in school buildings and on school buses (13 V.S.A. 4004, up to 1 year/$1,000 first offense), in designated courthouses without court authorization (13 V.S.A. 4016, up to 1 year/$500, with checked-firearm storage where the building is secured), inside hospital buildings (13 V.S.A. 4023, fine up to $250, notice posted at entrances), and at polling places and the walks leading to them on election day - including town clerks' offices during early voting - with a firearm-left-in-vehicle exception (13 V.S.A. 4027, up to 1 year/$1,000); there is no Vermont ban on carry in bars, churches, parks, or general government buildings.

Authority: 13 V.S.A. 4004 (schools/buses); 13 V.S.A. 4016 (courthouses); 13 V.S.A. 4023 (hospital buildings, eff. 2022); 13 V.S.A. 4027 (polling places).

No Duty to Retreat (Case Law)

Vermont: no statute imposes a duty to retreat, and Vermont's model criminal jury instructions state that a person who honestly and reasonably believed deadly force was immediately necessary to meet an imminent deadly threat is not required by law to retreat (Vt. Model Crim. Jury Instr. CR07-111; 13 V.S.A. 2305 contains no retreat requirement).

NO DUTY TO RETREAT (CASE LAW)
Vermont

Vermont: no statute imposes a duty to retreat, and Vermont's model criminal jury instructions state that a person who honestly and reasonably believed deadly force was immediately necessary to meet an imminent deadly threat is not required by law to retreat (Vt. Model Crim. Jury Instr. CR07-111; 13 V.S.A. 2305 contains no retreat requirement).

Authority: Vermont Model Criminal Jury Instructions CR07-111, Self-Defense (Use of Deadly Force), rev. 07/26/19 (official committee publication, vtjuryinstructions.org); 13 V.S.A. § 2305 (fetched from the official legislature site) contains no retreat requirement; case-law basis incl. State v. Hatcher, 167 Vt. 338 (1997).

Red Flag Law - ERPO in Effect

Vermont: An Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law is in effect (13 V.S.A. ch. 85, §§ 4051 et seq.).

RED FLAG / EXTREME RISK LAW
Vermont

Vermont: An Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law is in effect (13 V.S.A. ch. 85, §§ 4051 et seq.).

Authority: 13 V.S.A. ch. 85, §§ 4051 et seq. (Extreme Risk Protection Orders, 2018 S.221): 4051 Definitions, 4053 Petition, 4054 Emergency ex parte order, 4058 Enforcement, 4059 Relinquishment of dangerous weapons.

Constitutional Carry - No Permit Required

Vermont has never required a permit to carry firearms. Anyone 16+ who can legally possess may carry.

CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY - VERMONT

Vermont has never required a permit to carry a firearm, openly or concealed. State law criminalizes carrying a dangerous or deadly weapon only when done with intent to injure another (13 V.S.A. 4003). Vermont issues no carry permits at all, which can limit reciprocity for Vermonters traveling to states that require a permit from your home state.

Age: Vermont law bars children under 16 from possessing a pistol or revolver without parental consent (13 V.S.A. 4008), but FEDERAL law (18 U.S.C. 922(x)) generally prohibits anyone under 18 from possessing a handgun, with narrow exceptions - so as a practical matter permitless handgun carry applies to adults 18 and older.

Prohibited places include school property (13 V.S.A. 4004) and courthouses. Federal prohibited-places law also applies.

Duty to Inform - No Statutory Duty

Vermont: No duty to tell an officer you are carrying and no permit system exists at all — Vermont has never issued carry permits, so there is nothing to present and no disclosure statute.

DUTY TO INFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT
VERMONT

Vermont: No duty to tell an officer you are carrying and no permit system exists at all — Vermont has never issued carry permits, so there is nothing to present and no disclosure statute.

Authority: Vt. Stat. tit. 13, ch. 85 — no inform/display provision and no carry-permit system exists (negative finding across the full chapter section list).

No-Carry Signs - No Gun Offense, But Signs Can Give Trespass Notice

Vermont: no firearms-specific sign law exists, but unlawful-trespass notice may be given by 'signs or placards so designed and situated as to give reasonable notice' (13 V.S.A. 3705(a)(1)(B), up to 3 months/$500), so entering past a clear 'no firearms' sign while armed risks a trespass charge at entry — do not assume you must first be asked to leave.

NO-CARRY SIGNS - NO GUN OFFENSE, BUT SIGNS CAN GIVE TRESPASS NOTICE
Vermont

Vermont: no firearms-specific sign law exists, but unlawful-trespass notice may be given by 'signs or placards so designed and situated as to give reasonable notice' (13 V.S.A. 3705(a)(1)(B), up to 3 months/$500), so entering past a clear 'no firearms' sign while armed risks a trespass charge at entry — do not assume you must first be asked to leave.

Authority: 13 V.S.A. § 3705(a)(1)(B).

Vehicle Carry - Loaded Handguns Allowed; Loaded Long Guns Prohibited

Vermont: No permit exists or is needed to carry - but 10 V.S.A. 4705 PROHIBITS carrying a rifle or shotgun with a round in the chamber, mechanism, or magazine in or on a motor vehicle on a public highway; loaded handguns in vehicles are lawful. Vermont issues no carry permits at all, so travellers cannot obtain a Vermont permit for reciprocity elsewhere.

VEHICLE CARRY - LOADED HANDGUNS ALLOWED; LOADED LONG GUNS PROHIBITED
Vermont

Vermont: No permit exists or is needed to carry - but 10 V.S.A. 4705 PROHIBITS carrying a rifle or shotgun with a round in the chamber, mechanism, or magazine in or on a motor vehicle on a public highway; loaded handguns in vehicles are lawful. Vermont issues no carry permits at all, so travellers cannot obtain a Vermont permit for reciprocity elsewhere.

Authority: 10 V.S.A. 4705: a person shall not carry or possess a rifle or shotgun with a loaded cartridge in chamber, mechanism, or magazine in or on a motor vehicle within the right-of-way of a public highway (exceptions: enforcement officers; disabled-hunter permits) — handguns NOT covered; permitless carry generally per State v. Rosenthal, 75 Vt. 295 (1903) (Vermont has never had a carry-permit statute and issues NO permits).