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Vermont public records: who holds what

In Vermont, deeds are recorded by the Town Clerk / City Clerk, birth and death certificates come from the Town/City Clerk and requests for other government records fall under the Vermont Public Records Act (PRA). Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Vermont
  2. Public records law in Vermont
  3. Death certificates in Vermont
  4. How Vermont organizes its records
  5. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  6. Counties in Vermont
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in Vermont

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsTown or city clerk of the municipality where the land lies (not the county); clerks keep the grantor-grantee index1$1.00 per page, $2.00 minimum (uncertified)2
Property recordsTown listers (elected) or a hired assessor, or both, set fair market value3—
Court recordsUnified state court: Vermont Superior Court with 14 units (one per county), divisions civil, criminal, environmental, family, probate, plus statewide Judicial Bureau; Supreme Court on appeal4Copies 25¢ per page ($1.00 minimum); certified copy $5.00; exemplified copy $10.00; $7.50 per file retrieval for older cases at the Records Center; civil filing fee $2955
Marriage recordsLicense from any Vermont town clerk; certificate registered by the clerk; certified copies from town clerks, the Department of Health (2024 to present) or the State Archives (VSARA) for earlier years6$10.00 per certified copy7
Divorce recordsFamily Division of the Superior Court in each county (case file); Certificate of Divorce from the Department of Health (2024 to present) or VSARA (earlier)4$10.00 per certificate7
Birth certificatesVermont Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (Statewide Registration System, January 1909 to present); town clerks and VSARA act as issuing agents8$10.00 per certified copy (+$2 online processing)9
Death certificatesSame as birth: VDH statewide system (1909 to present), town clerks and VSARA as issuing agents8$10.00 per certified copy9
Probate and willsProbate Division of the Vermont Superior Court (one in each of the 14 county units)425¢ per page, $1.00 minimum10

Public records law in Vermont

Vermont Public Records Act (PRA) (1 V.S.A. §§ 315-320) Read the law11

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person; the requester's identity or motive is irrelevant12
Response time
Promptly: not more than 3 business days from receipt; up to 10 business days total in unusual circumstances by written notice; a record in active use or storage must be made available within one calendar week; missed deadlines count as a denial13
Copy fees
Actual cost of copies plus mailing/transmission; staff time may be charged only when compliance takes over 30 minutes, the agency agrees to create a record, or a nonstandard format over 30 minutes; fees set by other statutes apply instead. State agencies use the Secretary of State's uniform schedule (staff time $0.33/min after first 30 min; photocopies $0.05 single-sided, $0.09 double-sided); towns set their own schedule after a hearing or default to the state schedule12
If a request is refused
Appeal a denial to the head of the agency (written decision within 5 business days), then sue in the Civil Division of Superior Court (county of residence/business/records, or Washington County); de novo review, agency bears burden; attorney's fees for substantially prevailing complainant13
What is exempt
1 V.S.A. § 317(c) lists exempt categories, starting with records designated confidential by law and records disclosable only to designated persons; Legislative Council publishes PRA exemption lists (linked by SOS)14
Official guide
No Attorney General guide; by statute the Secretary of State advises municipalities and the public on the PRA (Municipal Division public records page)13
More on the Vermont Public Records Act (PRA)
Uniform schedule
Secretary of State Uniform Schedule of Public Records Charges (CVR 04-000-002), adopted November 14, 2003, effective December 1, 200315
Request format
No form required by statute; agency may require written requests only where staff-time charges apply12
Denial contents
Written certification identifying records withheld, statutory basis, reasons, responsible persons, and appeal right; partial records must be redacted, not withheld whole13

How to write a public records request

Death certificates in Vermont

Who holds it
Same as birth: VDH statewide system (1909 to present), town clerks and VSARA as issuing agents8
Who may order
Same family/legal list as birth, plus the person with authority for final disposition or a funeral home/crematorium for them, the Social Security Administration, the VA, and the deceased's insurance carrier16
Fee
$10.00 per certified copy9

How this works in other states: death certificates by state.

How Vermont organizes its records

  • Towns, not counties, keep land and vital records. Town and city clerks hold land records, record vital events and issue marriage licenses and certified copies; Vermont counties have no register of deeds17
  • Single statewide vital records system since July 1, 2019. Birth and death records from 1909 on are issued only from the Health Department's Statewide Registry System (town originals remain for research)17
  • Unorganized towns and gores. A few unorganized towns and gores are run by appointed supervisors (e.g. Buel's Gore, Glastenbury, Somerset, Essex County Unified Towns & Gores)18
  • No statewide court criminal search. Judiciary record checks are per county; use VCIC's VCCRIS for a statewide conviction report19
  • Unified state court. All trial courts are units of one Vermont Superior Court; probate is a division of it, not a separate county court4

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

Agency
Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC), Department of Public Safety: official state repository20
Online portal
Vermont Criminal Conviction Record Internet Service (VCCRIS): secure.vermont.gov/DPS/criminalrecords/, name and date of birth, immediate result21
Fee
$30.00 per conviction report21
Who may order
Any person, for any purpose, after accepting a VCIC user's agreement22
What it contains
Conviction records only (charge convicted of; no docket numbers)22
More about criminal history checks
Notarized
Notarized reports only by mail or in person in Waterbury; mail 5-7 business days, walk-in about 10 minutes21
Contact
VCIC, 45 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1300; 802.244.872723

Sex offender registry

Official registry
Vermont Sex Offender Registry at VCIC; public website linked from VCIC at communitynotification.com/vt/vermont/24
Queries to agencies
Queries to VCIC or police must be by the name of a subject; no lists by street, town or county24

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Vermont DOC Inmate Locator (JailTracker-hosted page linked from DOC); DOC runs six correctional facilities25
Public records
DOC records officer takes public record requests25

Voter records

Public access
Each town's checklist (names and addresses of registered voters) is available from the town clerk; no party registration in Vermont26
Statewide list
Statewide checklist from the Secretary of State to anyone who swears it will not be used commercially or given to foreign governments/federal entities for barred purposes27
Withheld information
Month and day of birth, driver's license/ID number, phone, email and SSN last four are confidential27
Local holder
Town/city clerk26

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
Assumed business names (trade names) registered with the Secretary of State, not the county or town; $70 registration28
Search
Online Business Search at bizfilings.vermont.gov29
Copy fees
Plain copies $0.00; certified copies $25.0028

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
Secretary of State statewide UCC registry30
UCC search
UCC Lien Search: bizfilings.vermont.gov/uccsearch31
UCC search fee
$35.00 search and copy request28
UCC filing fee
$45.00 to file and index a record (+$25 for fixture and similar filings)28
Real estate liens
Liens on real estate are recorded with the town clerk ($15.00/page); town tax liens $6.0018

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS
VCGI and the Vermont Open Geodata Portal (geodata.vermont.gov)32
Parcel data
Statewide parcel layer for all municipalities, joined to the grand list by SPAN; Vermont Parcel Viewer33
Legal use
Parcel data are a reference index, not a survey33

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), Secretary of State, Middlesex; reference room Mon-Fri 9-4, appointments recommended34
Genealogy records
Vital record images 1760-2008 on FamilySearch and Ancestry (free for Vermont residents); searchable VDH index of births and deaths 1909 and later35
Cutoff
Only vital record books dating 1908 and earlier are in the State Archives36
No staff research
Archives will not do research for you36
Archives fee
Copies at Uniform Schedule rates; estimate if over $5; under $1 waived; certified copy $5.00 unless statute says otherwise; vital certification $10.0037
More about historical and genealogy records
Digital collections
Born-digital archival records online through VT Re•tain34

Counties in Vermont

The county with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 14 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.38

  • Addison County
  • Bennington County
  • Caledonia County
  • Chittenden County
  • Essex County
  • Franklin County
  • Grand Isle County
  • Lamoille County
  • Orange County
  • Orleans County
  • Rutland County
  • Washington County
  • Windham County
  • Windsor County

Warnings from official sources

  • Third-party business filing solicitations. SOS warns that third-party companies, including US Filing Services LLC, have contacted Vermont businesses about filing status; check status free at bizfilings.vermont.gov39
  • Fraudulent birth/death certificate applications. False statements on a certified copy application are punishable by fines up to $10,000 or 6 months40

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Vermont office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 42 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. 24 V.S.A. § 1161 General index (town clerk land records)Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  2. 32 V.S.A. § 1671 Town clerk (fees)Vermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  3. AssessmentVermont Department of Taxes
  4. Court DivisionsVermont Judiciary
  5. Records RequestsVermont Judiciary
  6. Marriage Licenses and Registration of Certificates (town clerk manual, PDF)Vermont Department of Health
  7. Application for Certified Copy of Vermont Marriage or Divorce or Civil Union Dissolution Certificate (PDF)Vermont Department of Health
  8. Order Vital RecordsVermont Department of Health
  9. 18 V.S.A. § 5017 Fees for copiesVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  10. FeesVermont Judiciary
  11. 1 V.S.A. § 315 Statement of policy; short titleVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  12. 1 V.S.A. § 316 Access to public records and documentsVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  13. 1 V.S.A. § 318 ProcedureVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  14. 1 V.S.A. § 317 Definitions; public agency; public records and documentsVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  15. Uniform Charges ScheduleVermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  16. 18 V.S.A. § 5016 Birth and death certificates; copies; inspectionVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  17. State Vital Records RegistryVermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  18. Guide to Vermont's Town Clerks, Treasurers & County Clerks (PDF)Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division
  19. Criminal Record ChecksVermont Judiciary
  20. Criminal History InformationVermont Department of Public Safety, VCIC
  21. Record ChecksVermont Department of Public Safety, VCIC
  22. 20 V.S.A. § 2056c Dissemination of criminal conviction records to the publicVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  23. Vermont Crime Information CenterVermont Department of Public Safety
  24. Sex Offender RegistryVermont Department of Public Safety, VCIC
  25. Information for Incarcerated Individual Families and FriendsVermont Department of Corrections
  26. VotersVermont Secretary of State
  27. 17 V.S.A. § 2154 Statewide voter checklistVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online
  28. Fees & StatutesVermont Secretary of State, Business Services
  29. Copies & CertificatesVermont Secretary of State, Business Services
  30. UCC LiensVermont Secretary of State, Business Services
  31. Business FilingsVermont Secretary of State, Business Services
  32. Vermont Center for Geographic InformationVCGI (Vermont Agency of Digital Services)
  33. Parcel ProgramVCGI (Vermont Agency of Digital Services)
  34. ResearchVermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  35. Vital Records (research)Vermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  36. Archives Copy Request FormVermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  37. RequestVermont Secretary of State, VSARA
  38. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  39. NoticesVermont Secretary of State, Business Services
  40. Application for Certified Copy of Vermont Birth or Death Certificate (PDF)Vermont Department of Health
  41. Town Clerks & Election WorkersVermont Secretary of State, Elections Division
  42. Correctional FacilitiesVermont Department of Corrections