Burlington, VT
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Most looked-up rules in Burlington
The topics readers look up most across the site, as they apply in Burlington.
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🏡 Home & Property
🏠 Renting & Housing
🐾 Animals & Farming
🔥 Fire & Safety
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
📋 Other
🏠 Short-Term Rentals
Taxes & Fees
Some RestrictionsBurlington STR hosts must collect Vermont's 9% Rooms tax plus the city's 1% local option rooms tax on every booking, in addition to paying annual STR registration fees set by the…
Noise Rules
Heavy RestrictionsBurlington short-term rental hosts must comply with citywide noise rules in Burlington Code of Ordinances Chapter 21, Section 21-13. Quiet hours run 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., when noise…
🏗️ Accessory Structures
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsVermontAnyone who owns bees, a colony, or a hive anywhere in Vermont must register each apiary in writing with the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and pay a $10.00 annual fee for…
Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont prohibits possession of unpermitted wild animals statewide under Fish & Wildlife regulations. Exotic species require permits from the Department of Fish & Wildlife, and many…
Pet Limits
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's animal cruelty law applies statewide and addresses neglect including hoarding situations. Under 13 V.S.A. § 352, depriving animals of adequate food, water, shelter, or…
🔥 Fire Regulations
Fireworks
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont bans the sale, possession, and use of consumer fireworks statewide under 20 V.S.A. chapter 177. Only sparklers under 14 inches and listed novelties are exempt. Public displays…
Outdoor Burning
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont requires a permit from the town fire warden for any outdoor burning of natural wood debris under 10 V.S.A. ยง 2641-2647. The warden's permit system is statutory and applies in…
Wildfire Zones
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation may suspend outdoor burning statewide or regionally during periods of high wildfire danger under 10 V.S.A. ยง 2643. Town wardens…
💼 Home Business
Cottage Food Operations
Few RestrictionsVermontA Vermont cottage food operation needs no licence from the Department of Health while gross receipts from cottage food products stay at $30,000 or less a year, under the schedule at 18…
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont state law licenses family child care homes through the Department for Children and Families and prohibits municipalities from using zoning to exclude state-registered or…
Home Kitchen Operations
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont does not have a microenterprise home kitchen statute creating a home restaurant with seated diners, but it does license cooking for sale out of a domestic home kitchen. The…
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont state law requires every municipality with zoning to permit residents to use a minor portion of their dwelling for home occupations customarily carried on in the home, limiting…
🔑 Rental Property Rules
Rent Control
Few RestrictionsVermont 9 V.S.A. Sec. 4451 allows only narrow local rent regulation, leaving Burlington without traditional rent control while permitting limited tenant protections under home-rule…
Source-of-Income Discrimination
Heavy RestrictionsVermont's Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act 9 V.S.A. Sec. 4503 prohibits Burlington landlords from refusing tenants based on lawful sources of income, including Section 8…
Just Cause Eviction
Some RestrictionsVermont 9 V.S.A. Sec. 4467 limits no-cause termination of month-to-month tenancies to specified grounds with 60-90 day notice, providing tenant protections that apply in Burlington and…
Security Deposit Rules
Some RestrictionsVermont 9 V.S.A. Sec. 4461 caps security deposit deductions to specified categories and requires landlords to return the balance with itemization within 14 days of tenancy end in…
Eviction Notice & Process
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont requires written notice before eviction. For nonpayment of rent, 9 V.S.A. § 4467(a) requires at least 14 days' actual notice, which the tenant can cure by paying the rent due…
Repairs & Habitability
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont law implies a warranty of habitability in every residential lease. Under 9 V.S.A. § 4457 the landlord must deliver and maintain premises that are safe, clean, and fit for human…
Landlord Entry & Notice
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont requires landlords to give at least 48 hours' notice before entering a rental unit, and entry must occur at reasonable times between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. A landlord may…
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Some RestrictionsVermontTo end a month-to-month tenancy without cause, a Vermont landlord must give at least 60 days' notice if the tenancy is two years or less, and at least 90 days' notice if it has lasted…
Rent Increase Notice
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont has no statewide rent control, but 9 V.S.A. § 4455(b) requires at least 60 days' actual notice before a rent increase takes effect. The increase begins on the first day of the…
Rental Registration
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's rental housing health and safety program moved to the Division of Fire Safety under Act 181 of 2022, codified at 20 V.S.A. chapter 172. Landlords must register rental units…
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont requires 15 years of possession before a squatter can claim land by adverse possession. Under 12 V.S.A. § 501, an action to recover land must be brought within 15 years after…
🛍️ Single-Use Items
Plastic Bag Rules
Heavy RestrictionsVermont Act 69 of 2019 bans single-use plastic carryout bags at retail stores statewide, including Burlington. Stores must offer recycled paper or reusable bags, with a minimum charge…
Plastic Straw Rules
Some RestrictionsVermont Act 69 requires food service establishments to provide plastic straws only upon customer request. Burlington restaurants and cafes cannot proactively distribute plastic straws…
Polystyrene Foam Rules
Heavy RestrictionsVermont Act 69 prohibits expanded polystyrene foam food and beverage containers at all food service establishments. Burlington restaurants, cafes, and food trucks must use compliant…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Vehicle Idling Restrictions
Some RestrictionsVermont law (23 V.S.A. §1110) prohibits motor vehicle idling for more than five minutes in any sixty-minute period, applying statewide including throughout Burlington with limited…
Erosion Control
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont uniformly regulates construction-site erosion and sediment control through the state Construction General Permit and Stormwater Management Rule, requiring approved erosion…
Stormwater Management
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's Agency of Natural Resources administers a uniform statewide stormwater permit program covering construction, operational, and three-acre impervious surface sites, with rules…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Dispensary Zoning
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont licenses cannabis retailers and dispensaries through the Cannabis Control Board, and a town must affirmatively opt in to host retail cannabis establishments, but once opted in…
Home Cultivation
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont state law authorizes adults 21 and older to cultivate a limited number of cannabis plants at their primary residence, and municipalities cannot ban personal home cultivation…
🚁 Drone Rules
Commercial Drones
Some RestrictionsVermontCommercial drone operations in Vermont are federally regulated under FAA Part 107, with Vermont law adding statewide privacy and law enforcement limits, while municipalities cannot…
Recreational Drones
Some RestrictionsVermontRecreational drone operation in Vermont is governed primarily by FAA regulations, with state law limiting government surveillance use under 20 V.S.A. Section 4622 and providing privacy…
💼 Employment Preemption
Minimum Wage Preemption
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont sets a statewide minimum wage under 21 V.S.A. 384 but does not preempt local minimum wage ordinances, allowing municipalities to set higher rates.
Paid Leave Preemption
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's Earned Sick Time Act under 21 V.S.A. 481 establishes statewide paid sick leave for most employees, with limited preemption of local mandates.
🔫 Firearms
Open Carry
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont permits open carry of firearms without a license for individuals legally allowed to possess firearms, subject to state and federal restrictions.
Firearms in Vehicles
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont allows lawful firearm transport in vehicles without a permit, with state preemption under 24 V.S.A. 2295 barring local restrictions on vehicle carry beyond state law.
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
❄️ Frost Depth & Snow Load
🎰 Gambling & Gaming
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's criminal code bans gambling outright, but 13 V.S.A. § 2143 carves out nonprofits: charitable, religious, educational, civic, and fraternal groups may run raffles, bingo, and…
Social Gambling Rules
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont sets no social-gambling carve-out. 13 V.S.A. § 2141 fines any person who 'wins or loses money or other valuable thing by play or hazard at any game', friendly poker night…
Sports Betting Law
Significant RestrictionsVermontVermont legalized mobile sports betting under 31 V.S.A. chapter 25 (Act 63, 2023), effective statewide since January 11, 2024. The Department of Liquor and Lottery contracts with a…
🏘️ HOA Rules
Assessment & Dues
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's Common Interest Ownership Act (27A V.S.A. Title 27A) gives associations an automatic lien for unpaid assessments and fines under 27A V.S.A. § 3-116, with a six-month…
Board Procedures
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's Common Interest Ownership Act imposes detailed governance rules: 27A V.S.A. § 3-108 requires open meetings with notice and owner comment, § 3-110 governs voting and proxies…
Clotheslines & Energy Devices
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont has a true right-to-dry law. 27 V.S.A. § 544 says no deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement running with the land may prohibit, or have the effect of…
Flag Display Rights
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's flag protection for association members sits in 27A V.S.A. § 3-120(d), part of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act. It does two things: it forbids a rule about the…
HOA Fines & Enforcement
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's fine power comes from 27A V.S.A. § 3-102(a)(11), which lets a unit owners' association impose reasonable fines for violations of the declaration, bylaws, and rules, but only…
Lien & Foreclosure Limits
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont puts three hard preconditions in front of an association foreclosure. Under 27A V.S.A. § 3-116(m) an association may not commence a foreclosure action unless the owner owes at…
Rental Restriction Limits
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont splits the question in two. A board acting by rule has almost no leasing power: 27A V.S.A. § 3-120(f)(3) lets an association adopt rules restricting the leasing of residential…
⚖️ Know Your Rights
DUI Checkpoint Legality
Some RestrictionsVermontThe words checkpoint, roadblock, and sobriety checkpoint do not appear anywhere in Vermont's motor vehicle title, its crimes title, or its public safety title. Vermont has neither…
Recording Police
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont sits in an unusual position: it neither grants an express right to film police nor restricts it, because the Legislature has never enacted a wiretapping or eavesdropping…
Stop & Identify Laws
Light RestrictionsVermontVermont has no general stop-and-identify law. A pedestrian stopped on a Vermont street is under no statutory duty to give a name or produce identification, and nothing in Title 13…
Vehicle Search & Consent
Light RestrictionsVermontVermont has no statute that says an officer may or may not search a vehicle on consent, and legalising cannabis did not create one. 18 V.S.A. § 4230a shields a lawful adult possessor…
🚜 Right to Farm
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont law under 24 V.S.A. 4413 limits municipal zoning authority over accepted agricultural and silvicultural practices, preserving farming statewide.
Farm Nuisance Protection
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont's Right to Farm Act under 12 V.S.A. 5753 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits when complying with Required Agricultural Practices.
☀️ Solar Energy
HOA Restrictions
Few RestrictionsVermontUnder 27 V.S.A. § 544 a Vermont property owner may not be denied permission to install solar collectors by any entity that a deed restriction or covenant empowers to approve, forbid…
Panel Permits
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont's Public Utility Commission preempts municipal review of grid-connected solar generation through a state Certificate of Public Good process. Net metered solar projects under 15…
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Bulk Item Disposal
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont bans tires, electronics, mercury thermostats, paint, batteries, and other designated wastes from landfills under product stewardship laws administered by the Agency of Natural…
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont law requires every solid waste hauler to offer collection of recyclables, leaf and yard debris, and food scraps alongside trash service under 10 V.S.A. ยง 6605k. Variable-rate…
Recycling Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont's Universal Recycling Law (Act 148, codified at 10 V.S.A. ยง 6605k) bans recyclables, leaf and yard debris, clean wood, and food scraps from landfill disposal statewide. Every…
🚗 Vehicle Equipment Laws
Underglow & Auxiliary Lighting
Significant RestrictionsVermont23 V.S.A. § 1251(a) makes it unlawful to operate a vehicle on a Vermont highway equipped with a siren, an emergency warning lamp, or a blue light of any kind without a permit from the…
Dash Cam & Windshield Mounting
Some RestrictionsVermontVermont has no dash cam statute, but it does have a statutory definition of a lawful mount, and that definition rules the windshield out. 23 V.S.A. § 1095b(a)(3) says a portable…
Lane Splitting & Filtering
Significant RestrictionsVermontLane splitting and lane filtering are both illegal in Vermont. 23 V.S.A. § 1115(c) prohibits operating a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle "between lanes of traffic or between adjacent…
Plate Covers & Obstruction
Significant RestrictionsVermontVermont's plate rule leaves no room for a cover. 23 V.S.A. § 511(a) says number plates "shall be kept entirely unobscured, and the numerals and letters thereon shall be plainly legible…
Radar Detector Rules
Few RestrictionsVermontA radar detector is legal in a private car in Vermont. The words radar detector appear nowhere in Title 23, the motor vehicle title, across all 27 of its chapters, and nowhere in Title…
Studded Tire & Chain Rules
Few RestrictionsVermontVermont is one of the few snow states with no calendar window for studded tires at all. The only provision that reaches them, 23 V.S.A. § 1092, bans wheel attachments that cut into the…
Window Tint Limits
Heavy RestrictionsVermontVermont does not set a percentage for window tint. 23 V.S.A. § 1125(a) prohibits operating a motor vehicle with any material painted or adhered on or over the windshield, the vent…