Burlington, VT Environmental Rules: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (2026)

§ 1110. Prohibited idling of motor vehicles (a)(1) General prohibition. A person shall not cause or permit operation of the primary propulsion engine of a motor vehicle for more than five minutes in any 60-minute period while the vehicle is stationary.

(2) Exceptions. The five-minute limitation of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not apply when:

(A) a military vehicle; an ambulance; a police, fire, or rescue vehicle; or another vehicle used in a public safety or emergency capacity idles as necessary for the conduct of official operations;

(B) an armored vehicle idles while a person remains inside the vehicle to guard the contents or while the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded;

(C) a motor vehicle idles because of highway traffic conditions, at the direction of an official traffic control device or signal, or at the direction of a law enforcement official;

(D) the health or safety of a vehicle occupant requires idling, or when a passenger bus idles as necessary to maintain passenger comfort while nondriver passengers are on board;

(E) idling is necessary to operate safety equipment such as windshield defrosters, and operation of the equipment is needed to address specific safety concerns;

(K) a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less idles on a driveway or parking area on private property.

(d) A person adjudicated of violating subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall be:

(1) assessed a penalty of not more than $10.00, which penalty shall be exempt from surcharges under 13 V.S.A. § 7282(a), for a first violation;

(2) assessed a penalty of not more than $50.00 for a second violation; and

(3) assessed a penalty of not more than $100.00 for a third or subsequent violation.