Vermont open carry is legal without a permit, license, or registration for anyone who is legally allowed to possess a firearm, and the same rule applies to residents and out-of-state visitors alike. Vermont has never required government approval to carry a handgun openly or concealed, and state law draws no distinction between the two. You still have to clear the eligibility rules, stay out of certain locations, follow the vehicle rules for long guns, and respect the magazine capacity limits.
Who Can Legally Carry
Permitless does not mean unrestricted. Several categories of people cannot possess a firearm at all in Vermont, and carrying one while disqualified is a crime on top of whatever else may follow.
Age
Vermont does not have one clean age line. Children under 16 cannot possess a pistol or revolver without parental consent.1Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4008 – Possession of Firearms by Children Separately, it is illegal to sell any firearm to a person under 21 unless they are in law enforcement, are active or veteran military or National Guard members, or can show proof of completing a hunter safety course.2Department of Public Safety. New Vermont Gun Laws FAQs Possession itself is not categorically banned for adults between 18 and 20, but the sale restriction means most people in that age range can’t lawfully acquire a firearm in the state to begin with.
Prohibited Persons
A person convicted of a violent crime cannot possess any firearm in Vermont. Violating that prohibition carries up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.3Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4017 – Persons Prohibited From Possessing Firearms; Conviction of Violent Crime A person subject to a final relief-from-abuse order or a final stalking order that prohibits firearm possession is also barred, as are fugitives from justice and people facing pending charges for certain serious crimes, including drug trafficking and human trafficking. Those violations carry the same penalty, up to two years and a $1,000 fine.4Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 13 Chapter 85 – Weapons Federal prohibitions apply on top of state law, so anyone barred under federal rules — including people convicted of a felony in any state or dishonorably discharged from the military — cannot carry in Vermont either.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders
A court can temporarily strip a person’s right to possess firearms through an Extreme Risk Protection Order. A state’s attorney, the attorney general’s office, or a family or household member can petition when someone poses an imminent and extreme risk of harming themselves or others.5Vermont Judiciary. Extreme Risk Protection Orders A judge can issue a temporary order without first notifying the person it targets. Once served, the respondent must immediately turn over all firearms to the officer serving the order. A hearing follows within 14 days, and a final order can last up to six months, during which the person cannot purchase, possess, or receive any firearm.
Where You Cannot Carry
Even people fully eligible to carry face location-based bans. Walking into one of these places with a firearm can bring criminal charges regardless of your right to carry elsewhere.
Schools
Carrying a firearm in a school building or on a school bus is a crime. A first offense carries up to one year in prison, a fine up to $1,000, or both. A second or later offense raises the maximum to three years and a $5,000 fine. Possessing a firearm anywhere on school property with intent to injure someone is punished more severely, up to three years for a first offense and five years for a repeat.6Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4004 – Possession of Dangerous or Deadly Weapon in a School Bus or School Building or on School Property “School property” covers anything owned, leased, or controlled by the school, including motor vehicles. School boards also hold independent authority to set their own firearm rules on school property.
Courthouses
Carrying a firearm inside a courthouse without authorization from the court is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine up to $500, or both. In courthouses certified as secured buildings by the Court Administrator, no dangerous weapons of any kind are allowed.7Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4016 – Weapons in Court
Hospitals
Firearms are banned inside hospital buildings, with a fine of up to $250 for a violation. Hospitals have to post notice at each public entrance. Certified law enforcement officers carrying for legitimate law enforcement purposes are exempt.8Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4023 – Possession of Firearms in Hospitals
Polling Places
On election day, firearms are prohibited at polling places and on the walkways leading to the building. The ban extends to a town clerk’s office during any authorized early voting period. Violations carry up to one year in prison, a fine up to $1,000, or both. Firearms stored inside a motor vehicle are exempt, as are law enforcement officers.9Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4027 – Polling Places; Firearms Prohibited
State Buildings
The Department of Buildings and General Services bans firearms in state buildings, whether carried openly or concealed. Certified law enforcement officers and Capitol Police officers who have completed the required firearms safety program are exempt.10Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services. Vermont State Facilities Rules
Private Property
Property owners can ban firearms on their land or in their businesses. Vermont’s trespass statute makes it a crime to stay on any property after receiving notice that you are not welcome, whether through direct communication, posted signs, or a law enforcement officer. A trespass conviction carries up to three months in jail, a fine up to $500, or both.11Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 3705 – Unlawful Trespass A posted “no firearms” sign or a verbal request to leave turns a policy dispute into a criminal matter if you don’t comply.
Carrying in a Vehicle
Handguns can be carried in a vehicle, openly or concealed, without a permit, the same as everywhere else in Vermont. The rules change for long guns. It is illegal to have a loaded rifle or shotgun inside or on a vehicle while on a public highway, and the same restriction applies to loaded muzzleloaders with an enabled ignition system and to cocked crossbows.12Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 10 V.S.A. 4705 – Shooting From Motor Vehicles or Aircraft; Shooting From or Across Highway; Permit For long guns, “loaded” means a cartridge or shell in the chamber or in an attached magazine. Fines can exceed $1,000 under the state’s judicial bureau penalty schedule.13Vermont Judiciary. Judicial Bureau Waiver Penalties The rule is aimed at road-hunting, which is why it targets long guns and leaves handguns alone.
Vermont has no law requiring you to lock or secure a firearm left unattended in a vehicle. The negligent storage statute still applies, though: if a child or prohibited person could foreseeably access a firearm you leave in a car and then uses it to commit a crime or hurt someone, you face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, with harsher penalties if the gun is used to cause death or serious injury.14Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4024 – Negligent Storage of Firearms
Magazine Capacity Limits
Vermont caps the sale and transfer of magazines at 15 rounds for handguns and 10 rounds for long guns. Magazines owned before April 11, 2018, are grandfathered and remain legal to possess. Selling or transferring a large-capacity magazine carries up to one year in prison, a fine up to $500, or both.15Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4021 – Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices
Several magazines are excluded from the restriction: tubular devices designed only for .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, magazines manufactured solely for lever-action or bolt-action long guns, and magazines for firearms the ATF classifies as curios or relics. Law enforcement officers are exempt. Out-of-state visitors can bring a large-capacity magazine into Vermont for an organized shooting competition sponsored by an entity registered with the secretary of state, as long as the magazine is lawfully possessed in their home state.
Local Rules Can’t Add to State Law
Vermont municipalities cannot pass their own ordinances regulating the possession, carrying, sale, purchase, or transportation of firearms or ammunition.16Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 24 V.S.A. 2295 – Firearms; Municipalities State preemption overrides any inconsistent provision in a municipal charter, so the carry rules don’t change when you cross a town line. Local governments retain limited authority to regulate where firearms can be discharged, which is a separate question from where they can be carried.
Buying Is a Separate Process
Carrying needs no paperwork, but buying does. Private firearm transfers between unlicensed individuals have to go through a licensed dealer who runs a federal background check, and no transfer can be completed until 72 hours after the dealer receives the background check approval number or seven business days after the check was initiated, whichever comes first.17Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4019 – Transfer of Firearms18Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 V.S.A. 4019a – Firearms Transfers; Waiting Period Transfers between immediate family members, transfers to or from law enforcement, and emergency transfers to prevent imminent harm are exempt from the background check requirement. None of this changes your right to carry a firearm you already lawfully own.