The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
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Subchapter 001: SUPREME COURT AND SUPERIOR COURT
§ 651. Clerks of courts
The Court Administrator shall act as clerk of the Supreme Court as provided in section 8 of this title. The Court Administrator shall appoint a Superior Court clerk for each unit. The
Court Administrator may appoint the same person to be clerk in more than one unit.
With approval of the Court Administrator, the clerk shall hire office staff. The clerk
shall have the powers and responsibilities formerly held by the clerk of the district
court or the family court and may delegate specific powers and responsibilities to
assigned staff. Unless so designated by the assistant judges of a specific county,
with the approval of the Court Administrator, a Superior Court clerk shall not also
serve as a county clerk. (Amended 1967, No. 174, § 3; 1973, No. 193 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 9, 1974; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 37.)
§ 651a. Repealed. 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238.
§ 652. Repealed. 2013, No. 67, § 15.
§ 653. Repealed. 1969, No. 27, § 2.
§ 654. Repealed. 1977, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 10.
§§ 655, 656. Repealed. 2013, No. 67, § 15.
§ 657. Transcribing damaged records
When records in the Office of the Superior Court Clerk become faded, defaced, torn,
or otherwise injured, so as to endanger the permanent legibility or proper preservation
of the same, the Court Administrator may direct the court clerk to provide suitable
books and transcribe such records into the books provided. At the end of a transcript
of record so made, the clerk shall certify under official signature and the seal of
the court that the same is a true transcript of the original record. Such transcript
or a duly certified copy of the transcript shall be entitled to the same faith and
credit and have the same force as the original record. The expense of making such
transcript shall be paid by the State. (Amended 1967, No. 174, § 8; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 39; 2013, No. 67, § 5; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. July 1, 2022.)
§ 658. Repealed. 2013, No. 67, § 15.
§ 659. Preservation of court records
(a) The Supreme Court by administrative order may provide for permanent preservation of
all court records by any photographic or electronic or comparable process in accordance
with standards that shall be no less protective of the records than the standards
established by the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration programs that
take into account the quality and security of the records and ready access to the
record of any cause so recorded.
(b) After preservation in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, the Supreme
Court by administrative order may provide for the disposition of original court records
by destruction or, in cases where the original court record may have historical or
intrinsic value, by transfer to the archives of the Secretary of State. (Added 1975, No. 241 (Adj. Sess.), eff. April 7, 1976; amended 1995, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(c)(2), eff. May 6, 1996; 2009, No. 91 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 41; 2013, No. 67, § 6.)
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Subchapter 002: DISTRICT COURT
§ 691. Clerks and assistants; appointment; compensation
(a) The Superior Court clerk, with the approval of the Court Administrator, may hire and
remove staff for the Superior Court subject to the terms of any applicable collective
bargaining agreement. The clerks and staff shall be State employees and shall be entitled
to all fringe benefits and compensation accorded classified State employees who are
similarly situated, subject to any applicable statutory limits, unless covered by
a collective bargaining agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions of employment
negotiated pursuant to the provisions of 3 V.S.A. chapter 28.
(b) A staff person for the Superior Court may also serve as the county clerk if the Court
Administrator approves of such service with the concurrence of the assistant judges.
If a Superior Court staff person serves as county clerk pursuant to this subsection,
the Court Administrator and the assistant judges shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding with respect to the duties, work schedule, and compensation of the person
serving.
(c) With respect to counties where the assistant judges have elected to offer passport
processing services, the Court Administrator and the assistant judges shall enter
into a memorandum of understanding providing for the acceptance and processing of
U.S. passport applications. The memorandum may provide for performance of passport
acceptance and processing duties by the court clerk, county clerk, a Superior Court
staff person serving as county clerk pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or
any other court or county employee. (Amended 1967, No. 194, § 12, eff. March 1, 1968; 1969, No. 125, § 11; 1973, No. 106, § 5, eff. May 25, 1973; 1979, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 12; 1997, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2011, No. 1, § 9, eff. Feb. 2, 2011; 2011, No. 1, § 9, eff. Feb. 2, 2011; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 12, eff. July 1, 2022.)
§ 692. Powers of clerk in absence of judge
In the absence of the judge:
(1) the clerk may continue a cause;
(2) the clerk may set conditions of release in noncapital criminal cases prior to trial
as provided by law or by rule promulgated by the Supreme Court. (Amended 1973, No. 118, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1973.)
§§ 693, 694. Repealed. 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238.
§ 695. Repealed. 2013, No. 67, § 15.
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Subchapter 003: COURT RECORDS GENERALLY
§ 731. English language
Writs, processes, complaints, informations, indictments, pleas, answers, and entries
in the courts, except technical terms, shall be in the English language.
§ 732. Lost document or record
When a court document, record, or file in an action pending in court is lost, mislaid,
or destroyed, the court may order a duplicate document, record, or file to be filed
under such conditions as the court prescribes. A duplicate document or record shall
have the same validity and may be used in evidence in the same manner as the original
document, record, or file. (Amended 2013, No. 67, § 7.)
§ 733. Preservation of attachment liens
When real or personal estate is attached on such writ, the plaintiff may procure from
the clerk of the town in which the estate was attached a certified copy of the writ,
complaint and officer’s return thereon, and cause the same to be filed in such court.
The same proceedings shall thereupon be had, and the estate so attached held to respond
to the judgment in the action, as though the original writ, complaint, and return
were in court.
§§ 734-738. Repealed. 2013, No. 67, § 15.
§ 739. Record certified by successor in office
When a recording officer has made a record but has omitted to make an official certificate
thereof, any person subsequently holding the office may make such certificate. Such
certificate shall be as valid as if made by the officer who made the record, but shall
not affect any intervening right.
§ 740. Court records; dockets; certified copies
The Supreme Court by administrative order or directive shall provide for the preparation,
maintenance, recording, indexing, docketing, preservation, and storage of all court
records and the provision, subject to confidentiality requirements of law or court
rules, of certified copies of those records to persons requesting them. (Added 1989, No. 221 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. Oct. 1, 1990; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 43; 2013, No. 67, § 8.)
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Subchapter 004: PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD
§ 741. Payment by credit card
(a) [Repealed.]
(b) If any such card draft is not paid by the bank or other company or is charged back
to the court or bureau, any record of payment made by the court or bureau honoring
the card shall be void. The obligation of the person to pay the court costs, fee,
penalty, surcharge, or fine shall continue as an outstanding obligation as if no payment
had been made.
(c) Card account numbers, while in the possession of the court or bureau, are confidential. (Added 1997, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 66d; amended 1999, No. 58, § 2; 2003, No. 61, § 4.)