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.
(Cite as: 12 V.S.A. § 5754a)
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§ 5754a. Required mediation prior to suit
(a) A person shall not bring a court action based on a claim of nuisance arising from
an agricultural activity unless the person and the operator of the agricultural activity,
at least once, attempt to resolve through mediation the issue or dispute that the
person has concerning operation of the agricultural activity. The mediation shall
be conducted according to the provisions of the Uniform Mediation Act set forth in
chapter 194 of this title.
(b) The parties to the mediation may agree upon the use of a mediator to assist in the
resolution of the agreed-upon issue or dispute, and the parties shall share the cost
of the mediator equally or according to an agreement between the parties. If the parties
to the mediation are unable to resolve the relevant issue or dispute through mediation,
the parties may agree to submit the issue or dispute to binding arbitration pursuant
to chapter 192 of this title and shall share the cost of the arbitration.
(c) A person bringing a court action based on a claim of nuisance arising from an agricultural
activity shall provide the court with a sworn statement of an attempt to resolve the
issue or dispute through mediation. (Added 2025, No. 61, § 1, eff. July 1, 2025.)