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.
Subchapter
004
:
SHOPLIFTING
(Cite as: 13 V.S.A. § 2573)
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§ 2573. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Retail value” means the merchant’s indicated price of the merchandise at the time
of the theft.
(2) “Merchandise” means any items of tangible personal property displayed, held, stored,
or offered for sale.
(3) “Merchant” means an owner or manager of any retail mercantile establishment, or any
person or persons in a supervisory capacity or security officer authorized in writing
by the owner or manager to make requests or detentions under this subchapter.
(4) “Premises of a retail mercantile establishment” includes the retail mercantile establishment,
any common use areas in shopping centers, and all parking areas set aside by a merchant
or on behalf of a merchant for the parking of vehicles for the convenience of the
patrons of the retail mercantile establishment.
(5) “Reasonable force” means only that minimum amount of force necessary to detain the
person who the merchant has reasonable cause to believe has committed the offense
of retail theft.
(6) “Retail mercantile establishment” means any place where merchandise is displayed or
offered for sale to the public, including storage areas on the premises of such an
establishment. (Added 1977, No. 227 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 17, 1978; 1993, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)