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
002
:
EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDERS
(Cite as: 13 V.S.A. § 4057)
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§ 4057. Procedure
(a) Except as otherwise specified, proceedings commenced under this subchapter shall be
in accordance with the Vermont Rules for Family Proceedings and shall be in addition
to any other available civil or criminal remedies.
(b) The Court Administrator shall establish procedures to ensure access to relief after
regular court hours or on weekends and holidays. The Court Administrator is authorized
to contract with public or private agencies to assist petitioners to seek relief and
to gain access to Superior Courts. Law enforcement agencies shall assist in carrying
out the intent of this section.
(c) The Court Administrator shall ensure that the Superior Court has procedures in place
so that the contents of orders and pendency of other proceedings can be known to all
courts for cases in which an extreme risk protection order proceeding is related to
a criminal proceeding.
(d)(1) For purposes of a petition filed pursuant to this subchapter, a health care provider
may notify a law enforcement officer when the provider believes in good faith that
disclosure of the information is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent
threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
(2) As used in this subsection:
(A) “Health care provider” has the same meaning as in 18 V.S.A. § 9402.
(B) “Necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety
of a person or the public” includes circumstances when the health care provider reasonably
believes that the patient poses an extreme risk of causing harm to themselves or another
person by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a dangerous weapon or by having a dangerous
weapon within the patient’s custody or control. (Added 2017, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 11, 2018; amended 2021, No. 87 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2022.)