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
003
:
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION; LAW ENFORCEMENT NOTIFICATION
(Cite as: 13 V.S.A. § 5416)
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§ 5416. Persons subject to erroneous Sex Offender Registry requirements; petition to correct
(a) A person may petition the court for an order declaring that the person has been inadvertently
subject to erroneous Sex Offender Registry requirements and directing the Department
of Public Safety to correct the error. The petitioner shall provide notice of the
petition to the State’s Attorney or the Attorney General, who shall be the respondent
in the matter.
(b) A petition filed under this section shall include:
(1) the court’s order issued under subdivision 5403(b)(2) of this title to comply with Sex Offender Registry requirements, if available; and
(2) the factual basis for the petitioner’s allegation that he or she was subject to an
erroneous Sex Offender Registry requirement.
(c) The court shall grant a petition filed under this section if it finds that the petitioner
has demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she was by court order
subject to an erroneous Sex Offender Registry requirement. As used in this subsection,
“erroneous Sex Offender Registry requirement” includes the person’s name being erroneously
placed on the Sex Offender Registry or the Internet Sex Offender Registry, or the
person being erroneously subject to lifetime registration under subsection 5407(f) of this title.
(d) If a petition filed under this section is granted, the court shall enter an order
declaring that the person had been inadvertently subject to erroneous Sex Offender
Registry requirements. The court shall provide the order to the Department of Public
Safety and direct the Department to take any action necessary to correct the error,
including, if appropriate, removing the person’s name from the Sex Offender Registry
and the Internet Sex Offender Registry.
(e)(1) If the court denies a petition filed under this section, no further petition shall
be filed by the person with respect to the alleged error.
(2) This subsection shall not apply if the petition is based on:
(A) newly discovered evidence;
(B) an expungement order issued under chapter 230 of this title;
(C) a successful petition under chapter 182 of this title (innocence protection); or
(D) a successful petition for postconviction relief. (Added 2015, No. 31, § 5.)