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: 20 V.S.A. § 20)
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§ 20. Immunities and defenses
(a) Except in the case of willful misconduct or gross negligence, the State; any of its
agencies; State employees as defined in 3 V.S.A. § 1101; political subdivisions; local emergency planning committees; or an individual, partnership,
association, or corporation involved in emergency management activities shall not
be liable for the death of or any injury to persons or loss or damage to property
resulting from an emergency management service or response activity, including the
development of local emergency plans and the response to those plans. Nothing in this
section shall exclude the State, its agencies, political subdivisions, or employees
from the protections and rights provided in 12 V.S.A. chapter 189.
(b) Any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or facility that provides personnel,
training, or equipment through an agreement with the local emergency planning committee,
the State Emergency Response Commission, or local emergency response officials is
immune from civil liability to the same extent provided in subsection (a) of this
section for any act performed within the scope of the agreement. (Amended 1989, No. 252 (Adj. Sess.), § 17; 2005, No. 209 (Adj. Sess.), § 16; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 372, eff. July 1, 2022.)