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: 24 V.S.A. § 1973)
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§ 1973. Permissive referendum
(a) An ordinance or rule adopted by a municipality may be disapproved by a vote of a majority
of the qualified voters of the municipality voting on the question at an annual or
special meeting duly warned for the purpose, pursuant to a petition signed and submitted
in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(b) A petition for a vote on the question of disapproving an ordinance or rule shall be
signed by not less than five per cent of the qualified voters of the municipality,
and presented to the legislative body or the clerk of the municipality within 44 days
following the date of adoption of the ordinance or rule by the legislative body.
(c) When a petition is submitted in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the
legislative body shall call a special meeting within 60 days from the date of receipt
of the petition, or include an article in the warning for the next annual meeting
of the municipality if the annual meeting falls within the 60-day period, to determine
whether the voters will disapprove the ordinance or rule.
(d) Not less than two copies of the ordinance or rule shall be posted at each polling
place during the hours of voting, and copies thereof made available to voters at the
polls on request. It shall be sufficient to refer to the ordinance or rule in the
warning by title.
(e) If a petition for an annual or a special meeting is duly submitted in accordance with
this section, to determine whether an ordinance or rule shall be disapproved by the
voters of the municipality, the ordinance or rule shall take effect on the conclusion
of the meeting, or at such later date as is specified in the ordinance or rule, unless
a majority of the qualified voters voting on the question at the meeting vote to disapprove
the ordinance or rule in which event it shall not take effect. (Added 1969, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. March 2, 1970; amended 1971, No. 14, § 12, eff. March 11, 1971.)