Vermont Concealed Carry Permit Basics

Permit Basics

Vermont is the original "constitutional carry" state and has never required a permit or license to carry a concealed firearm, openly or concealed. This longstanding policy is often called "Vermont carry" and served as the model for the permitless carry movement that has since spread to roughly half the states.

Core Facts

• Permit requirement: None. Vermont does not issue concealed carry permits, and no permit is required to carry concealed or openly anywhere a person may lawfully possess a firearm.
• Issuing agency: None. There is no state agency that processes carry permit applications because no such permit exists.
• Permit system type: Vermont is neither a "shall issue" nor a "may issue" state. It has no statutory framework for a concealed carry permit.
• Constitutional basis: Vt. Const. Ch. I, Art. 16 - "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State."
• Leading case: State v. Rosenthal, 75 Vt. 295, 55 A. 610 (1903) - Vermont Supreme Court struck down a Rutland city ordinance requiring permission from the mayor or police chief to carry a pistol, holding that the right to carry openly or concealed for self-defense is protected by Vt. Const. Ch. I, Art. 16.

Who May Carry Without a Permit

Any person who is legally allowed to possess a firearm under federal and Vermont law may carry it. This generally excludes persons who are:

• Prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)), which includes felons, fugitives, unlawful drug users, persons adjudicated as mentally defective or involuntarily committed, illegal aliens, persons dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, persons subject to certain restraining orders, and persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.
• Subject to a final relief-from-abuse order or Extreme Risk Protection Order (13 V.S.A. § 4053) prohibiting possession.
• Under indictment for a crime punishable by more than one year.

Age Limits

• Carry: Vermont sets no minimum age to carry, but a person must be old enough to lawfully possess the firearm under federal and state law.
• Possession of a handgun by a person under 18: Generally prohibited by federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(x)), with limited exceptions for hunting, target practice, and similar supervised use.
• Purchase of a firearm: 13 V.S.A. § 4020 prohibits the sale of a firearm to a person under 21, unless the buyer is a law enforcement officer, an active or veteran member of the National Guard or U.S. Armed Forces, or a person who has completed a Vermont hunter safety course (or an equivalent course approved by another state or Canadian province).

Training and Fees

• Training: None required by state law. Vermont imposes no firearms safety course, qualification, or proficiency test for carry.
• Fees: None. No application, background check, or renewal fee exists at the state level because there is no permit.

Reciprocity Considerations

Because Vermont issues no carry permits, there is no Vermont permit for other states to recognize. This has practical consequences:

• Out-of-state visitors: Any visitor who is legally eligible to possess a firearm may carry concealed in Vermont, regardless of whether their home state issues a permit.
• Vermont residents traveling: Vermont residents who want to carry in states that require a permit must obtain a non-resident permit from a state that issues them (commonly Florida, Utah, Arizona, New Hampshire, or Maine). A non-resident permit from another state generally does not authorize carry inside Vermont under that permit, but no permit is needed inside Vermont anyway.

Restrictions Apply Even Without a Permit

Vermont's permitless framework does not exempt carriers from state and federal restrictions on where and how a firearm may be carried:

• Schools: 13 V.S.A. § 4004 prohibits knowing possession of a firearm or dangerous or deadly weapon in a school building, on a school bus, or on school property (with limited law enforcement and school-sanctioned use exceptions).
• Courthouses: Vermont court security policies restrict firearms in court facilities.
• Federal buildings and property: 18 U.S.C. § 930 restricts firearms in federal facilities.
• Private property: Owners may prohibit firearms on their property.
• Carry with criminal intent: 13 V.S.A. § 4003 makes it a crime to carry a dangerous or deadly weapon with the intent to injure another, regardless of permit status.

Recent Legislation Affecting Carriers

• Act 94 of 2018 (S.55): Did not change Vermont's permitless carry status, but added universal background checks for unlicensed transfers (13 V.S.A. § 4019), a magazine capacity limit (13 V.S.A. § 4021 - 10 rounds long gun, 15 rounds handgun, with pre-April 11, 2018 grandfathering), a 21-year-old minimum age for most firearm purchases (13 V.S.A. § 4020), and a bump-fire stock ban (13 V.S.A. § 4022).
• Act 45 of 2023: Imposed a 72-hour waiting period between background-check initiation and firearm transfer, added a safe-storage statute, and expanded ERPO petitioners to include family and household members. The 72-hour waiting period is under active federal court challenge as of 2025-2026.

Bottom Line

If you are legally allowed to possess a firearm under federal and Vermont law, you may carry it concealed or openly in Vermont without a permit. If you plan to travel to a state that requires a permit, obtain a non-resident permit from another state before you go.