Vermont
Vermont Laws on Recording in Public
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 15, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 15, 2026. · 2 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Vermont has no statute restricting recording in public places where no reasonable expectation of privacy exists. The First Amendment protects filming streets, parks, and government proceedings. For audio, federal one-party consent under 18 U.S.C. 2511 applies when you participate in the conversation.
Vermont broadly permits recording in public. No state statute prohibits filming in areas without a reasonable privacy expectation. The First Amendment and Vermont's Open Meeting Law (1 V.S.A. 310-314) provide additional protections.
Public Recording Rights
You can film on streets, sidewalks, parks, government buildings, and at public events. No press credential required. In State v. Brooks, 157 Vt. 490, 601 A.2d 963 (1991), the Vermont Supreme Court held that a person recorded by a concealed device in a public parking lot had no reasonable expectation of privacy under Article 11, because conversations there are open to the eyes and ears of passersby.
Government Meetings
Act 133 (2024) requires public bodies to record meetings and post recordings for at least 30 days. Act 51 (effective June 9, 2025) updated posting deadlines. The public can record selectboard, city council, school board, and legislative meetings.
Audio in Public
Federal one-party consent applies. If you participate in a conversation, you can record. Public conversations at normal volume carry no privacy expectation.
Private Property
Businesses can set recording rules and ask you to leave. Religious venues and entertainment facilities may restrict recording. Footage captured before being asked to stop is generally legal.
Drone Recording
Drone recording in public is generally permitted subject to FAA rules. Do not record private areas with privacy expectations.
More Vermont Recording Laws
Audio Recording | Video Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Phone Call Recording | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record in public in Vermont?
Yes. No statute prohibits public recording. The First Amendment protects this activity.
Can I record a government meeting in Vermont?
Yes. The Open Meeting Law requires public bodies to record meetings and allows public recording.
Can a store tell me to stop recording?
Yes. Businesses are private property. Footage captured before the request is generally legal.
Can I use a drone to record in public?
Yes, subject to FAA rules. Do not record private areas with privacy expectations.
Do I need permission to photograph people in public?
No. Voyeuristic recording under clothing is prohibited (13 V.S.A. 2605), but standard public photography is legal.
Updates
Added the correct reporter citation and a source link for State v. Brooks so readers can verify the case (the auditor's citation search had used a name-only query that missed it; a citation-targeted search confirmed the case is real and directly on point).
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 13: Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Chapter 59: Lewdness and Prostitution, Subchapter: LEWD AND INDECENT CONDUCT
§ 2605VoyeurismIn forcecited in 14 of our articles
(a) As used in this section: (1) “Bona fide private investigator or bona fide security guard” means an individual lawfully providing services, whether licensed or unlicensed, pursuant to 26 V.S.A. §§ 3151 and 3151a. (2) “Female breast” means any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola. (3) “Circumstances in which a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy” means circumstances in which a reasonable person would believe that his or her intimate areas would not be visible to the public, regardless of whether that person is in a public or private area. This definition includes circumstances in which a person knowingly disrobes in front of another, but does not expect nor give consent for the other person to photograph, film, or record his or her intimate areas. (4) “Intimate areas” means the naked or undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast of a person.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislature.vermont.gov
Cited in 6 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2022
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):In State v. DEVOID (2010) the Vermont Supreme Court reversed an attempted voyeurism conviction under section 2605(b)(1), holding the evidence could not show the defendant, on the ground, was able to see the complainant's intimate areas as the statute defines them, so looking at her window was not an overt act.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. DEVOID (Supreme Court of Vermont 2010, 188 Vt. 445)✓A man stared up at a second-floor shower window from the parking lot; a photograph taken inside the bathroom showed the complainant's intimate areas, as the statute defines them, were below the sill, so the court reversed his attempted-voyeurism conviction as unsupported.
- State v. Squiers (Supreme Court of Vermont 2006, 179 Vt. 388)“…r any object into the genital or anal opening of another”); 13 V.S.A. § 2605(a)(4) & (b) (prohibiting the viewing or…”
- State v. Beaudoin (Supreme Court of Vermont 2008, 185 Vt. 164)“…ter 1 includes §§ 2601 and 2602 and a section on voyeurism, 13 V.S.A. § 2605. Section 2601 makes it a felony to enga…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
United States Code Title 18
§ 2511Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibitedIn forcecited in 418 of our articles
Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter any person who— intentionally intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication; intentionally uses, endeavors to use, or procures any other person to use or endeavor to use any electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept any oral communication when— such device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through, a wire, cable, or other like connection used in wire communication; or such device transmits communications by radio, or interferes with the transmission of such communication; or such person knows, or has reason to know, that such device or any component thereof has been sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce; or such use or endeavor to use (A) takes place on the premises of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign commerce; or (B) obtains or is for the purpose of obtaining information relating to the operations of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 2,045 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Griggs-Ryan v. Smith (1990) applied the Section 2511(2)(d) prior-consent exception, treating a tenant repeatedly told that all incoming calls were taped as having impliedly consented. United States v. United States District Court (1972) read the then-current Section 2511(3) as conferring no presidential surveillance power.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Mitchell v. Forsyth (Supreme Court of the United States 1985, 472 U.S. 511)✓The Attorney General authorized a warrantless 1970 national security wiretap that caught the plaintiff's calls; the Court held the since-repealed Section 2511(3) disclaimer left the tap lawful under Title III, and that Mitchell had qualified immunity.
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Supreme Court of the United States 1972, 407 U.S. 297)✓The Attorney General approved warrantless wiretaps on members of a domestic group accused of bombing a CIA office; the Court read Section 2511(3) as a congressional disclaimer conferring no surveillance power, then held the Fourth Amendment required prior judicial approval.
- Forsyth v. Barr (Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 1994, 19 F.3d 1527)✓Dallas police used, in an internal affairs probe of an officer, calls private parties allegedly intercepted illegally; assuming that was unlawful, the Fifth Circuit held Section 2517(1) and (2) allowed the disclosure and use, defeating the Section 2511(1)(c) and (d) claims.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
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Sources and References
- Vermont Open Meeting Law (1 V.S.A. 310-314)(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- 13 V.S.A. 2605 -- Voyeurism(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- 18 U.S.C. 2511 -- Federal Wiretap Act(law.cornell.edu)