Is a Massachusetts Non-Resident Permit Valid in Vermont?
Vermont does not ask for a permit at all: no permit is needed in Vermont for eligible adults, residents or visitors. Your Massachusetts non-resident permit is not required there, but Vermont's carry rules still apply.
Why
- No permit is needed in Vermont, so out-of-state permits are not checked there.
- Vermont allows permitless carry, which extends to visitors who may legally possess a handgun.
No permit is required or checked — out-of-state permits (resident or non-resident) are irrelevant. Anyone who may lawfully possess a firearm may carry concealed in Vermont.
The permit (Massachusetts)
- Permit
- License to Carry Firearms (LTC)
- Issued by
- Local police department licensing authority (residents); Firearms Records Bureau as designee of the Colonel of the State Police (non-residents)
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
- Issued to non-residents?
- Yes — Non-Resident Temporary LTC issued by the Firearms Records Bureau; valid 1 year, renewed annually by mail with in-person appearance required once every six years; MA Basic Firearms Safety Course certificate required.
The destination (Vermont)
- Recognition policy
- Honors permits from all states
- Permitless carry
- Yes
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- 15 rounds
Carry rules in Vermont
Crossing into Vermont swaps the rulebook. Here is what changes for a visiting carrier.
- No duty-to-inform statute exists; Vermont has no carry-permit system and no statutory requirement to disclose carrying to police.
- Vermont limits magazine capacity to 15 rounds — a limit that applies to visitors, and one of the easiest laws to break by accident.
- Vermont allows permitless concealed carry for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
- No permit needed — a loaded handgun may be carried openly or concealed in a vehicle by anyone who may lawfully possess it.
Off-limits places in Vermont
Vermont bans carry in 4 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- School buildings, school buses and school property (13 V.S.A. § 4004)
- Courthouses (13 V.S.A. § 4016)
Massachusetts vs Vermont: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Massachusetts into Vermont changes 4 rules: permitless carry (No → Yes); magazine limit (10 rounds → 15 rounds); out-of-state permits honored (None → All states); open carry (With a permit → Yes, no permit).
| Rule | Massachusetts | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | No | Yes |
| Duty to inform police | No | No |
| Magazine limit | 10 rounds | 15 rounds |
| Out-of-state permits honored | None | All states |
| Open carry | With a permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Vermont non-resident permit in Massachusetts: no such permit issued.
Driving on from Vermont
How a Massachusetts non-resident permit fares in the states bordering Vermont:
- New Hampshire — Recognized — and permitless carry applies
- New York — Not recognized
Frequently asked questions
- Does Vermont honor a Massachusetts resident permit?
- Recognized — and permitless carry applies. The answer is the same as for the non-resident permit on this page.
- Can a Vermont non-resident permit holder carry in Massachusetts?
- Vermont does not issue non-resident carry permits, so there is no such permit to carry in Massachusetts.
Official sources
- Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 4021 (large capacity ammunition feeding devices) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 4004 (weapons in schools) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 4016 (weapons in court) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Vermont Statutes Online — Title 13 chapter 85 (weapons; no licensing provision exists) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 4003 (carrying dangerous weapons) (via Wayback 2026-08-11) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 4008 (possession of firearms by children) (via Wayback 2025-11-14) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Mass.gov — Firearms License and Transaction FAQs (no reciprocity; large-capacity feeding devices; issuing authorities) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MGL c.140 §131G — repealed by Ch. 135 of 2024, Sec. 64 (Mass. Legislature) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Acts of 2024, Chapter 135 (An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws) — Sec. 124 prohibited areas — accessed 2026-08-08
- Mass.gov — Apply for or renew a firearms license (fees, where to apply) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.140 §131 — License to carry firearms (age, term) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.140 §131P — Basic firearms safety certificate (live firearms training) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.269 §10 — Carrying a firearm without a license — accessed 2026-09-27