Is an Arkansas Resident Permit Valid in Vermont?
Short answer: no permit is needed in Vermont. Permitless carry applies to eligible residents and visitors, so carrying there does not depend on your Arkansas resident permit. Vermont's carry rules control once you arrive.
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 (Arkansas)
- Permit
- Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL)
- Issued by
- Arkansas State Police
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
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
Vermont's rules control while you're there. These are the ones travelers trip over most.
- 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)
Arkansas vs Vermont: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Arkansas into Vermont changes 3 rules: permitless carry (Yes (18+) → Yes); duty to inform police (Yes → No); magazine limit (None → 15 rounds).
| Rule | Arkansas | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | Yes (18+) | Yes |
| Duty to inform police | Yes | No |
| Magazine limit | None | 15 rounds |
| Out-of-state permits honored | All states | All states |
| Open carry | Yes, no permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Vermont resident permit in Arkansas: no such permit issued.
Driving on from Vermont
How an Arkansas resident permit fares in the states bordering Vermont:
- Massachusetts — Not recognized
- New Hampshire — Recognized — and permitless carry applies
- New York — Not recognized
Frequently asked questions
- Does Vermont honor an Arkansas non-resident permit?
- Arkansas does not issue non-resident carry permits (Requires Arkansas residency for 90+ continuous days (§ 5-73-309(2)); exception — active-duty US Armed Forces members and their spouses are exempt from the residency requirement), so the question does not arise.
- Can a Vermont resident permit holder carry in Arkansas?
- Vermont does not issue resident carry permits, so there is no such permit to carry in Arkansas.
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
- Arkansas State Police — Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing (recognition of all states since 2013) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing Code §§ 5-73-301–329 (eligibility, § 5-73-321 recognition, § 5-73-315) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Weapons Possession and Use Code §§ 5-73-101–133 (Aug 1, 2025; § 5-73-120 permitless carry, § 5-73-119) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Locations Where Possession of a Handgun is Prohibited (July 31, 2023) — accessed 2026-08-08
- ASP — Code of Arkansas Rules, CHCL (July 8, 2025; notification duty on ID request) — accessed 2026-08-08