State profile · VT
Vermont Concealed Carry Laws & Reciprocity
Vermont issues no concealed-carry permits to anyone. Carry there is permitless for any person who may legally possess a firearm, resident or visitor, so an out-of-state permit is not needed in Vermont. The catch runs the other way: with no home-state permit to show, Vermont residents rely on permitless-carry states, or on another state's non-resident permit, when they travel.
Where a Vermont permit is honored, state by state
Click any destination for the full rules — duty to inform, magazine limits, off-limits places, and official sources.
* a load-bearing fact could not be fully verified — confirm with the official source before carrying.
Whose permits Vermont honors
Vermont recognizes valid concealed-carry permits from every US state and DC.
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.
Vermont at a glance
- Permit
- None — Vermont issues no carry permits
- Issued by
- None — Vermont has no permit system
- Issue policy
- No permits issued
- Resident minimum age
- No permit issued
- Non-resident permits
- Not issued
- Permitless carry
- Yes
- Duty to inform
- No
- Magazine limit
- 15 rounds
Can you carry in Vermont without a permit?
Vermont allows permitless concealed carry for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
Vermont has never required or issued a permit to carry openly or concealed; 13 V.S.A. ch. 85 contains no licensing provision. Carry is legal for any person who may lawfully possess a firearm, regardless of residency. No statutory minimum carry age is stated on an official page (federal minimums apply); minimum age left blank rather than guessed.
Is Vermont an open carry state?
Yes. Vermont allows open carry of a handgun without a permit for people who may legally possess one.
Vermont has no carry permit system; anyone who may legally have a handgun can carry it openly or concealed. Schools, courthouses and hospital buildings are still off-limits.
Does Vermont issue non-resident permits?
No. Vermont does not issue carry permits to non-residents. Vermont issues no carry permits to anyone, resident or non-resident — there is no permit system at all. Vermont residents who need a permit recognized elsewhere must obtain a non-resident permit from another state that issues them.
Do you have to tell police you are carrying in Vermont?
No duty-to-inform statute exists; Vermont has no carry-permit system and no statutory requirement to disclose carrying to police.
Carrying in a vehicle in Vermont
No permit needed — a loaded handgun may be carried openly or concealed in a vehicle by anyone who may lawfully possess it.
Where you can't carry in Vermont
- School buildings, school buses and school property (13 V.S.A. § 4004)
- Courthouses (13 V.S.A. § 4016)
- Hospital buildings (13 V.S.A. § 4023)
- Federal property where firearms are prohibited by federal law
Editor's verification notes
Historic no-issue state: Vermont has NEVER issued carry permits ('Vermont carry'), so there is no reciprocity page and no official reciprocity page is linked. Consequence for residents: a Vermont resident has no home-state permit and therefore cannot carry in list/all-honoring states unless that state is itself permitless for visitors or the resident obtains another state's NON-RESIDENT permit. Magazine limit (13 V.S.A. § 4021): more than 15 rounds for a handgun, more than 10 for a long gun prohibited; devices lawfully possessed before the 2018 effective date are grandfathered; magazine limit set to the 15-round handgun figure. Verification caveat: all Vermont executive-branch sites (DPS, VSP, AGO) and direct loads of legislature.vermont.gov rejected automated access on 2026-08-08; statute texts above were verified via search-index excerpts of the exact official legislature.vermont.gov URLs cited.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Vermont issue concealed carry permits?
- No. Vermont has no carry-permit system. Carry is permitless for anyone who may legally possess a firearm, so there is no Vermont permit for other states to honor.
- Does Vermont recognize out-of-state carry permits?
- 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.
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