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.
No Vermont permit exists to be honored elsewhere
Vermont issues no carry permits, so every destination below reads "No such permit issued". Vermont residents who travel usually carry another state's non-resident permit; the non-resident permit guide compares them.
* a load-bearing fact could not be fully verified — confirm with the official source before carrying.
Whose permits Vermont honors
No permit is needed in Vermont, so out-of-state permits are not checked there.
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