By State › Vermont
Vermont: Laws & Legal Considerations
Download all of Vermont as PDF PrintRainwater harvesting: legal outdoors, with a specific labeling requirement
Vermont permits rainwater harvesting for outdoor use without a permit, under standards adopted from the 2018 International Plumbing Code.
| Rule | Vermont |
|---|---|
| Source water | Rooftop or other catchment |
| Permit required for rain barrels/aboveground cisterns | No, for outdoor use |
| Governing code | 2018 International Plumbing Code, §1303 |
| Labeling requirement | Any conveyance piping must be marked 'CAUTION: NONPOTABLE WATER - DO NOT DRINK' |
| Large withdrawals | Require a permit from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, even on your own property |
Where to find it: the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (anr.vermont.gov).
Water rights: riparian reasonable-use
Vermont follows riparian doctrine: landowners whose property touches a natural body of water may make reasonable use of it, with reasonableness the only real limit on that right.
| Concept | How it works in Vermont |
|---|---|
| Basic rule | A riparian landowner may make reasonable use of adjacent water, limited only by the reasonableness standard |
| Projects affecting water resources | May require approval from the riparian landowner or the Agency of Natural Resources, depending on the project |
Where to find it: the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources administers water-related permitting.
Permitless carry since 1777, the original constitutional carry state
Vermont has never required a permit to carry a concealed handgun, at any point in its history, a distinction no other state covered on this site can claim.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard | Permitless carry, open or concealed, for residents and non-residents alike who can legally possess a firearm |
| Constitutional basis | Article 16 of the Vermont Constitution, adopted in 1777, predating the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment |
| Permits issued | None; Vermont has never operated a carry-permit system to opt into |
Not just an early adopter, the original
Every other permitless-carry state covered on this site adopted the standard within the last few decades, most since 2010. Vermont never had a permit requirement to repeal in the first place, making it structurally different from a state that switched to permitless carry rather than one that simply never left it.
Sources
- Vermont rainwater harvesting rules: Primal Survivor
- Vermont riparian water law: LegalFix
- Vermont’s 1777 constitutional carry provision: FirearmSelect