VermontLandowners must register posted land signs each year
Landowners and people with exclusive hunting rights may post signs restricting hunting, fishing, or trapping, and must register each posting yearly with the town clerk.
What it does
Owners or people with exclusive hunting rights may post signs restricting hunting, fishing, or trapping. They must register each posting yearly with the town clerk, who keeps a $5 fee.
An accidental sign error may not undo a restriction if the signs would lead a reasonable person to believe hunting, fishing, trapping, or taking game or wild animals is prohibited. Owners who know of an error must take reasonable steps to fix the signs.
Argument forContact details on permission-only signs could help hunters, fishers, and trappers learn how to ask before using the property.
Argument againstOwners who know their signs have errors may need to spend time fixing them, even when the signs still warn people away.
More detail
The owner or person posting land must record the posting with the town clerk each year. This applies to land, private ponds, or propagation farms an owner controls, and to land where a person has the exclusive right to take game. The clerk keeps a $5.00 fee for each recording and makes the record open to public inspection. Permission-only signs must give the owner’s name and a way to contact the owner or someone authorized to grant permission. Signs must be placed at each corner and no more than 400 feet apart along the affected boundaries, kept legible, dated each year, and made in the size and design set by the Commissioner. Each recorded posting is valid for 365 days from the recording date. The law took effect upon passage.
An accidental or unintentional sign error may still leave a restriction effective; an owner who knows of an error must take reasonable steps to correct the signs. This applies to land posted and recorded under the section. The signs must lead a reasonable person to believe that hunting, fishing, trapping, or taking game or wild animals is prohibited on the land.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 1House message: Governor approved bill on April 30, 2026Latest
- Apr 30Signed by Governor Phil Scott on April 30, 2026Became Law
- Apr 24Delivered to Governor on April 24, 2026To Governor
- Apr 22Senate Message: Passed in concurrenceMajor
- Apr 21Read 3rd time & passed in concurrencePassed 2nd Chamber
- Apr 21New Business/Third ReadingMinor
- Apr 17Reported favorably by Senator Williams for Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, read 2nd time and 3rd reading orderedMinor
- Apr 17Favorable report by Committee on Natural Resources and EnergyMinor
- Apr 17Second ReadingMinor
- Apr 16Favorable report by Committee on Natural Resources and EnergyMinor
- Apr 16Second ReadingMinor
- Apr 16Entered on Notice Calendar
- Mar 20Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Natural Resources and EnergyMinor
- Mar 18Read third time and passedPassed 1st Chamber
- Mar 18Action Calendar: Third ReadingMinor
- Mar 17Third Reading orderedMinor
- Mar 17Report of Committee on Environment agreed to
- Mar 17Rep. Satcowitz of Randolph reported for the Committee on Environment
- Mar 17Read second timeMinor
- Mar 17Action Calendar: Action postponed until March 17, 2026
- Mar 13Rep. Sheldon of Middlebury moved to postpone action until March 17, 2026, which was agreed to
- Mar 13Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Mar 12Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Jan 20Read first time and referred to the Committee on EnvironmentIntroduced
Environment & Energy