Sources checked:
Quick answer. Vermont: no deposit cap in the law read; deposit returned within 14 days; 14-day notice for unpaid rent; 48-hour entry notice; $10,000 small claims limit. 20 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 3 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- No cap in the law read
- Deposit back within
- 14 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 2 years or less: 60 days; More than 2 years: 90 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 14 days
- Entry notice
- 48 hours
- Time to answer or appear
- 21 days
- Judgment to writ
- No wait stated
- Writ to lockout
- 14 days
- Small claims limit
- $10,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: 9 V.S.A. 4461.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No maximum in 4461.
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 14 days from the date the landlord discovers the tenant vacated or abandoned the unit (or from the move-out date the tenant told the landlord), with a written itemized statement. Seasonal, non-primary rentals: 60 days (4461(c)).
Seasonal rental that isn't a primary residence: 60 days
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written statement itemizing any deductions (4461(c)).
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
None in 4461; a municipal ordinance may authorize interest (4461(g)).
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
None in 4461; a municipal ordinance may not limit how a deposit is held (4461(g)).
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Missing the deadline forfeits the right to withhold; willful failure: double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs (4461(e)).
Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. 4461, Security deposits, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Monthly rent, no cause: a termination date at least 60 days after actual notice if the tenant has lived there 2 years or less; 90 days if more than 2 years. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 (9 V.S.A. 4467(c)(1)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Notice at least one rental payment period before the termination date. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 (9 V.S.A. 4456(d)) |
| Rent increase notice | No less than 60 days' actual notice. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 (9 V.S.A. 4455(b)) |
| Unpaid rent notice | A termination date at least 14 days after actual notice. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 (9 V.S.A. 4467(a)) |
| Entry notice | Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on no less than 48 hours' notice. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 (9 V.S.A. 4460(b)) |
| Late fee limits | Chapter 137 contains no late fee limit. | Source: Vermont General Assembly: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (Residential rental agreements), checked November 2026 |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (7 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: A termination date at least 14 days after actual notice.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
Ejectment is brought in the Superior Court.
from the presiding judge of the Superior Court
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
Generally 21 days after the complaint is served to file an answer (Vermont Legal Aid's guide). The 2026 bill on eviction timelines (H.772) had not become an act when checked in November 2026.
Generally, a tenant/defendant must file an Answer within 21 days after the day the Complaint was served.
Source: Vermont Legal Aid / Law Help (secondary source): Vermont Legal Aid / Law Help: Eviction Answer Form, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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Not confirmedHearing after filing
Not confirmed — check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
The writ of possession issues on the day judgment is entered unless the court stays it.
A writ of possession shall issue on the date judgment is entered, unless the court for good cause orders a stay.
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment), checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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ConfirmedWrit to lockout
The sheriff can put the landlord in possession no earlier than 14 days after serving the writ (7 days when the tenant missed a court-ordered rent payment).
not earlier than 14 days after the writ is served, to put the plaintiff into possession.
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The sheriff serves the writ and puts the landlord in possession.
not earlier than 14 days after the writ is served, to put the plaintiff into possession.
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment), checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
In a nonpayment case, paying into court all rent due through the current rental period before the writ is executed ends the case (once in 12 months).
the action shall be discontinued
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer due (if served the day of filing) | Monday, March 22, 2027 |
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$10,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
12 V.S.A. 5531 (amended 2023, No. 46, eff. June 5, 2023): up to $10,000 (excluding slander/libel); claims may not be split. Collection of consumer credit or medical debt over $5,000 is outside small claims jurisdiction. Note: the Judiciary's June 2022 booklet still says $5,000 (pre-2023).
Filing fee to start a case: $65 to $90.
Source: Vermont Judiciary: Suing and Being Sued (Small Claims), checked November 2026
More: Vermont small claims court
Still to confirm
- Filing fee: check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment)
- Hearing after filing: check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment)
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Vermont Statutes, Title 12, Chapter 169 (Ejectment)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Vermont?
No maximum in 4461.
How long does a Vermont landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 14 days from the date the landlord discovers the tenant vacated or abandoned the unit (or from the move-out date the tenant told the landlord), with a written itemized statement. Seasonal, non-primary rentals: 60 days (4461(c)). What goes with it: A written statement itemizing any deductions (4461(c)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Vermont?
From the landlord: Monthly rent, no cause: a termination date at least 60 days after actual notice if the tenant has lived there 2 years or less; 90 days if more than 2 years. From the tenant: Notice at least one rental payment period before the termination date.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Vermont?
A termination date at least 14 days after actual notice.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Vermont?
Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on no less than 48 hours' notice.
How long does an eviction case take in Vermont?
Time to answer or appear: 21 days. Judgment to writ: No wait stated. Writ to lockout: 14 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Vermont deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $10,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords