Vermont
Vermont Video Recording Laws
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited November 1, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of November 1, 2026. · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Vermont generally permits video recording in public spaces. The main limits come from the voyeurism statute (13 V.S.A. 2605), which makes it a crime to record someone's intimate areas without consent where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, even in public, to record a person engaged in sexual conduct without consent, and to secretly film anyone in a private area of a home.
Vermont generally allows video recording in public. The state's voyeurism statute (13 V.S.A. 2605) creates limits, mostly in private settings, and the nonconsensual intimate images law (13 V.S.A. 2606) prohibits sharing private images without consent.
This guide covers public filming rights, voyeurism penalties, the Open Meeting Law, and how Vermont case law defines privacy expectations for video.
Public Video Recording
No Vermont statute generally prohibits video recording in public. You can film on streets, sidewalks, parks, government buildings, and at public events. The exception is 13 V.S.A. 2605(c), which makes it a crime to record a person's intimate areas, such as under clothing, without their knowledge and consent, whether the person is in a public or private area. Video-only recording does not implicate federal wiretap law, which focuses on audio interception.
Voyeurism (13 V.S.A. 2605)
Vermont rewrote its voyeurism law effective July 1, 2026 (Act 89 of the 2025 adjourned session). Under the current text, it is a crime to intentionally view (2605(b)) or photograph, film, or record (2605(c)) a person's intimate areas, or a person engaged in sexual conduct, without their knowledge and consent where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Under 2605(d), it is also a crime to secretly surveil or photograph, film, or record any person, clothed or not, without their knowledge and consent while they are in a private place within a home or residence. Under 2605(e), it is a crime to show or share an image recorded in violation of 2605(c).
| Offense (13 V.S.A. 2605(j), effective July 1, 2026) | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|
| First offense, victim 18 or older (subsections (b), (c), (d)) | 2 years, $1,000 fine |
| Second or subsequent offense, victim 18 or older | 3 years, $5,000 fine |
| First offense, victim under 18 | 3 years, $5,000 fine |
| Second or subsequent offense, victim under 18 | 5 years, $10,000 fine |
| Displaying or disclosing to a third party an image recorded in violation of subsection (c) (subsection (e)) | 5 years, $5,000 fine |
Act 89 also lets a victim sue anyone who intentionally shows or shares such an image when that causes the victim harm (2605(k)), with no deadline to file.
Nonconsensual Intimate Images (13 V.S.A. 2606)
| Offense | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|
| Disclosure without consent | 2 years, $2,000 fine |
| Disclosure for profit | 5 years, $10,000 fine |
2024 Deepfake Amendment
Act 161 of 2024 (H.878), signed June 6, 2024, amended 13 V.S.A. 2606 to expressly cover digitized and synthetic intimate images. AI-generated deepfakes that depict an identifiable person in a sexual manner fall within the statute.
Federal TAKE IT DOWN Act
The TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed May 19, 2025, requires online platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery -- including AI-generated deepfakes -- within 48 hours of a victim's request. The platform compliance duty took effect May 19, 2026. The Act also makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of a person without consent, including AI-generated fakes, or to threaten to do so. This operates alongside Vermont's 13 V.S.A. 2606 and provides an additional federal removal remedy.
Open Meeting Law
Vermont Act 133 of 2024 (2023, No. 133 (Adj. Sess.)) requires public bodies to record their own meetings, and Act 51 of 2025 (2025, No. 51, Section 2, effective June 9, 2025) updated the requirements. The current codified text is at 1 V.S.A. 312. State boards and commissions, other than advisory bodies, must record every meeting and post the recording for at least 30 days after the minutes are approved. Local boards such as selectboards and school boards, other than advisory bodies, must record in audio or video and post the recording for 30 days, unless compliance would impose an undue hardship on the town.
The law does not expressly give members of the public a right to make their own recordings. If you plan to record a meeting, check the body's rules first.
Privacy Expectations (Case Law)
Vermont's constitutional privacy cases concern police searches under Article 11, not private filming:
- Public parking lot: State v. Brooks (1991) held police could record a conversation with an informant there without a warrant.
- Hospital emergency treatment area: State v. Rheaume (2005) held a trooper could enter without a warrant.
- Private home: State v. Geraw (2002) held police need a warrant to secretly record an interview in a home.
When a private person may film is set by 13 V.S.A. 2605, which protects any place where a reasonable person would believe they could undress in private, which can include a medical treatment room.
More Vermont Recording Laws
Audio Recording | Video Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Phone Call Recording | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording
Back to Vermont Recording Laws
More Vermont Recording Topics
More Vermont Laws
- Vermont AI Meeting Recording Laws
- Vermont Dashcam Laws
- Vermont Data Privacy Laws
- Vermont Deepfake Laws
- Vermont Employee Monitoring Laws
- Vermont GPS Tracking Laws
- Vermont Police Bodycam Laws
- Vermont Smart Glasses Recording Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to video record someone in Vermont without consent?
In public places you can generally film people without consent, except that recording a person's intimate areas, such as under clothing, without their knowledge and consent is a crime even in public when a reasonable person would believe those areas would not be visible to the public. In a home, 13 V.S.A. 2605(d) makes it a crime to secretly photograph, film, or record any person in a place where they expect privacy without their knowledge and consent, and 2605(c) also bars recording a person engaged in sexual conduct without consent.
What are the penalties for voyeurism in Vermont?
Under 13 V.S.A. 2605(j) as amended effective July 1, 2026: for an adult victim, up to 2 years or a $1,000 fine for a first offense and up to 3 years or $5,000 for a repeat offense. If the victim is under 18, up to 3 years or $5,000 for a first offense and up to 5 years or $10,000 for a repeat offense. Showing or sharing an image recorded in violation of 2605(c) carries up to 5 years or $5,000 (2605(e)).
Does Vermont law cover deepfake videos?
Yes. Act 161 of 2024 amended 13 V.S.A. 2606 to cover digitized and synthetic intimate images including AI-generated deepfakes. The federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed May 19, 2025, also requires platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of a victim's request; that platform duty took effect May 19, 2026.
Can I record a public meeting in Vermont?
Usually, but the law does not expressly say so. Vermont's Open Meeting Law requires most public bodies to record their own meetings and post the recordings, but it does not expressly give attendees a right to record. Check the body's rules before you start.
Is sharing intimate images without consent illegal in Vermont?
Yes. Under 13 V.S.A. 2606, nonconsensual disclosure carries up to 2 years. Disclosure for profit carries up to 5 years. AI-generated deepfakes are expressly covered under the 2024 amendment.
Can I use video as evidence in Vermont court?
Yes. Lawfully recorded video is generally admissible. Authentication, relevance, and chain of custody requirements apply.
Updates
Added the statutory limit that Vermont's intimate-area recording crime applies where a reasonable person would believe those areas are not visible to the public.
We added the 'not visible to the public' condition to the summary of Vermont's intimate-image recording ban and the intent and harm elements of the new civil claim for sharing such images.
We updated the page for Vermont's voyeurism law as rewritten effective July 1, 2026, including the new subsection letters, the higher penalties when the victim is under 18 and the new civil claim. We also corrected statements that public filming is unrestricted and that the Open Meeting Law gives the public a right to record, and explained that the Geraw and Rheaume cases concern police, not private filming.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Corrected the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act's signing date from May 19, 2026 to the actual May 19, 2025 (the 2026 date is the platform compliance deadline, which has now passed), and added a direct citation to the Vermont Open Meeting Law's recording-and-posting statute (1 V.S.A. 312) supporting the Act 133/Act 51 recording-duration claims.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Corrected the voyeurism penalty table: the 5-year/$5,000 tier applies to displaying or disclosing a recorded image to a third party, not to offenses involving minors (the statute has no minors-specific enhancement).
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 13: Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Chapter 59: Lewdness and Prostitution, Subchapter: LEWD AND INDECENT CONDUCT
§ 2605VoyeurismIn forcecited in 15 of our articles
(a) As used in this section: (1) “Bona fide private investigator or bona fide security guard” means an individual lawfully providing services, whether licensed or unlicensed, pursuant to 26 V.S.A. §§ 3151 and 3151a. (2) “Female breast” means any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola. (3) “Circumstances in which a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy” means circumstances in which a reasonable person would believe that his or her intimate areas would not be visible to the public, regardless of whether that person is in a public or private area. This definition includes circumstances in which a person knowingly disrobes in front of another, but does not expect nor give consent for the other person to photograph, film, or record his or her intimate areas. (4) “Intimate areas” means the naked or undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast of a person.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-24 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislature.vermont.gov
Cited in 6 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2022
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):In State v. DEVOID (2010) the Vermont Supreme Court reversed an attempted voyeurism conviction under section 2605(b)(1), holding the evidence could not show the defendant, on the ground, was able to see the complainant's intimate areas as the statute defines them, so looking at her window was not an overt act.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. DEVOID (Supreme Court of Vermont 2010, 188 Vt. 445)✓A man stared up at a second-floor shower window from the parking lot; a photograph taken inside the bathroom showed the complainant's intimate areas, as the statute defines them, were below the sill, so the court reversed his attempted-voyeurism conviction as unsupported.
- State v. Squiers (Supreme Court of Vermont 2006, 179 Vt. 388)“…r any object into the genital or anal opening of another”); 13 V.S.A. § 2605(a)(4) & (b) (prohibiting the viewing or…”
- State v. Beaudoin (Supreme Court of Vermont 2008, 185 Vt. 164)“…ter 1 includes §§ 2601 and 2602 and a section on voyeurism, 13 V.S.A. § 2605. Section 2601 makes it a felony to enga…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Vermont Smart Glasses Recording Laws 2025, Vermont Recording Laws (2026): No Wiretap Statute, One-Party Default, Vermont Medical Recording Laws
§ 2606Disclosure of sexually explicit images without consentIn forcecited in 10 of our articles
(a) As used in this section: (1) “Disclose” includes transfer, publish, distribute, exhibit, or reproduce. (2) “Harm” means physical injury, financial injury, or serious emotional distress. (3) “Nude” means any one or more of the following uncovered parts of the human body: (A) genitals; (B) pubic area; (C) anus; or (D) post-pubescent female nipple. (4) “Sexual conduct” shall have the same meaning as in section 2821 of this title. (5) “Visual image” includes a photograph, film, videotape, recording, or digital reproduction, including an image created or altered by digitization. (6) “Digitization” means the process of altering an image in a realistic manner utilizing an image or images of a person, including images other than the person depicted, or computer-generated images. (b)(1) A person violates this section if the person knowingly discloses a visual image of an identifiable person who is nude or who is engaged in sexual conduct, without the person’s consent, with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the person depicted, and the disclosure would cause a reasonable person to suffer harm.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-30 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislature.vermont.gov
Cited in 3 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2024
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. Rebekah S. VanBuren (Supreme Court of Vermont 2019, 2018 VT 95)“…s statute banning disclosure of nonconsensual pornography. 13 V.S.A. § 2606. We conclude that the statute is const…”
- Ava Morton v. Mayah Young (Supreme Court of Vermont 2023, 298 A.3d 230)“…ute criminalizing disclosure of nonconsensual pornography, 13 V.S.A. § 2606, did not violate the First Amendment. I…”
- corriveau v. windham (Vermont Superior Court 2024)“…ithout saying that an injunction is an equitable remedy.”); 13 V.S.A. § 2606(e)(2) (explicitly listing “a preliminar…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Vermont Voyeurism Laws, Vermont AI Laws and Regulation (2026), Vermont Deepfake Laws: AI Images, Voice Cloning & Penalties (2026)
Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 1: General Provisions, Chapter 5: Common Law; General Rights, Subchapter: PUBLIC INFORMATION
§ 312Right to attend meetings of public bodiesIn force
(a)(1) All meetings of a public body are declared to be open to the public at all times, except as provided in section 313 of this title. No resolution, rule, regulation, appointment, or formal action shall be considered binding except as taken or made at such open meeting, except as provided under subdivision 313(a)(2) of this title. A meeting of a public body is subject to the public accommodation requirements of 9 V.S.A. chapter 139. A public body shall electronically record all public hearings held to provide a forum for public comment on a proposed rule, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 840. The public shall have access to copies of such electronic recordings as described in section 316 of this title. (2) Participation in meetings through electronic or other means. (A) As long as the requirements of this subchapter are met, one or more of the members of a public body may attend a regular, special, or emergency meeting by electronic or other means without being physically present at a designated meeting location.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislature.vermont.gov
Cited in 33 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2025
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Town of Brattleboro v. Garfield (Supreme Court of Vermont 2006, 180 Vt. 90)“…the public at all times,” except when in executive session, 1 V.S.A. § 312(a), and by requiring that the public be…”
- In re Petition of Acorn Energy Solar 2, LLC (Therese Holmes and Timothy Holmes, Appellants) (Supreme Court of Vermont 2021, 251 A.3d 899)“…2006 VT 56, ¶ 16, 180 Vt. 190, 904 A.2d 1157 (first quoting 1 V.S.A. § 312(a); then quoting id. § 312(h)); see als…”
- Jeffrey Severson v. City of Burlington & Burlington Conservation Board (Supreme Court of Vermont 2019, 2019 VT 41)“…a member of a public body has a cognizable interest under 1 V.S.A. §§ 312 and 314 to have the public body’s meet…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
United States Code Title 18
§ 2511Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibitedIn forcecited in 441 of our articles
Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter any person who— intentionally intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication; intentionally uses, endeavors to use, or procures any other person to use or endeavor to use any electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept any oral communication when— such device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through, a wire, cable, or other like connection used in wire communication; or such device transmits communications by radio, or interferes with the transmission of such communication; or such person knows, or has reason to know, that such device or any component thereof has been sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce; or such use or endeavor to use (A) takes place on the premises of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign commerce; or (B) obtains or is for the purpose of obtaining information relating to the operations of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-17 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 2,045 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Griggs-Ryan v. Smith (1990) applied the Section 2511(2)(d) prior-consent exception, treating a tenant repeatedly told that all incoming calls were taped as having impliedly consented. United States v. United States District Court (1972) read the then-current Section 2511(3) as conferring no presidential surveillance power.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Mitchell v. Forsyth (Supreme Court of the United States 1985, 472 U.S. 511)✓The Attorney General authorized a warrantless 1970 national security wiretap that caught the plaintiff's calls; the Court held the since-repealed Section 2511(3) disclaimer left the tap lawful under Title III, and that Mitchell had qualified immunity.
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Supreme Court of the United States 1972, 407 U.S. 297)✓The Attorney General approved warrantless wiretaps on members of a domestic group accused of bombing a CIA office; the Court read Section 2511(3) as a congressional disclaimer conferring no surveillance power, then held the Fourth Amendment required prior judicial approval.
- Forsyth v. Barr (Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 1994, 19 F.3d 1527)✓Dallas police used, in an internal affairs probe of an officer, calls private parties allegedly intercepted illegally; assuming that was unlawful, the Fifth Circuit held Section 2517(1) and (2) allowed the disclosure and use, defeating the Section 2511(1)(c) and (d) claims.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Can an Employer Record Conversations Without Consent? (2026), Can I Record My Boss Harassing Me? State-by-State Legal Guide (2026), Can I Sue Someone for Recording Me on Private or Public Property?
Sources and References
- 13 V.S.A. 2605 -- Voyeurism(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- 13 V.S.A. 2606 -- Nonconsensual Disclosure of Intimate Images(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- Act 161 of 2024 (H.878) -- Deepfake Amendment(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- Vermont Open Meeting Law (1 V.S.A. 310-314)(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
- 18 U.S.C. 2511 -- Federal Wiretap Act(law.cornell.edu)