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Vermont AI Laws: What's Enacted and What's Next (2027)

Independently fact-checkedBy Recording Law Editorial TeamReviewed November 5, 202613 min read

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited November 5, 2026). · 10 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

Vermont AI Laws: What's Enacted and What's Next (2027)

As of November 2026, Vermont has not enacted a comprehensive AI law. Its targeted AI laws include Act 156 (H.816) on AI in mental health services, Act 75 (S.23) on election synthetic media, Act 101 (H.814) on neurological rights and AI study, and 2021 Act 132, which created a state Division of Artificial Intelligence and an AI Advisory Council.

Act 138 (H.211), on data brokers and personal information, adds a generative AI developer disclosure scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027. For other states, see our AI laws by state guide.

Act 156 (H.816): AI in Mental Health Services, 18 V.S.A. 7115

Act 156 was signed June 17, 2026 and took effect on passage. Its stated purpose includes "ensuring that these services are delivered by mental health professionals and not independently by artificial intelligence systems."

As of November 4, 2026, Vermont has no comprehensive AI law. Act 156 and Act 75 are in force, and the Act 138 generative AI disclosure for data brokers is scheduled for January 1, 2027.
Act 138 Sec. 1 is scheduled, not in force. It adds a data broker disclosure on January 1, 2027 and does not regulate AI developers.

Under 18 V.S.A. 7115(b), "A corporation or entity shall not provide, advertise, or otherwise offer mental health services, including through the use of artificial intelligence, to the public unless the mental health services are: (1) provided by a mental health professional; or (2) part of an approved institutional review board or privacy board study."

Section 7115(d) preserves use of HIPAA-compliant AI tools by a mental health professional working within the professional's scope of practice, "provided that the mental health professional reviews and approves any mental health services." It also covers software-based medical products authorized, cleared or approved by the FDA, if a mental health professional prescribes or recommends the product.

Enforcement has two tracks. A violation by a corporation or entity is deemed a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 9 V.S.A. chapter 63, and "The Attorney General has the same authority, and private parties have the same rights and remedies, as provided under 9 V.S.A. chapter 63, subchapter 1." For professionals, the act adds "prohibited use of artificial intelligence" to the unprofessional conduct provisions at 3 V.S.A. 129a(a)(30) and 26 V.S.A. 1354(a)(3).

Vermont stethoscope and tablet illustrating AI use in healthcare settings

Act 101 (H.814): Neurological Rights and AI in Health Care

Act 101 was signed May 18, 2026 and took effect on passage. It adds 18 V.S.A. chapter 42C, which at section 1891 says each individual has rights including "mental and neural data privacy" and "the freedom of thought."

The act is a rights and study law. Its AI part directs the AI Advisory Council to report by January 15, 2027 on topics including neurological rights, generative AI use by regulated professions, and "regulating the use of artificial and augmented intelligence in health insurance utilization review processes." It contains no insurer restrictions.

Vermont AI Advisory Council and Division of AI (2021 Act 132)

2021 No. 132 (Adj. Sess.), effective July 1, 2022, created the Division of Artificial Intelligence and the AI Advisory Council, codified at 3 V.S.A. 5022 and 5023. The Council has an advisory role.

Act 101 section 3 amended the repeal clause of 3 V.S.A. 5023, moving the date from June 30, 2027 to June 30, 2030. Act 101 also asks the Council to identify "any reasons for further delaying or removing the new 2030 sunset" of the Council.

Act 75 (S.23): Synthetic Media in Vermont Elections

Act 75 was signed March 5, 2026 and took effect on passage. It says a person "shall not, within 90 days before an election in Vermont, publish, communicate, or otherwise distribute synthetic media that the person knows is deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media unless the person includes a disclosure" in the media.

The disclosure must state, "This media has been manipulated or generated by digital technology and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur."

The statute defines deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media by what appears to a reasonable person to be a realistic representation that injures a candidate's reputation or attempts to unduly influence an election through materially false information.

These fines apply to a person that knowingly and intentionally violates the law.

ViolationMaximum fine
Base offense$1,000
With intent to cause violence or bodily harm$5,000
Within five years after one or more prior violations$10,000
Both$15,000

A candidate misrepresented by such media may seek injunctive or other equitable relief. The Attorney General or a State's Attorney may bring an enforcement action and has civil investigative authority.

Exceptions, each with its own conditions, cover certain broadcast news coverage, paid broadcasters, candidate ads federal law requires a station to carry, news publications that state the media is not accurate, satire and parody, and telecommunications and interactive computer service providers for content provided by another person.

This section describes Act 75 as enacted. A later 2026 election law, S.298, signed June 8, 2026, is titled as an act on voter protections. The Commons' partial list of 2026 laws numbers it Act 126 and says it has provisions on election interference. That list and Ballotpedia's summary do not mention synthetic media, but neither says it covers every provision. We did not read the act, so we cannot say whether it changed Act 75. More is on our Vermont deepfake laws page.

A hand drops a blank folded sheet into a plain grey ballot box in front of a green booth curtain

Nonconsensual Deepfake Images (13 V.S.A. 2606)

2023 No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), effective June 6, 2024, extended 13 V.S.A. 2606 to images "created or altered by digitization." The copy of the statute we read, retrieved August 1, 2026, carries up to 2 years, a fine of up to $2,000, or both, or up to 5 years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, with intent to disclose the image for financial profit.

A later act, 2025 No. 89 (Adj. Sess.) (H.626), signed April 28, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, also amended this section. Vermont Public reported that it extends the time limit to prosecute non-consensual disclosure of sexually explicit images from three years to 40, and that it raises penalties for voyeurism when the victim is under 18. We did not read that act, so check the current section before relying on these figures.

Act 138 (H.211): Data Brokers and Generative AI Developers

Act 138 was signed June 16, 2026. Secs. 1 and 4 "shall take effect on January 1, 2027." Secs. 2 and 3, which do not mention AI, took effect July 1, 2026. Under Sec. 1, a data broker's registration must state whether, in the past year, it has shared consumers' data with or sold consumers' data to "a developer of a GenAI system or model."

On AI, this is a disclosure rule for data brokers. That provision does not regulate AI developers.

Insurance, Attorney General and Other Regulators

Insurance. The NAIC's status list, dated November 3, 2026, shows Vermont adopting its model bulletin on insurers' use of AI as Insurance Bulletin No. 229 on March 12, 2024. An insurance bulletin is a regulator's statement of expectations under existing law, not a new law.

Attorney General. Attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia announced separate suits against OpenAI on October 14, 2026. Official releases from several of those states also name Kansas. Vermont is not among the states those releases name. We found no enforcement action or court challenge under Vermont's AI statutes, based on web searches, not a docket search.

AI Note-Takers and Recording in Vermont

For how Vermont recording rules apply to AI meeting tools, see our Vermont AI meeting recording laws page.

How Federal AI Policy Affects Vermont

As of November 4, 2026, we found no federal statute in the public laws of the 119th Congress that sets general rules for private AI systems or generally preempts state AI laws. In December 2025, Executive Order 14365 directed federal agencies to challenge or discourage state AI laws the administration views as conflicting with national policy, and called for a federal framework from Congress. The order itself does not declare any state law invalid.

The Justice Department formed an AI Litigation Task Force in January 2026, the White House issued legislative recommendations in March 2026, and the FTC proposed a policy statement in July 2026. Separately, in April 2026 the Justice Department intervened in a lawsuit against Colorado's AI law under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We did not find a published Commerce evaluation of state laws in the Federal Register or on ntia.gov, or a BEAD notice carrying the order's AI condition on NTIA's sites. Our state AI law preemption page tracks this.

Vermont AI Bills That Did Not Advance (2025-2026)

These bills had not left committee when the Legislature's status pages were last read for this page, on November 4, 2026. Each showed first reading and referral, and H.340 also showed one committee meeting. The Governor's 2026 list of bill actions shows none of them as signed or vetoed.

BillSubjectReferral shown
H.341High-risk AI safety standardsHouse Commerce, February 25, 2025
H.262Automated decision systems in employmentHouse General and Housing, February 19, 2025
H.340Automated decision systemsHouse Commerce, February 25, 2025; one committee meeting April 1, 2025
H.644AI in mental health servicesHouse Health Care, January 13, 2026

Vermont legal code book representing high-risk AI safety standards

What Changes in Vermont AI Law in 2027

As of November 4, 2026, these are the AI-related dates we found for 2027 and after:

  • January 1, 2027: Act 138 Secs. 1 and 4 are scheduled to take effect, adding the generative AI developer disclosure for data brokers.
  • January 15, 2027: The AI Advisory Council's reports are due under Act 101 section 4 and Act 156 section 6.
  • June 30, 2030: 3 V.S.A. 5023, the Council's statute, is repealed unless the Legislature changes the date.

The 2025-2026 biennium's bills above would likely need reintroduction, but we did not confirm that from a primary source.

Our review covered the enacted text of Acts 75, 101, 138 and 156, the bill status pages named here as last read, the Governor's bill-action lists and web searches. It was not a full-text search of every Vermont act, so a provision inside a broader act could be missed. We did not verify whether Vermont has enacted a law on AI in employment or on frontier models.

This page is general legal information about Vermont law as of November 4, 2026, not legal advice. Whether a law applies to a particular person or business depends on the facts, so consult a lawyer licensed in Vermont for advice about your situation.

More Vermont Laws

Explore other Vermont law topics on Recording Law:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Vermont have an AI law?

Vermont has no comprehensive AI law as of November 2026, but it has targeted ones: Act 156 on AI in mental health services, Act 75 on election synthetic media, Act 101 on neurological rights and AI study, Act 132 creating a state AI division and council, and Act 138 on data brokers, with its generative AI disclosure scheduled for January 1, 2027.

Can an AI chatbot provide therapy in Vermont?

Under 18 V.S.A. 7115, a corporation or entity may not provide, advertise or offer mental health services to the public, including through AI, unless a mental health professional provides them or they are part of an approved institutional review board or privacy board study. A professional acting within the professional's scope of practice may use HIPAA-compliant AI tools if the professional reviews and approves the services.

What are the penalties for AI deepfakes in Vermont elections?

Under Act 75, a knowing and intentional violation carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to $5,000 with intent to cause violence or bodily harm, up to $10,000 within five years after a prior violation, and up to $15,000 for both. A misrepresented candidate may also seek injunctive or other equitable relief.

Is deepfake pornography illegal in Vermont?

13 V.S.A. 2606 covers images created or altered by digitization, on that statute's elements. The copy we read, retrieved August 1, 2026, carries up to 2 years, a fine of up to $2,000, or both, or up to 5 years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, with intent to disclose the image for financial profit. We did not read a later amendment, 2025 No. 89 (Adj. Sess.), effective July 1, 2026.

When does the Vermont AI Advisory Council end?

3 V.S.A. 5023 is set to be repealed on June 30, 2030. Act 101 moved the date from 2027 to 2030.

Does Vermont regulate AI in hiring?

We found no enacted Vermont law on it, but this was not a full-text search of every act, so we did not verify the point. H.262 and H.340 on automated decision systems had not left committee as of the last status read on November 4, 2026.

Does Vermont regulate AI used by insurers?

Vermont adopted the NAIC model bulletin as Insurance Bulletin No. 229 on March 12, 2024, according to the NAIC's list dated November 3, 2026. That is a statement of expectations under existing law. Act 101 asks the Council to report on AI in health insurance utilization review by January 15, 2027, and contains no insurer restrictions.

Will Vermont AI law change in 2027?

Act 138's data broker disclosure is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, and the AI Advisory Council's reports are due January 15, 2027.

Updates

Clarified that we cannot say whether S.298 changed Act 75.

Added the Governor's signing dates and reported details for H.626 and S.298.

Corrected the AI Advisory Council's repeal date to June 30, 2030, the Act 75 fines and disclosure wording, and the description of Act 156, and added Act 138 and the insurance bulletin.

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Corrected the automated decision systems inventory citation to 3 V.S.A. Section 3305, disclosed that the AI Advisory Council is repealed by statute on June 30, 2027, and corrected the Council's role to advisory only.

Corrected the Vermont page's healthcare AI section: H.814 was signed into law as Act 101 on May 18, 2026, but the page described it only as a pending proposal and, based on the enacted text, corrected the specific provisions credited to it (the enacted law establishes neurological rights and directs a further study; the health-insurer AI-restriction and care-setting disclosure requirements described on the page were not part of the version that passed).

Sources and References

  1. Act 156 (H.816) as enacted, 18 V.S.A. 7115(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  2. Act 75 (S.23) as enacted(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  3. Act 101 (H.814) as enacted(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  4. Act 138 (H.211) as enacted(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  5. 13 V.S.A. 2606(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  6. NAIC, Implementation of Model Bulletin: Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers (status as of November 3, 2026)(content.naic.org)
  7. H.341 status(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  8. H.262 status(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  9. H.340 status(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  10. H.644 status(legislature.vermont.gov).gov
  11. Governor of Vermont, Action Taken by Governor Scott on Bills During the 2026 Legislative Session(governor.vermont.gov).gov
  12. Vermont Public: Scott signs bill to expand time limits for prosecuting voyeurism(www.vermontpublic.org)
  13. Ballotpedia News: Vermont 2026 session(news.ballotpedia.org)
  14. The Commons: laws enacted in the 2026 session(www.commonsnews.org)
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