Weird Laws in Vermont: Which Are Still on the Books?

The Vermont claims on weird-law lists turn out to be mostly about land, signs and horse shows. We checked four claims from popular lists against the Vermont Statutes as of October 21, 2026. Two are current law much as the lists describe them, one is a real statute that the lists have stretched, and for one no statute was found. For other states, see our guide to weird laws by state.

Weird laws in Vermont: the verdicts

Each claim below was checked against the Vermont code and, where it names a town, the local code. 4 claims checked.

Still on the books

The claim: Clotheslines can't be banned by neighborhood groups (right to dry).

What the law says: Vermont bars deed restrictions, covenants and similar binding agreements from prohibiting clotheslines (and solar collectors) on buildings; the prevailing party in litigation gets costs and attorney's fees. Applies to deed-type restrictions (HOAs, covenants); municipal zoning is separately limited by 24 V.S.A. 4413.

27 V.S.A. § 544

“No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on or, for a plug-in photovoltaic device as defined in 30 V.S.A. § 201, appurtenant to buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements.”

Penalty: No criminal penalty; civil: "the prevailing party shall be entitled to costs and reasonable attorney's fees." (subsec. (b))

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Still on the books

The claim: Billboards are banned statewide.

What the law says: Vermont prohibits erecting or maintaining outdoor advertising visible to the travelling public except as the chapter allows (on-premise signs, official directional signs and enumerated exempt signs are allowed). Off-premise billboards are effectively banned since 1968.

10 V.S.A. § 488

“No person may erect or maintain outdoor advertising visible to the travelling public except as provided in this chapter.”

Penalty: Civil penalty: "A person who violates this chapter shall be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $50.00. Each day the violation continues shall be a separate offense." (10 V.S.A. § 503); unlawful signs must also be removed (§ 497)

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Real law, twisted claim

The claim: It is illegal to paint a horse (fine up to $500).

What the law says: Vermont makes it a crime to enter or drive a painted or disguised horse in a competition for a purse or premium offered by an agricultural society (or to misrepresent the horse). The $500 fine is real but applies to fraud in horse contests, not to painting a horse generally.

13 V.S.A. § 2013

“A person who knowingly and designedly for the purpose of competing for a purse or premium offered by an agricultural society, corporation, or association within the State, enters or drives a horse or horse kind painted or disguised ... shall be imprisoned not more than six months or fined not more than $500.00, or both.”

Penalty: Imprisonment up to 6 months or fine up to $500, or both

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

No state law found

The claim: Tying a giraffe to a telephone pole is illegal.

What the law says: No Vermont statute found that mentions tying a giraffe (or any exotic animal) to a telephone pole as of 2026-10-20. The nearest rules are the general animal cruelty statute and a $5 fine for painting or posting signs on utility poles (13 V.S.A. 301).

No state law found in the Vermont code as of October 21, 2026.

How we searched

We searched the full text of the Vermont Statutes for giraffes and for tying animals to telephone poles, and read the animal cruelty chapter, the utility pole posting section and the large wild animal rules.

Parts of the code read

• Vermont Statutes Title 13, Chapter 8 (humane and proper treatment of animals, including cruelty to animals and tethering)
• Vermont Statutes Title 13, section 301 (posting signs on utility poles)
• Vermont Statutes Title 10, sections 5501 and following (large wild animals)

No town code was checked for this claim.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.

The painted horse was about prize money

The claim usually runs that painting a horse in Vermont is illegal, with a fine of up to $500. The fine is real. What the lists leave out is the setting: 13 V.S.A. 2013 is a fraud statute about horse contests, not a rule about decorating animals.

The section reaches a person who, "for the purpose of competing for a purse or premium offered by an agricultural society, corporation, or association within the State, enters or drives a horse or horse kind painted or disguised," or who misrepresents the horse. The penalty is imprisonment for not more than six months, a fine of not more than $500, or both. A disguised horse in a contest for prize money is the target; nothing in the quoted text reaches paint on a horse outside a competition.

A right to dry that covenants cannot take away

The clothesline claim is accurate. Under 27 V.S.A. 544, "No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources" from being installed on buildings on the covered lots.

The statute lists the clothesline with solar collectors and plug-in photovoltaic devices, under the heading of 'other energy devices based on renewable resources.' There is no criminal penalty. Instead, subsection (b) gives the prevailing party in a dispute its costs and reasonable attorney's fees. The section governs deed-type restrictions such as covenants; municipal zoning is limited separately, by 24 V.S.A. 4413.

Billboards

Vermont's billboard reputation is also earned. 10 V.S.A. 488 provides: "No person may erect or maintain outdoor advertising visible to the travelling public except as provided in this chapter."

The exceptions in the chapter are what keep roadsides from going entirely blank. On-premise signs, official directional signs and a list of exempt signs are allowed. Off-premise billboards have been effectively banned since 1968. A violation brings a civil penalty of not more than $50 under 10 V.S.A. 503, each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, and unlawful signs must also be removed under section 497.

The giraffe and the telephone pole

No Vermont statute was found that mentions tying a giraffe, or any exotic animal, to a telephone pole. We searched the full text of the Vermont Statutes for giraffes and for tying animals to telephone poles, and read the animal cruelty and tethering chapter (Title 13, Chapter 8), the section on posting signs on utility poles (13 V.S.A. 301), and the large wild animal rules in Title 10. No town code was checked.

The nearest real rules are the general animal cruelty statute and section 301, which sets a $5 fine for painting or posting signs on utility poles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to paint a horse in Vermont?

The Vermont statute is narrower than the claim. 13 V.S.A. 2013 punishes a person who knowingly enters or drives a painted or disguised horse to compete for a purse or premium offered by an agricultural society, corporation or association in the state, or who misrepresents the horse. The penalty is up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both. The statute is about fraud in horse contests.

Can a homeowners association ban clotheslines in Vermont?

27 V.S.A. 544 says no deed restrictions, covenants or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting clotheslines, solar collectors or other renewable energy devices on buildings on the covered lots. The prevailing party in a dispute is entitled to costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Municipal zoning is addressed separately, in 24 V.S.A. 4413.

Are billboards illegal in Vermont?

10 V.S.A. 488 prohibits erecting or maintaining outdoor advertising visible to the travelling public except as the chapter provides. On-premise signs, official directional signs and listed exempt signs are allowed, so off-premise billboards are effectively banned. A violation carries a civil penalty of up to $50, each day is a separate offense, and unlawful signs must be removed.

Is it illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole in Vermont?

No Vermont statute about tying a giraffe or any exotic animal to a telephone pole was found as of October 21, 2026. The nearest rules are the general animal cruelty statute and 13 V.S.A. 301, which sets a $5 fine for painting or posting signs on utility poles. Town codes were not checked.

What are some real weird laws in Vermont?

Three of the four claims checked rest on real statutes: the right to dry in 27 V.S.A. 544, the billboard ban in 10 V.S.A. 488, and the painted-horse law in 13 V.S.A. 2013, which covers horses disguised to compete for prize money rather than painted horses in general.