Guide
Vermont Expungement Research Resources
Vermont courts expunge or seal criminal history records under 13 V.S.A. chapter 230, and the court sends the order to the Vermont Crime Information Center. The official Vermont sources are listed below.
- Vermont Judiciary, Expunging and Sealing Criminal RecordsCourt page on petitions and where orders are sent
- Vermont Crime Information Center, Expungement, Sealing and PardonCharges leave the state record only on a court order
- 13 V.S.A. Chapter 230Expungement and sealing of criminal history records
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in Vermont
Vermont closes the money affidavits in a divorce by rule and leaves the rest of the file to a motion. Rule 6(a) of the Vermont Rules for Public Access to Court Records gives the public access to all case records except as provided in Rule 6(b), and 6(b) excepts affidavits of income and assets as provided in 15 V.S.A. 662 and Rules 4.0 to 4.2 of the Vermont Rules for Family Proceedings, which covers the Financial Affidavit and the Financial Affidavit for Property and Assets that both parties file. Rule 4.1(b)(2) of the family rules makes the parties' location and identity information available only to the parties and their counsel, and Family Division case information is withheld from anonymous remote users of the Public Portal.
For any other record, Rule 9, replaced by the Supreme Court's order effective April 11, 2022, applies. A party, an affected person or the court on its own motion may seek to seal or limit access to a record, and the moving party must show by clear and convincing evidence that good cause and exceptional circumstances exist and that no reasonable alternative to sealing exists. The order is at vtcourts.gov.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state