Vermont Court Rules (2026)

We publish 18 sets of Vermont court rules, totaling 820 rules. Vermont has one trial court — the Superior Court — with five divisions in each county unit: Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate and Environmental, each with its own ruleset, and the Environmental Division's rules are close to unique nationally. There is no intermediate appellate court, so every appeal goes to the Supreme Court. A civil action is commenced by filing under V.R.C.P. 3 and the answer is due 21 days after service, which is shorter than visiting counsel usually expect. Coverage also includes small claims, electronic filing, the Supreme Court's administrative orders, and the rules on professional conduct, judicial conduct, bar admission, discipline and public access to court records. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules.