Vermont · Public Records Act
The Vermont Public Records Act, on a three-day clock with a redact-never-withhold rule
AccessPoint manages Public Records Act requests under 1 V.S.A. §§ 315–320 — the three-business-day response, the § 317(c) exemptions, the rule that no record is withheld in its entirety for partly exempt content, and head-of-agency then Superior Court review — pre-configured for Vermont and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
Vermont at a glance
- Response standard
- Respond promptly — within 3 business days of receipt; up to 10 business days from receipt in unusual circumstances; a missed deadline is a deemed denial (§ 318)
- Enforcement
- Appeal to the head of the agency, who decides in writing within 5 business days (§ 318); then the Civil Division of the Superior Court (§ 319)
- Exemptions
- The § 317(c) exemptions — applied by redaction, never by withholding a record in its entirety (§ 318)
- Charges
- Copies at the Secretary of State's uniform schedule — 5 cents per page; staff time chargeable only after the first 30 minutes (§ 316)
- Oversight
- No oversight agency; the Superior Court assesses attorney fees against the agency where the requester substantially prevails (§ 319)
- Languages
- English
Built for Vermont
One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
Public Records Act request lifecycle
Intake to release under 1 V.S.A. §§ 315–320 — the three-business-day response, the unusual-circumstances notice, and inspection or copies — all on Microsoft 365.
The three-business-day clock
Vermont defines promptly as not more than three business days. Where unusual circumstances apply — voluminous records, records at a separate facility, or the need to consult another agency — the written notice extends the limit to ten business days from receipt, and a missed limit is a deemed denial (§ 318). Computed and reminded for you.
Redact, never withhold
Vermont forbids withholding a record in its entirety because some of it is exempt. Apply the § 317(c) exemptions line by line on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record, release the rest, and carry the written explanation each redaction requires into the response.
Head of agency, then court
There is no ombudsman. A denial goes to the head of the agency for a written determination within five business days, then to the Civil Division of the Superior Court — where attorney fees are assessed against an agency that loses to a requester who substantially prevails (§ 319). AccessPoint keeps the file both stages need.
Uniform-schedule charges
Charge copies at the Secretary of State's uniform schedule — 5 cents per page — and staff time only after the first 30 minutes (§ 316), with the estimate issued on request and the calculation kept on the file.
In your own tenant
Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.
Redact, never withhold
In Vermont, a record with some exempt content is redacted and released — the statute forbids withholding it whole.
Many records laws let a custodian withhold a document once an exemption is found somewhere inside it. Vermont's does the opposite. Section 318 provides that an agency shall not withhold any record in its entirety on the basis that it contains some exempt content if the record is otherwise subject to disclosure: the exempt passages are redacted, the rest goes out, and the agency explains in writing what was removed and why. That rule sits on the shortest clock in the region — three business days, ten in unusual circumstances — with no ombudsman to absorb a dispute: a denial goes to the head of the agency for a five-business-day written determination, and then to the Civil Division of the Superior Court, where an agency that loses to a requester who substantially prevails pays the requester's attorney fees (§ 319). AccessPoint makes redaction the default path and keeps the explanation on the record.
Configured out of the box
Installing the us-vt-pra jurisdiction pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.
Pack content last reviewed: 2026-09-03
Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check- The Vermont Public Records Act (1 V.S.A. §§ 315–320) as the legal-authority and citation spine
- The Vermont state-holiday calendar and the three-business-day response and ten-business-day unusual-circumstances due-date rules under § 318
- The § 317(c) exemptions, colour-coded for redaction and citable line by line
- The redact-never-withhold rule enforced in the workflow — partial exemption routes to redaction, with the written explanation on every redacted record
- Uniform-schedule charges — 5 cents per page and staff time only after the first 30 minutes — under the Secretary of State's schedule (§ 316)
- The appeal workflow — head-of-agency written determination within five business days, then the Civil Division of the Superior Court under § 319
- Vermont timeliness tracking with the deemed-denial rule surfaced before a limit expires
- Public Records Act correspondence templates with statutory wording
Vermont Questions
When must a Vermont agency respond?
What makes Vermont different — the redact-never-withhold rule?
Who reviews a Vermont denial?
Where does data reside?
Go deeper
Flat annual pricing, published in full. Every feature in every size — access requests, privacy impact assessments, breach response, complaints, video & audio redaction, and AI Assist. No per-user or per-module fees.
- Under 500 employees$2,990/yr
- 500–2,000 employees$7,990/yr
- Over 2,000 employees$14,990/yr
Run the Vermont Public Records Act in One Platform
Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for Vermont. No credit card required.