H 723

No. 90  Page 1 of 3
2026
No. 90. An act relating to posting of land.
                                       (H.723)
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 5201 is amended to read:
§ 5201. NOTICES; POSTING
   (a)(1) An owner, or a person having the exclusive right to take game upon
land or the waters thereon, who desires to protect his or her the owner’s land or
private pond or propagation farm over which he or she the owner has exclusive
control may maintain notices stating that:
           (A) the shooting hunting, trapping, or taking of game or wild animals
is prohibited or is by permission only;
           (B) fishing or the taking of fish is prohibited or is by permission
only; or
           (C) fishing, hunting, trapping, or taking of game or wild animals is
prohibited or is by permission only.
      (2) “Permission only signs” authorized under this section shall contain
the owner’s name and a method by which to contact the property owner or a
person authorized to provide permission to hunt, fish, or trap on the property.
   (b) Notices prohibiting the taking of game Notice signs shall be erected
upon or near the boundaries of lands to be affected with notices at each corner
and not over 400 feet apart along the boundaries thereof. Legible Notice signs
must shall be maintained at all times and shall be dated each year. These
                                                                    VT LEG #389273 v.1
No. 90  Page 2 of 3
2026
Notice signs shall be of a standard size and design as the Commissioner shall
specify.
   (c) The owner or person posting the lands shall record this posting annually
in the town clerk’s office of the town in which the land is located. The posting
shall be valid and enforceable for 365 days after the date the posting is
recorded. The recording form shall be furnished by the Commissioner and
shall be filled out in triplicate, one copy to be retained by the town clerk, one
copy to the Commissioner, and one copy to be retained by the person having
the right to post the lands. The forms shall contain the information as to the
approximate number of acres posted, location in town, date of posting, and
signature of person so posting the lands. The town clerk shall file the record,
and it shall be open to public inspection. The town clerk shall retain a fee of
$5.00 for this recording.
   (d) Land posted and recorded as provided in subsection (b) of this section
shall be enclosed land for the purposes herein. Accidental or unintentional
deviations from the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall
still be deemed effective to prohibit or permit by permission only hunting,
fishing, trapping, or taking of game or wild animals if the notice signs would
lead a reasonable person to believe that hunting, fishing, trapping, or taking of
game or wild animals is prohibited on the land. Property owners with actual
notice that their notice signs deviate from the requirements of this section shall
take reasonable steps to ensure their notice signs comply with this section.
                                                                    VT LEG #389273 v.1
No. 90  Page 3 of 3
2026
Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
  This act shall take effect on passage.
Date Governor signed bill: April 30, 2026
                                            VT LEG #389273 v.1