Privacy in Vermont for first responders
What state law protects, what still leaks, and what we sweep beyond it.
Run a free scan. No signup.Safe at Home
Vermont maintains a state-level program that lets eligible officers, judges, and other protected workers use a substitute address for public records.
Apply or learn more →Public-records carve-outs
- 1 V.S.A. §317(c)(5) — public agency employee personal information exempt from disclosure under the state public records law in specific categories.
- 1 V.S.A. §317(c)(7) — additional record confidentiality category covering law enforcement personnel records.
Applicable laws
What protects you in Vermont
Vermont's framework is thin compared to most states. The public agency employee exemption under 1 V.S.A. §317(c)(5) and §317(c)(7) keeps certain personnel information out of state public-records disclosures, but there's no specific filing process and no clear officer-categorical opt-out. The protection is general, not first-responder-specific.
Vermont has a Safe at Home ACP under 15 V.S.A. §1152, but it's targeted at domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault victims. Officers aren't categorically eligible.
A broker-removal bill (H.342) is pending in the Vermont legislature — modeled on New Jersey's Daniel's Law (the NJ law that lets covered officers sue data brokers for failing to remove their home address). If passed, Vermont's version would cover active and former judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders, parole and probation officers, and certain agency staff, with $1,000 per violation in damages and a 15-day compliance window. It hasn't been enacted as of this writing. Until it passes, Vermont officers don't have a state-level statute that compels brokers to remove their information.
What still leaks
- County property records. Vermont has no officer-specific property record redaction. Deeds and tax records are public.
- Voter rolls. Vermont has no officer-specific voter confidentiality designation.
- Out-of-state brokers. Spokeo, Whitepages, and the rest publish your address from national aggregators regardless of what Vermont's framework looks like.
Laws that work for you here
- 1 V.S.A. §317(c)(5) and §317(c)(7) — public records exemptions for certain personnel categories. General, not officer-specific.
- 15 V.S.A. §1152 (Safe at Home) — substitute-address program for stalking, domestic violence, and sexual assault victims. Not officer-categorical.
- Federal DPPA (18 U.S.C. §§2721-2725) — restricts disclosure of state DMV records nationwide. Vermont DMV adheres.
- Pending: H.342 — broker-removal statute (Daniel's Law analog) with $1,000 per violation and 15-day compliance window. Not enacted yet — track the bill.
What we sweep that the state doesn't
Vermont's state-level framework for first responders is weak. There's no broker-removal statute in force, no broad public-records election with teeth, and no officer-specific property or voter protection. The federal DPPA is the only consistent floor. The broker side — Spokeo, Whitepages, and 200+ similar sites — is what's actually leveraged when someone wants to find you, and that's where we operate. We file opt-outs across the broker layer and re-check every two weeks because re-listings happen.