Chittenden County, Vermont Arrest Records

Law enforcement agencies in Chittenden County, Vermont, conduct arrests when having probable cause that a particular individual has committed a public offense. From these incidents arise "arrest records," which are summary logs detailing pertinent information about an arrest event.

The South Burlington Police Department and the Burlington Police Department are two of the largest municipal police forces in Chittenden County and, consequently, execute a higher frequency of arrests within the region. These and other public safety agencies in Chittenden—like the Chittenden County Sheriff's Office, which handles civil process and prisoner transport, and the Vermont State Police (Williston Barracks), which maintains a significant regional presence—create and maintain arrest records.

Arrest records play critical roles within the justice system; for example, they are part of the core documentation that prosecutors inspect when determining which criminal charges to file. They are also useful to the general public, who can seek inspection under Vermont's Public Records Act (1 V.S.A. §§ 315 - 320) to determine bail amounts and the underlying offense(s).

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Chittenden, Vermont?

Yes. The Vermont Public Records Act (PRA), as stated in 1 V.S.A. § 315, permits the "free and open" examination of non-confidential governmental records, which includes local arrest logs. Under this law, any individual may obtain a Chittenden County arrest record through the records division or unit of the local agency that made the arrest. 

Vermont does not mandate state residency or U.S. citizenship for people to view or duplicate public arrest records. Simply put, anyone can make such requests. Further, the verification of a requester's identity is generally not needed. An ID requirement is typically only imposed when the inquiry involves sensitive information that has been declared exempt or confidential by law. 

What Do Public Chittenden County Arrest Records Contain?

According to 1 V.S.A. § 317(c)(5)(B), law enforcement records reflecting the initial arrest of a person are entirely public. Therefore, the following details are available to the public in Chittenden County:

• The full name of the arrested party, plus their age, sex, and place of residence.
• The time and date when booking procedures took place
• The exact time, date, and location of the arrest
• The arresting agency
• Bail amount (if required)

Confidential records include

• Juvenile offender data
• Medical or mental health details
• Information whose disclosure would imperil a person's life or physical safety
• Social Security numbers (SSNs) and financial account information

Chittenden County, Vermont Arrest Search

Chittenden County arrest records are occasionally available through state and federal repositories, such as the courts and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Vermont Courts

A Criminal Record Check through the Vermont Judiciary enables the public to retrieve information about all criminal cases related to a specific individual. This check request involves submitting Form 200-00331 (Criminal Record Check Request and Reply) in each county where the requester believes charges were filed and paying the required statutory fees (as shown on the form).

Alternatively, members of the public can look up active or resolved criminal cases in Chittenden County for free through the statewide Public Portal. The portal accepts name and case number queries.

While it is possible to find basic arrest data in criminal court records, the primary use of court records lies in determining whether an arrest later led to formal charges and the outcome of those charges.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI provides Identity History Summary Checks to the subject of a criminal record for $18. These checks cover arrests reported nationwide to the FBI, including those reported by law enforcement agencies in Chittenden County.

A Note About the Vermont Department of Public Safety:

The Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC), a division of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, functions as the state's central repository of Criminal History Record Information. Record checks through the VCIC reveal conviction data reported across the state. 

The public can obtain any person's Criminal Conviction History Records for $30 per request through the VCIC using the agency's Vermont Criminal Conviction Record Internet Service (VCCRIS). The results of this search are not certified and will not show arrests (see sample result). 

Individuals who require a notarized copy of their own Criminal Conviction Report can request it at the VCIC office or by mail, as outlined on the VCIC's Record Checks page.

Chittenden County Inmate Locator

Inmate locators are well-known public lookup systems that enable people to find crucial information about the incarcerated population in a particular jurisdiction. These locators commonly display public arrest, charge, booking, or sentencing information for jail or prison occupants.

In Chittenden County, however, there is no local county jail and, consequently, no county-run inmate locator. Following an arrest, the suspect may be temporarily held in a holding cell at the arresting agency's station headquarters. To determine the arrestee's immediate custody status, charge, or other related information, one can contact that agency. 

Long-term custody is handled at the state level. Arrestees who have been processed at the station but remain in custody are transferred over to one of the Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities, such as the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington (for women) or the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans (for men). The Vermont DOC's Offender Locator can be used to look up detainees inside the state prison network.

Active Warrant Search in Chittenden County

Rule 4 of the Vermont Rules of Criminal Procedure (V.R.Cr.P.) and Title 13 of the Vermont Statutes (Crimes and Criminal Procedure) govern the issuance, service, and return of arrest warrants in Chittenden County. As defined by these laws, an "arrest warrant" is a binding judicial order that commands law enforcement to arrest and detain a named person on the accusation of a crime.

The Superior Court of Vermont in Chittenden County issues arrest warrants based on probable cause. Probable cause for an arrest simply means that facts exist showing that an offense has been committed, and there is a reasonable belief that the individual (defendant) named on the indictment or information is culpable. Per the law, the "prosecuting officer" (as defined in V.R.Cr.P. Rule 54(c)(6)) is responsible for establishing probable cause, and it is the reviewing judicial officer's duty to affirm that such grounds indeed exist.

According to V.R.Cr.P. Rule 4(e)(2), a Chittenden County arrest warrant carries the following information:

• The name of the defendant, or, if the name is unknown, any name or description with which the defendant can reasonably be identified.
• The offense charged in the indictment or information.
• The signature of the issuing judicial officer and the date the officer issued the warrant.
• A command for law enforcement to arrest the defendant and bring them before the nearest available judicial officer without unnecessary delay.

Non-confidentiality is the default standard regarding access to arrest warrants in Chittenden County. Active and executed warrants can generally be located through the Vermont Judicial Branch.

Agency / Resource	Purpose	Search Methods	Notes
Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden County	Issues arrest warrants and maintains related records	Online, in person (see Courthouse Locations), by mail, via email	The Vermont Judiciary Public Portal allows for seamless, free digital searches of active and executed warrants (see Portal Search Guidelines).  Case records can also be requested from the Superior Court, as detailed on the state judiciary's Requests for Access to Court Records page.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Chittenden County

One method for finding free arrest records in Chittenden County is to check police blotters or incident data published by local law enforcement agencies. Examples include the Burlington Police Department's News Flash portal and the South Burlington Police Department's Arrest Lists.

Alternatively, individuals can submit a formal Public Records Act request to the arresting police department's records division. By law, no fees are charged or collected for inspection-only requests of existing public records. 

When utilizing these free record inspection options, the requester does not need to verify their identity to view records. However, note that the data disseminated does not represent the complete or certified official record. 

Chittenden County Arrest Report

Chittenden County arrest reports narrate the incident of an arrest, identifying the suspect, the nature of the alleged offense, the arresting officer's name and badge identification number, and their direct observations of the arrest scene.

It is a common misconception to regard "arrest reports" and "arrest records (logs)" as the same document, but they are operationally distinct. Arrest reports are the comprehensive narrative documents generated by the arresting or responding officer following an arrest. Arrest records are also compiled after an arrest, but they are administrative extracts of the arrest report that highlight key data points—usually the who (the suspect), what (the offense), and when (time/date) of an arrest.

Under 1 V.S.A. § 317(c)(5)(A), arrest reports are confidential law enforcement documents. However, initial arrest logs are open to the public (1 V.S.A. § 317(c)(5)(B)).

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Chittenden County

Vermont's record relief laws are codified at 13 V.S.A. §§ 7601 – 7611. The state approves "sealing" and "expungement" as legal remedies for eligible defendants who wish to conceal their criminal history record—including arrests, charges, and convictions—from public access. 

The effect of a sealing order (13 V.S.A. § 7607) is the sequestering of all affected records in a secure, confidential location. Legally, the subject of the record will be treated as if they had never been arrested, convicted, or sentenced for the offense. On the other hand, expungement carries the same public nondisclosure protections as sealing but goes a step further by requiring the physical destruction of the record (13 V.S.A. § 7606). Moreover, unlike sealing, expungement provides zero access to criminal justice agencies, meaning authorities cannot utilize or view the record for any purpose (e.g., subsequent prosecutions).

Sealing/Expunging Arrest Records Where a Conviction Was Entered.

Generally, to seal a record in Chittenden County, the underlying offense must be a "qualifying crime," as defined in 13 V.S.A. § 7601(4), and the petitioner must have satisfied the state's mandatory waiting periods. For a full expungement, the defendant must have been convicted of an offense that is no longer deemed a crime under current state law, provided they have completed their sentence or supervision and paid all restitution and surcharges.

Sealing/Expunging Arrest Records Where No Conviction Was Entered.

Arrests or charges that resulted in no conviction, including acquittals, dismissals, and no-probable-cause findings, are eligible to be sealed under 13 V.S.A. § 7603 through the following tracks:

• Automatically by the court within 60 days of the final disposition, except that either case party objects in the interest of justice.
• At any time via the defendant's formal petition.
• At any time if the prosecutor prescribes the sealing.

All sealing and expungement petitions are filed in the Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division. Standardized filing forms, procedural steps, and statutory fees are provided on the state judiciary's Expunging and Sealing Criminal Records page.

Note: "Pardons" are an alternative for criminal defendants in Vermont, wherein the Governor issues an order removing all information about a specific charge. However, these are exceptionally rare. For more information, visit the Governor's Pardon Request website.

How Do You Remove Chittenden County Arrest Records From the Internet?

An expungement or sealing order issued in Chittenden County can effectively erase a person's public arrest records from official repositories. Government bodies are statutorily required to purge their databases and files or segregate the sealed or expunged record(s) from public view. 

For commercial background check platforms or private data aggregators, the subject of the record or their lawyer may submit a written opt-out request or dispute, attaching a redacted copy of the court order, to facilitate removal. Standard background screening platforms typically honor these requests to adhere to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which mandates the maintenance of the most accurate data. 

However, complete erasure from non-FCRA websites is not entirely guaranteed; in these cases, individuals can instead contract with a reputation management service to deprioritize the record on search engine results pages.