How Vermont DUI courts are organised
A DUI charge in Vermont is prosecuted in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court that serves the county or municipality where the stop happened, not where you live. The clerk's office in that courthouse controls your hearing dates, accepts motions and continuances, and takes payment of fines and court costs. Calendars, filing hours and remote-appearance rules differ from courthouse to courthouse, so confirm them with the clerk before your first date.
The Criminal Division of the Vermont Superior Court, one per county, hears every DUI case — a misdemeanor first offense and a felony third or later offense, or one causing death or injury alike — because Vermont has no lower criminal trial court. Appeals go directly to the Vermont Supreme Court on questions of law.
The state judiciary publishes the authoritative directory of courthouses, judges and calendars at vermontjudiciary.org. Use it to confirm the address and division for your case number; local listings age quickly.
Courthouse locations, hearing calendars, clerk contacts and self-help forms.
The separate licence action, which the criminal court does not decide.
What happens at each stage in Vermont
A DUI case in Vermont is heard in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court, and a separate licence action runs alongside the criminal case.
- 1Arrest, booking and the chemical test — Officers arrest for DUI under 23 V.S.A. § 1201 and request a breath, blood or urine test under Vermont's implied-consent section, 23 V.S.A. § 1202. Refusing carries its own licence penalty, separate from the criminal charge.
- 2Licence action by the state agency — The administrative action is called civil suspension, governed by 23 V.S.A. § 1205 and started on the officer's affidavit. That action runs on its own timetable, independent of the criminal case.
- 3Arraignment in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court — The charge is read, a plea is entered and conditions of release are set in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court. The Criminal Division of the Vermont Superior Court, one per county, hears every DUI case — a misdemeanor first offense and a felony third or later offense, or one causing death or injury alike — because Vermont has no lower criminal trial court.
- 4Pretrial motions and discovery — Defence counsel obtains the police report, test records and calibration or maintenance logs, and may move to suppress the stop or the test result. The Vermont Judiciary files electronically through Odyssey eFileVT.
- 5Plea or trial, then sentencing — A first DUI conviction carries a fine of $200–$750, jail exposure up to 2 years, a licence suspension of 3 months. A first offense is a misdemeanor with a civil suspension running alongside the criminal case.
- 6Reinstatement — Vermont's interlock programme allows conditional reinstatement with a device fitted. Vermont requires a SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility for 3 years before the licence is restored.
Filing and case handling in Vermont
- The Vermont Judiciary files electronically through Odyssey eFileVT.
- There are no municipal courts hearing criminal DUI; the Criminal Division is the sole court of record for these charges.
- The civil suspension case under 23 V.S.A. § 1205 is a summary civil procedure running parallel to the criminal case.
- An officer's sworn affidavit under 23 V.S.A. § 1205 triggers the notice of intent to suspend.
Whatever the local practice, take your citation or case number to every call — clerks index by case, not by name — and get the payable amount for fines and court costs in writing before you pay.
Vermont ZIP codes covered
These Vermont ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.
Counties and cities using these Vermont resources
Counties
Other Vermont official resources
Frequently asked questions
- Which court handles a first DUI charge in Vermont?
- First-offense DUI cases in Vermont are heard in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court for the county where the stop happened. The court clerk's office there sets the arraignment date and accepts filings.