Police Scanner Laws in Vermont (2026): Is It Legal?

The law in Vermont

Vermont does not restrict the ownership or lawful use of a police scanner, including in vehicles. However, 13 V.S.A. § 3014 ('Use of police broadcasts in furthering crime,' enacted 1961) makes it an offense for a person who owns or operates a motor vehicle equipped with a radio receiver capable of receiving police frequencies to knowingly and without privilege use information broadcast on local or State police frequencies to further a crime or aid the flight of criminals, punishable by a fine of up to $250, imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both. Lawful scanner use remains legal in vehicles, in public, and in any legal context.

Enforcement reality

No enforcement history. Scanner use is fully protected.

What you can monitor in Vermont

With a police scanner in Vermont, you can legally listen to any unencrypted public safety channel, including:

• Fire department dispatch and operations
• EMS and ambulance communications
• NOAA weather alerts and emergency broadcasts
• Unencrypted police channels (where available)

Before buying a scanner, check whether your local agencies in Vermont have encrypted their communications. If they have, your scanner won't be able to receive their transmissions regardless of legal status.

What's already encrypted in Vermont

Scanner use being legal in Vermont does not mean everything is listenable. Our database currently tracks 7 agencies in Vermont that encrypt at least some radio traffic, across 2 counties. Of those, 6 encrypt all monitored channels rather than only a few.

The encryption most commonly recorded in Vermont is P25 AES-256 (7 agencies).

6 of these 7 records have been verified against RadioReference system data; the remainder are unverified and may be out of date. Encryption status changes without notice — confirm the current status of any specific agency on RadioReference before relying on it.

Frequently asked questions