Title 23, Title 23: Motor Vehicles

§ 464. Return of number plates by dealer If a dealer comes into possession of a motor vehicle the registration of which has expired by reason of the provisions of section 321 of this title, and that has number plates attached, he or she shall immediately return such number plates…

§ 465. Loaning of plates, vehicles, or motorboats prohibited A dealer shall not lend or lease registration certificates, numbers, decals, or number plates that have been assigned to the dealer under the provisions of this chapter, nor shall the dealer lend or lease a vehicle or m…

§ 466. Records; disclosures; custodian [Effective July 1, 2025; see also 23 V.S.A. § 466 effective until July 1, 2025 set out above] (a) On a form prescribed or approved by the Commissioner, every licensed dealer shall maintain and retain for six years a record containing the fol…

§ 467. Dealer duty to report sales, return expired plates On a form prescribed by the Commissioner, a dealer shall send the reports of sale to the Commissioner upon the sale and relative to his or her sale or exchange of new or used vehicles or motorboats, and return to the Commi…

§ 468. General prohibition A dealer shall not operate a vehicle or motorboat nor permit the same to be operated under dealer’s registration numbers, except as specifically permitted in this chapter or under section 3204, 3305, or 3504 of this title. No charge shall be made for an…

§ 472. Evidence of authorization The Commissioner shall issue suitable documents of authorization of dealership that shall be displayed at the dealer’s place of business. (Added 1965, No. 204, § 8.)

§ 473. When registration is allowed, required; penalties (a) A person shall not engage in the business of selling or exchanging vehicles or motorboats, as defined in subdivision 4(8) of this title, without a dealer registration and obtaining dealer plates or motorboat registratio…

§ 475. Administrative penalties (a) The Commissioner may impose an administrative penalty of not more than $500.00 for each violation against a dealer or a transporter who violates the provisions of this subchapter. (b) Each violation is a separate and distinct offense, and, in t…

§ 476. Motor vehicle warranty fee A motor vehicle warranty fee of $8.00 is imposed on the registration of each new motor vehicle in this State, not including trailers, tractors, motorized highway building equipment, road-making appliances, snowmobiles, motorcycles, motor-driven c…

§ 491. Transporter application; eligibility; use of transporter plates (a) A transporter may apply for and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, in the Commissioner’s discretion, may issue a certificate of registration and a general distinguishing number plate. Before a person may …

§ 492. Certificate; expiration A transporter’s registration certificate shall contain the name, place of residence, and address of the applicant; the distinguishing number assigned; and such further information as the Commissioner may determine. It shall expire on the last day of…

§ 493. Loan of plates prohibited A transporter shall not loan a number plate issued to him or her under this article. (Added 1965, No. 106, § 3, eff. Feb. 1, 1966.)

§ 494. Fees The annual fee for a transporter’s registration certificate or number plate is $148.00. (Added 1965, No. 106, § 4, eff. Feb. 1, 1966; amended 1967, No. 129, § 8; 1981, No. 87, § 17; 1989, No. 51, § 32; 2001, No. 102 (Adj. Sess.), § 19, eff. May 15, 2002; 2015, No. 159…

§ 495. Suspension of registration The Commissioner may cancel a registration certificate issued to a transporter whenever, after hearing before the Commissioner or upon conviction in any court in this State, the Commissioner finds that the transporter has violated any motor vehic…

§ 496. Written records Every transporter shall keep a written record, upon forms prescribed and furnished by the Commissioner for that purpose, of the motor vehicles upon which such transporter plate is used and the date and time during which each plate is used on a particular mo…

§ 497. Rulemaking The Commissioner may adopt rules pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 consistent with this chapter as may be necessary to carry their provisions into effect. The rules may prescribe what shall be requisite to obtaining or retaining a dealer registration and may, by w…

§ 511. Manner of display (a) Number plates. A motor vehicle operated on any highway shall have displayed in a conspicuous place either one or two number plates as the Commissioner may require. Such number plates shall be furnished by the Commissioner and shall show the number ass…

§ 512. Trailer or semi-trailer When a trailer or semi-trailer is being drawn by a registered motor vehicle, the rear number plate assigned to such trailer or semi-trailer shall be displayed on the rear of such trailer or semi-trailer and shall be illuminated at night as provided …

§ 513. Misuse of plates Except as provided in section 321 of this title, an owner of a motor vehicle shall not attach or cause to be attached to the vehicle number plates that were not assigned by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. A person shall not operate a motor vehicle, exc…

§ 514. Replacement number plates (a) In case of the loss of a number plate, the owner of the motor vehicle to which it was assigned shall immediately notify the Commissioner of such loss, and the Commissioner shall furnish such owner with a new plate. The fee charged shall be $15…

§ 516. Sale of vehicle to go out of State by a person other than dealer The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles is authorized to issue an in-transit registration permit for the purpose of movement over the highways of certain motor vehicles otherwise required to be registered when the…

§ 517. Intrastate in-transit permit The Commissioner may issue an intrastate in-transit registration permit to authorize the movement within Vermont of a motor vehicle otherwise required to be registered, if the vehicle is sold in this State by a person other than a registered mo…

§ 518. Electronic issuance of temporary plate and temporary registration (a) Issuance of plate and registration; length. The Commissioner is authorized to electronically issue a temporary plate and temporary registration to be printed by the owner of a motor vehicle for the purpo…

§ 601. License required (a)(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, a resident shall not operate a motor vehicle on a highway in Vermont unless the resident holds a valid license issued by the State. A new resident who has moved to Vermont from another jurisdiction and who holds …

§ 602. Exceptions for farm tractors and highway equipment (a) No person may operate a farm tractor or motorized highway building equipment upon a public highway without first procuring from the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles a license to operate motor vehicles, except that a pers…

§ 602a. Age requirement A person 12 years of age or older may operate a farm tractor under the provisions of section 602 of this title. (Added 1967, No. 361 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)

§ 603. Application for and issuance of license (a)(1) The Commissioner or the Commissioner’s authorized agent may license operators and junior operators when an application, on a form prescribed by the Commissioner, signed and sworn to by the applicant for the license, is filed w…

§ 604. Early renewal (a) The holder of an operator’s license or privilege card issued under the provisions of this subchapter may renew the operator’s license or privilege card at any time prior to the expiration of the operator’s license or privilege card. If one or more years r…

§ 606. Age limit An operator’s license shall not be issued to an individual under 18 years of age. An individual who has previously held a junior operator’s license in Vermont prior to application for a license under this section shall have held that license for a minimum of six …

§ 607. Junior operator’s license (a) A junior operator’s license may be issued initially only to persons who: (1) are 16 and 17 years of age; (2) have passed the driver examination required in subchapter 2 of this chapter and a driver education and training course approved by the…

§ 607a. Recall of learner’s permit or junior operator’s license (a) A learner’s permit or junior operator’s license shall contain an admonition that it is recallable and that the later procurement of an operator’s license is conditional on the establishment of a record that is sa…

§ 608. Fees (a) The four-year fee required to be paid the Commissioner for licensing an operator of motor vehicles or for issuing an operator’s privilege card shall be $62.00. The two-year fee required to be paid the Commissioner for licensing an operator or for issuing an operat…

§ 609. Veterans’ exemption No fees shall be charged an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who is a resident of the State of Vermont for a license to operate a motor vehicle, when the veteran has acquired a motor vehicle with financial assistance from the U.S. D…

§ 610. License certificates (a) The Commissioner shall assign a distinguishing number to each licensee and shall furnish the licensee with a license certificate that shows the number and the licensee’s full name, date of birth, and residential address, except that at the request …

§ 610c. Legislative intent; existing driver’s licenses without photograph or imaged likeness It is the intent of the General Assembly that the provisions of subsection 610(c) of this title not require individuals who, prior to July 1, 2004, were issued a driver’s license without …

§ 611. Possession of license certificate Every licensee shall have the licensee’s operator’s license certificate in the licensee’s immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle. However, a licensee cited with violating this section or section 610 of this subcha…

§ 612. Restricted license When issuing or reinstating the license of an operator, the Commissioner may restrict the privileges granted by such license to the operating of one or more specified motor vehicles or in such other manner as the Commissioner may deem best, and such rest…

§ 613. Replacement license (a) In case of the loss, mutilation, or destruction of a license or error in a license, the licensee shall immediately notify the Commissioner who shall furnish the licensee with a replacement on receipt of $24.00. (b) A replacement license shall not be…

§ 614. Rights under license (a) An operator’s license shall entitle the holder to operate a registered motor vehicle with the consent of the owner whether employed to do so or not. (b) A junior operator’s license shall entitle the holder to operate a registered motor vehicle with…

§ 615. Unlicensed operators (a)(1)(A) An unlicensed person 15 years of age or older may operate a motor vehicle if he or she possesses a valid learner’s permit issued to him or her by the Commissioner, or by another jurisdiction in accordance with section 208 of this title, and i…

§ 616. Extension of license for members of U.S. Armed Forces and immediate family members (a) Definition. As used in this section, “immediate family member” means a child; stepchild; foster child; spouse; domestic partner, as defined in 17 V.S.A. § 2414; civil union partner; pare…

§ 617. Learner’s permit (a) Any Vermont resident 15 years of age or over, but under 18 years of age, who has no convictions under section 601, 674, 676, 1091, 1094, 1128, 1133, or 1201 of this title, suspensions under section 1205 of this title, or civil traffic violations under …

§ 618a. Anatomical Gift Act; donor; form The Commissioner shall provide a form that, upon the licensee’s execution, shall serve as a document of an anatomical gift under 18 V.S.A. chapter 110. An indicator shall be placed on the license of any person who has executed an anatomica…

§ 631. Requirements; rules (a) The Commissioner may adopt rules pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 governing the examination of new applicants for operator’s licenses and may prescribe requirements to obtain or hold a license or learner’s permit, by either a new or renewal applicant…

§ 632. Examination required; waiver (a) Before an operator’s or a junior operator’s license is issued to an applicant for the first time in this State, or before a renewal license is issued to an applicant whose previous Vermont license had expired more than three years prior to …

§ 633. Examiners Inspectors appointed under the provisions of section 103 of this title shall also be examiners of new applicants for operators’ licenses.