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Rental Application Fee Laws in Vermont

Vermont bans rental application fees for residential units.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Vermont at a glance

Fee limit
Application fees banned
A landlord or agent may not charge any fee to apply for a residential rental unit.
Dollar cap
$0 (application fees banned)
Portable screening report rule
Not addressed

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Vermont

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Vermont?

Fee limit in Vermont: Application fees banned. A landlord or agent may not charge any fee to apply for a residential rental unit.

Is there a fixed dollar cap on rental application fees in Vermont?

Dollar cap in Vermont: $0 (application fees banned).

Does Vermont law address reusable (portable) tenant screening reports?

Not addressed. Portable screening report rule in Vermont: not addressed.

Where do the Vermont rental application fee laws come from?

The rules above come from 9 V.S.A. 4456a. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

A 2025 amendment (2025, No. 69, effective July 1, 2025) added that a landlord must accept other ID for background or credit checks and may not require a Social Security number.

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.