Trapping Laws in Vermont: Licenses, Seasons, Trap Rules, and Penalties
October 19, 2026
Trapping laws in Vermont are some of the most detailed in the country, and they changed in a big way on January 1, 2024. Foothold traps now need specific swivels and chain lengths, body-gripping traps are limited by size and height, and meat bait must be covered. Live-caught animals must be dispatched promptly, not left in the trap.
This article covers who needs a license, which species you can trap and when, which traps are legal, how often you must check them, and where you can set them. It also covers pelt tagging, reporting, and what happens if you break the rules.
Regulations change, so treat this as a plain-language overview and confirm details with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department before the season opens. If you also hunt, our Vermont hunting laws guide covers the related rules.
Is Trapping Legal in Vermont
Yes. Trapping is legal in Vermont during regulated seasons, and the state manages it as a conservation tool. According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, trapping here is strictly regulated to conserve wildlife populations for future generations.
The rules come from the Furbearer Species Rule (10 App. V.S.A. § 44). The Fish and Wildlife Board creates and approves hunting and trapping rules, and the department implements and enforces them, as VTDigger reported. The board adopted the current amended rule in December 2023, after Act 159 of 2022 told the department to make trapping practices more humane.
State law also overrides local rules. Under Vermont statute, towns and cities cannot directly regulate hunting, fishing, or trapping, or the possession and sale of traps. A town cannot ban trapping with its own ordinance, so the state rules are the ones that count.
Key Insight: Vermont’s trapping rules are enforced by game wardens, and the department says anyone whose pet is caught in a trap should report it to a warden after freeing the animal.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Vermont
You need a Vermont trapping license to trap on land you do not own. The Vermont eRegulations page also says a trapping license is required if you trap for compensation, and that anyone dealing in pelts needs a fur buyer’s license.
Before you can buy a license, you must show one of the following, according to the Fish and Wildlife Department:
- A previous or current trapping license from any state or Canadian province
- A certificate showing you completed a trapper education course in any state or Canadian province
- A signed affidavit saying you held a trapping license before
First-time trappers in Vermont take the department’s trapper education course. The department has said the new regulations are taught in that course for new trappers. State law lets the commissioner provide basic trapper education, and it creates a resident youth license for applicants aged 17 or under on the purchase date, as shown in 10 V.S.A. § 4254a.
Landowners get a limited break. A person trapping furbearers in defense of their own property does not need the same license, but anyone who sets traps for compensation on another person’s property in defense of that property must hold a valid trapping license. That point comes from a Vermont Agency of Agriculture report summarizing the statute. If you run a nuisance wildlife business, see our guide to wildlife removal laws in Vermont.
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Vermont
Vermont opens its regulated land and water trapping seasons in late October. In 2025, the season opened October 25, with land sets allowed through December for species such as fox, coyote, and raccoon. Water and under-ice sets for beaver, muskrat, and otter ran through March 2026. Check the department’s 2026 dates before you set anything, because the opening day shifts from year to year.
Vermont’s eRegulations lists these furbearing species you may trap: beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, grey fox, red fox, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, raccoon, skunk, and weasel. There is no open season on marten, lynx, or wolf. The department says the open species have healthy populations that can sustain regulated trapping.
| Species Group | Typical Season Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Land species (fox, coyote, raccoon, fisher) | Late October through December | Dates set annually by the department |
| Water species (beaver, muskrat, otter) | Late October through March | Water and under-ice sets |
| Marten, lynx, wolf | No open season | Report any incidental capture of lynx or marten immediately |
Important Note: Season dates in this article come from the 2024 and 2025 announcements. The 2026 opening date and any bag limit changes should be confirmed in the current Vermont Guide to Hunting and Trapping Laws.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Vermont
This is where the 2024 changes hit hardest. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s rule overview and the rule text at 10 App. V.S.A. § 44 set the standards below.
Foothold Traps on Land
Foothold traps set on land must have a base plate with a center chain mount and swivel, a free-moving chain, and at least two additional swivels. They must be anchored with a chain between 12 and 18 inches long between the base plate and the start of the anchoring system.
Body-Gripping Traps on Land
A body-gripping trap on land is legal only if it meets one of these conditions:
- It is under 40 square inches and set without bait.
- It is over 40 but under 60 square inches and set 5 feet or more above the ground.
- It is over 40 but under 60 square inches and set in an anchored enclosure that meets the rule’s requirements.
- It is over 60 square inches, in which case it may only be set in the water.
Bait, Toothed Traps, and Snares
All meat-based bait must be covered when the trap is set, using brush, branches, leaves, soil, snow, water, or a built enclosure. Toothed foothold traps and snares are prohibited. Protect Our Wildlife Vermont, an advocacy group opposed to trapping, notes that Vermont banned snares in 1923 and that a 2014 repeal attempt failed.
Taking a furbearer with a poisonous mixture is prohibited, except for humane dispatch such as CO2. Live-trapped animals must be killed immediately by the trapper using a firearm, muzzleloader, bow, or crossbow, according to the department’s BMP summary.
Trap Check Requirements in Vermont
Vermont sets a daily check for most traps. Under the rule, you must visit your traps at least once every calendar day and dispatch or release any animal caught in them.
There is a longer window for certain water and ice sets. Body-gripping traps in the water or under the ice, colony or cage traps underwater, and foothold traps under the ice must be visited at least once every three calendar days.
| Trap Setting | Check Interval |
|---|---|
| Traps on land | At least once every calendar day |
| Body-gripping traps in water or under ice | At least once every 3 calendar days |
| Colony or cage traps underwater | At least once every 3 calendar days |
| Foothold traps under ice | At least once every 3 calendar days |
The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends checking traps at least once every 24 hours, a point the department cited in its report to the legislature. Vermont’s land rule matches that standard.
Pro Tip: Keep a simple log with the date, time, and location of each check. If a warden asks about your trap line, a written record shows you followed the daily or three-day rule.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Vermont
You need landowner permission before setting traps on private land. On public land you can generally trap during season, but setbacks apply almost everywhere people gather.
According to Vermont eRegulations, you must keep traps at least 50 feet from the traveled portion of a legal public trail or public highway. Traps must also be at least 100 feet from public buildings, parking lots, shelters, pavilions, schools, camps, campgrounds, designated wildlife viewing areas, and recreational facilities such as ball fields and tennis courts. Schools, camps, and campgrounds can give explicit permission to waive the 100-foot setback.
The department’s press release says the 50-foot trail setback does not apply to traps set in the water or under ice. Wildlife Management Unit E has extra rules: from the fourth Saturday in October to December 31, all body-gripping traps there must be set in the water or meet other listed conditions in the rule.
If you walk a dog on trails in fall, review our Vermont leash laws guide, since leashing is the simplest way to avoid trap conflicts. Livestock owners should also see livestock fence laws in Vermont.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Vermont
Every trap needs your name and address, and you must tag and report certain species. Traps set on land other than your own must have your name and address permanently stamped or engraved on the trap, or on a rustless tag securely attached to it. Traps under ice must also have a tag visible above the ice.
Bobcat, Fisher, and Otter Pelts
If you take a bobcat, fisher, or otter and want to keep the pelt, you must notify authorized department staff within 84 hours of the take, per the adopted furbearer rule. The pelt must be presented for tagging, the tag stays on until the pelt is tanned, and the carcass is surrendered at tagging. None of these pelts may leave Vermont before they are tagged.
Other Reporting Duties
- Report any domestic dog or cat caught to a warden within 24 hours of discovery.
- Notify the department immediately if you capture a lynx or marten.
- Report bobcat, fisher, and otter harvest to a warden within 48 hours of season end.
- Submit an annual trapper’s report if you hold a license, even if you did not trap.
Important Note: The eRegulations page lists the annual trapper’s report as required, with a non-point violation for failing to file. The reporting windows above come from the Vermont eRegulations page (last updated December 15, 2025), so confirm current deadlines with a warden.
Selling is separate from trapping. Anyone dealing in pelts must hold a valid Vermont fur buyer’s license, so a trapper who wants to sell to the public or to a dealer should check how that license applies to them first.
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Vermont
The sources I reviewed do not list fine amounts for trapping violations, so I will not guess at dollar figures. What they do show is how violations are classified and enforced. The eRegulations page says failing to submit the annual trapper’s report results in a non-point violation.
The most serious exposure is interfering with someone else’s lawful traps. The department states plainly that it is illegal to interfere with lawfully set traps in Vermont. If you find a trap that looks like it violates the rules, contact a game warden instead of disturbing it.
Game wardens enforce these rules. Violations of the furbearer rule fall under Vermont’s fish and wildlife statutes, and penalties can include fines and loss of license privileges. Check Title 10 of the Vermont Statutes or ask a warden for the current penalty schedule before relying on any specific figure.
- Do not move, spring, or remove a legally set trap.
- If a trap appears illegal, note the location and call a warden.
- If your pet is caught, free it, then report to a warden.
For related rules, see our guides on roadkill laws in Vermont and duck hunting laws in Vermont.