Vermont Moose Collision Laws: Up to $3,000 in Fines for Leaving the Scene
November 1, 2026
Moose collision laws in Vermont rest on two different bodies of law: the motor vehicle code, which governs what you must do as a driver, and the fish and wildlife rules, which govern what happens to the animal. Most drivers know only the first. The second decides who owns the carcass and whether you can ever claim the meat.
A moose can weigh several hundred pounds and stands tall enough that the body often comes through the windshield. The legal consequences of the crash start the moment you stop, and the penalties for leaving can reach a felony. This article explains each step in the order you are likely to face it.
Moose Collision Laws in Vermont: Quick Overview
Vermont treats a moose collision as a motor vehicle crash first and a wildlife matter second. You must stop, give your information, and notify law enforcement when the crash meets the reporting threshold. The animal itself belongs to the state, not to you or the landowner.
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| Must you stop? | Yes. Under 23 V.S.A. § 1128, you must stop and render reasonable assistance when a crash causes injury or property damage. |
| Penalty for leaving | Up to $2,000 and two years; up to $3,000 and five years with serious bodily injury; up to $3,000 and 15 years if death results. |
| Who to call | 911 for state highways and the interstate; Vermont State Police or a game warden for the animal. |
| Can you keep the meat? | Only with permission and a tag from Fish and Wildlife. |
| Can you sue the state? | Vermont law offers no special moose-damage claim process; your own insurance is the usual route. |
The penalty figures come from the Vermont statute on crashes and the duty to stop. For roadkill rules beyond moose, see the related article on roadkill laws in Vermont.
Do You Have to Report a Moose Collision in Vermont?
Yes, in most real-world situations. According to the Vermont State Police, as relayed by The Bridge, motorists who injure or kill a deer, moose or bear on the interstate or a state highway must notify law enforcement, and the way to do that is to call 911.
Separately, the crash-reporting rules for vehicle damage depend on the cost of the harm. Third-party summaries put the threshold at $3,000 in total property damage or any injury, but the statute you can rely on for the duty to stop is 23 V.S.A. § 1128, which applies whenever there is injury to another person or damage to property other than your own vehicle.
A moose is large enough that most collisions exceed any reporting threshold. Treat every moose strike as reportable. Reporting also helps wildlife managers, who track where and when these crashes happen.
Who to Call After Hitting a Moose in Vermont
Call 911 first. The dispatcher can send the Vermont State Police, local police, medical responders and a game warden as needed. You do not need to work out which agency has jurisdiction before you dial.
- 911: for any injury, a blocked lane, a live animal, or a crash on an interstate or state highway.
- Vermont State Police or local police: to file the crash report your insurer will ask for.
- A game warden (through dispatch): for the animal, including a dead moose you want to claim or a live one that needs to be put down.
- Your insurer: after the scene is safe.
The state’s own advice is that wardens handle the animal side of the call. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reported that motorists hit 36 moose on Vermont highways during 2022 and 41 in the following year to the date of that release, so wardens respond to these calls regularly.
What to Do at the Scene After Hitting a Moose in Vermont
Your legal duty under 23 V.S.A. § 1128 is to stop immediately and render any assistance reasonably necessary. Section 1102(g) of the same title governs where you stop, so you should pull out of traffic if you can do so safely.
You must also give your name, residence, license number and the vehicle owner’s name to anyone injured or whose property is damaged, and to any enforcement officer.
Pro Tip: Stay inside the vehicle with your seatbelt fastened and hazard lights on until you know the road is safe. Other drivers have the same trouble seeing a dark animal that you did, a point the same Vermont State Police guidance makes about visibility after a collision.
Do not approach a downed moose. Vermont Fish and Wildlife warns that moose can be unpredictable and dangerous if they feel cornered or irritated, and an injured animal can still kick or charge.
- Check yourself and passengers for injury and call 911.
- Turn on hazard lights and set flares or reflective triangles only if it is safe to leave the vehicle.
- Photograph the vehicle, the animal’s position, the road, and any moose crossing signs.
- Exchange the information § 1128 requires with anyone else involved.
- Wait for officers before moving the vehicle unless it is a hazard.
Who Is at Fault When You Hit a Moose in Vermont?
Vermont is an at-fault state, meaning the party responsible for a crash pays for the resulting damage. A moose is a wild animal with no owner, so there is usually no other party to hold responsible. Your own coverage typically absorbs the loss.
Fault can still matter for passengers and other vehicles. If you swerve into oncoming traffic or a second car strikes yours after the collision, those facts are assessed under ordinary negligence rules. Driving too fast for conditions can also count against you, and Fish and Wildlife advises drivers not to overdrive their headlights.
Leaving the scene is a separate matter. Fault for the crash does not erase the duty to stop, and the penalties for leaving apply even when the moose caused the collision.
Does Insurance Cover Hitting a Moose in Vermont?
Damage from striking an animal is generally handled under the comprehensive (other than collision) portion of an auto policy, not the collision portion. Comprehensive coverage is optional in Vermont, so your policy must include it for the repair to be paid. Check your declarations page for the coverage and the deductible.
Vermont’s state-published fault and reporting rules do not change how an insurer prices or pays an animal-strike claim, so the terms of your own policy control. File promptly and give the insurer the police report number, your photos and the repair estimate.
Liability-only coverage will not pay to fix your vehicle after a moose strike. If another vehicle is hit as a result of the collision, your liability coverage may respond to that separate claim.
Can You Sue the State for Moose Collision Damage in Vermont?
Wild moose are not owned by anyone, and Vermont law does not set up a program that pays drivers for collision damage. The state manages the herd for the public, and the rules governing moose are written around hunting seasons, tagging and damage control rather than driver compensation.
The fish and wildlife regulations do recognize that moose cause harm in narrow situations, but the remedy is aimed at landowners. A landowner may take a moose that repeatedly damages sap-collection tubing, fencing or Christmas trees, but only with prior approval from a game warden. That provision does not extend to motorists.
If you believe a road defect, such as missing signage or a hazard the state controlled, contributed to the crash, speak with a Vermont attorney about whether any claim exists. For the moose itself, plan on your insurance as the recovery route.
Who Owns the Moose After a Collision in Vermont?
The state does. Vermont holds fish and wildlife in trust for the public, and the Legislature’s own fish and wildlife regulations open by declaring that safeguarding this resource is in the interest of the public welfare. A moose you hit does not become yours because you caused its death.
That is why the game warden, not the driver, decides what happens to the carcass. Wardens also collect biological information. According to The Bridge, a warden will generally remove a tooth from a bear or moose for analysis, which feeds population management.
The ownership rule also explains why taking the animal without authorization is a violation, even when you are the person who hit it.
Can You Keep the Meat From a Moose You Hit in Vermont?
Possibly, but only with permission. Taking a roadkill moose for meat is illegal without a tag issued by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. You cannot simply load it into your truck.
The process described by The Bridge is that wardens first offer a salvageable deer, moose or bear to the person who hit it. If the carcass is usable and you want it, tell the responding officer or warden. They will confirm the animal is fit to salvage and issue the authorization.
Key Insight: Authorization comes before you touch the carcass. Field dressing or hauling it away first is the mistake that turns a legal salvage into a wildlife violation.
Hunters follow a different path. A moose taken legally in season must be reported at a check station within 48 hours, and no moose may leave Vermont without being reported, under the Moose Management Rule. A collision moose is handled through the warden’s salvage process instead.
Who Gets the Moose Meat If You Can’t Keep It in Vermont?
If you decline the animal or cannot take it, the warden decides where it goes. Vermont’s salvage practice works on a permission-and-tag basis, and the specific recipient is at the warden’s discretion rather than set by a published list in the statutes.
The state’s rules do show how it treats moose meat in other situations. When a landowner kills a moose under the damage-control provision, the carcass cannot be sold or given away except as compensation to the designated agent, and the person who kills the moose must immediately dress the carcass and care for the meat.
Those rules show the state’s priority: meat is not wasted, and it is not sold. If you are offered the moose and refuse, ask the warden how it will be handled, since they control the disposition.
What Happens If the Moose Is Still Alive in Vermont?
Stay away from it and call 911. A wounded moose is dangerous, and you have no general authority to kill it yourself. Wait for a game warden or officer to take over.
The Vermont State Police guidance reported by The Bridge notes that when response time will be long, a game warden, dispatcher or another law enforcement officer can give someone at the scene permission to euthanize the animal. That permission comes from officials, and you should not act without it.
If the animal is down but breathing, keep traffic away and keep your distance. The kill decision, the carcass and any salvage all follow from the warden’s instructions.
Is It Illegal to Hit a Moose on Purpose or Leave the Scene in Vermont?
Leaving the scene is illegal, and the penalties climb with the harm caused. Under 23 V.S.A. § 1128, a violation carries up to $2,000 and two years in prison, or both.
| Crash Outcome | Maximum Fine | Maximum Prison Term |
|---|---|---|
| Injury or property damage | $2,000 | 2 years |
| Serious bodily injury | $3,000 | 5 years |
| Death | $3,000 | 15 years (minimum 1 year) |
Hitting a moose on purpose is a different problem, because the animal is state property. Intentionally killing one outside the hunting rules is poaching, and the hunting rules are strict. The Moose Management Rule bars anyone from shooting a moose within 100 yards of a town, state or federal highway, and the state’s three moose seasons are permit-only.
For wider background on lawful moose and other game take, see the article on hunting laws in Vermont.
When and Where Moose Collisions Happen in Vermont
Most collisions happen at night and in the early morning, and the fall breeding season raises the risk. The Vermont State Police guidance relayed by The Bridge says moose rut in September, and hits increase during that time. Moose are dark and hard to see, which is why Fish and Wildlife stresses slowing down.
The Fish and Wildlife Department lists these stretches as the most frequented by moose:
- Route 105 from Island Pond to Bloomfield
- Route 114 from East Burke to Canaan
- Route 2 from Lunenburg to East St. Johnsbury
- Interstate 91 at Sheffield Heights
- Interstate 89 from Bolton to Montpelier
- Route 12 from Worcester to Elmore
- Route 118 near Belvidere Corners and the Route 109 intersection
The department also states that nineteen people have died in moose collisions on Vermont highways since 1985. On secondary roads, the recommended speed in moose crossing areas is 40 mph or less.
These crashes cluster in the Northeast Kingdom, so drivers there carry the most exposure. Related state wildlife rules appear in the guides to wildlife removal laws in Vermont and deer collision liability laws in a neighboring state.
Moose Collision Laws in Vermont: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to stop if I hit a moose in Vermont?
Yes. Section 1128 requires you to stop immediately and render reasonable assistance after a crash that injures a person or damages property other than your own vehicle.
What is the penalty for leaving the scene?
The base penalty is a fine of up to $2,000, up to two years in prison, or both. Serious bodily injury raises it to $3,000 and five years, and a death raises the maximum prison term to 15 years.
Can I take the moose home?
Not without authorization. Taking roadkill moose for meat requires a tag from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and wardens first offer a salvageable animal to the driver.
Who do I call?
Call 911. State police guidance says drivers who injure or kill a moose on an interstate or state highway must notify law enforcement that way.
Can I shoot an injured moose myself?
No. Only a game warden, dispatcher or law enforcement officer can give permission to euthanize the animal when response time is long.
Will insurance pay for the damage?
Typically only if your policy includes comprehensive coverage. Liability-only policies do not repair your own vehicle after an animal strike.
Where are moose most common on Vermont roads?
The Northeast Kingdom routes listed above, plus Interstate 89 between Bolton and Montpelier, are the sections Fish and Wildlife names as most frequented.