Vermont Department of Corrections Inmate Bail & Bonds

It begins with the officer on scene. Burlington police, a town department, a deputy or a state trooper may write a citation, a slip listing a court date, then leave the person free until that day. The other path is lodging, where the person is driven to a DOC facility and kept there until a judge sees them.

• Lower-level charges. If the top penalty is less than two years in prison, a $1,000 fine or less, or both, a Court Administrator designee may set bail before court opens (13 V.S.A. § 7559a).
• All other charges. The judge decides at arraignment, the very first hearing. A lodged person usually sees the judge on the next business day.
• Domestic assault citations. Cited domestic assault cases come up the very next business day, with delay only for good cause (13 V.S.A. § 1048).

Arraignments happen at the Costello Courthouse, Chittenden Criminal Division, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 300, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-651-1950. People held at St. Albans or South Burlington often join by video. Deputies drive them over when the court wants them in the room.

Freedom before trial is the starting point. A Vermont judge has to let the person out on their word (personal recognizance) or with an unsecured appearance bond, which costs nothing unless court is missed. Tighter terms come in only when neither of those will keep the person from running (13 V.S.A. § 7554).

If tighter terms are needed, the law says to use the mildest one that will do the job. The menu looks like this:

• Staying with a trusted adult the judge names
• Rules about travel or about who they may be around
• Treatment for drinking or drugs
• A curfew, or orders to be back in custody by a set hour
• A secured bond, where the deposit paid to the clerk tops out at 10%
• A surety bond from a bail agent or other backer, or the full sum in cash
• Check-ins with a pretrial supervision program, where one runs
• Home detention on an ankle monitor, watched by DOC

No-contact orders protecting an alleged victim or witness start right away. The person signs a written release order that spells out each rule. For more on the statewide system, visit our Vermont bail laws page.

Judges in Chittenden do not work from a price list, and no Vermont court does. Every bail figure is set by hand, in that one case. Before asking for money, the judge has to weigh what this person can actually pay (13 V.S.A. § 7554).

Things that push the figure up or down:

• The type of charge, and how many counts were filed
• Whether probation, parole or another release was already in place
• How faithfully past court orders were kept
• Past no-shows in court

Small cases get extra protection. Someone cited for a misdemeanor pays no bail at the first appearance. The same goes for a misdemeanor that qualifies for sealing later. If bail ever becomes needed on that sealable charge, $200 is the most allowed. That limit drops away for someone already out on release in a different case (13 V.S.A. § 7551).

To hear the exact sum, ring the Cherry Street clerk at 802-651-1950 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Yes. When the courthouse is closed, bail can be paid at whichever DOC facility has the person. Staff there must free the person once they have the judge's release order and the full sum, and they hand you a receipt (13 V.S.A. § 7559a). DOC forwards the money to the court afterward.

• For men: Northwest State Correctional Facility, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771. DOC calls it the closest detention site for Burlington and the rest of the county.
• For women: Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356. No other women's prison exists in Vermont.

1. Check the locator so you drive to the right building.
2. Phone that facility with their legal name and the day they were born.
3. Ask the amount, which docket it is on, desk hours for bail and accepted payment.
4. Carry photo ID plus the payment.
5. Guard the receipt. It is your proof for any refund.

Men from this county can land elsewhere, since DOC shifts people for space or care. These sites are possible too:

• Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, 167 State Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-786-5830: men, mostly pretrial
• Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151: men, with its own work camp
• Northern State Correctional Facility, 2559 Glen Road, Newport, VT 05855, 802-334-3364: men, the state's largest
• Southern State Correctional Facility, 700 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156, 802-909-2601: men needing medical or mental health care
• Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, 19351 US Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963: a Mississippi contract prison for sentenced men only, so bail never comes up there

During the day, pay at the Chittenden Criminal Division clerk's window, Costello Courthouse, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 300, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-651-1950. Then the clerk notifies DOC and sends the release order.

• Open: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Shut: state holidays, plus noon to 4:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month for staff training.
• General email: ChittendenUnit@vtcourts.gov

1. Tell the clerk the person's name, plus the docket number when you know it.
2. Have the clerk walk you through every condition on the order, not only the cash part.
3. Pay and take a receipt showing the docket.
4. Ask about how soon the facility usually gets word.

Payment rules can shift, so call before you leave home. In court hours that means the clerk at 802-651-1950. At night it means the DOC facility. Find out if cash is fine, whether they take money orders or bank checks, and what name to write as payee.

• Bail is a face-to-face payment. Online Judiciary payments are only for tickets and fines.
• Paying in cash? Bring the exact amount.
• Never put cash in an envelope to a court or prison.
• Every deposit or cash payment should earn you a receipt.

If the receipt goes missing, file the Judiciary's Lost Bail Receipt Affidavit, a sworn statement that stands in for it.

Yes. They are legal here. The Department of Financial Regulation must license each bondsman, an insurer must appoint them, and the Court Administrator must sign off (13 V.S.A. § 7554a).

• The agent takes a cut, figured as a percentage of the bail, and promises the court the whole amount.
• That cut is gone for good, win or lose.
• Some agents want collateral, like a vehicle title. State rules require a trust account for it. Read every line of the contract.
• A no-show can lead the court to order the agent to produce the person.

The Judiciary keeps an approved bail bond agent list. Check a name there first.

A bail payment frees someone from one docket only. Ask facility staff, before you hand over money, to read off each hold tied to the person. Common ones:

• More than one case. Every open docket carries its own terms.
• Probation or parole trouble. A violation can mean its own hold. The nearest DOC field office is Burlington Probation and Parole, 50 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-863-7350.
• Another court's warrant. Someone elsewhere, even out of state, may want them first.
• A sentence in progress. Time being served keeps them in DOC care.
• No-bail orders. A few grave charges come with no bail at all.
• Federal or ICE papers. State bail lifts neither one.

Home detention is still DOC custody, even with the person sleeping in their own bed.

Under the Vermont Constitution, bail is the rule for almost everyone, and excessive amounts are barred (Vt. Const. ch. II § 40). The exceptions are narrow:

• Charges that carry life. If the proof of guilt is great, the judge may refuse bail (13 V.S.A. § 7553).
• Violent felonies. The proof must be great. Clear and convincing evidence also has to prove a violent danger that no rules could block (13 V.S.A. § 7553a).
• Misbehavior on release. Bail may be revoked for scaring a witness or victim, skipping court or a fresh serious charge (13 V.S.A. § 7575).

Anyone kept without bail must see a trial start within 60 days. If the 60 days run out and the defense did not cause the delay, a prompt bail hearing must follow (13 V.S.A. § 7553b).

Requests to hold someone come from the Chittenden County State's Attorney, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 305, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-863-2865.

A person sitting in St. Albans or South Burlington because they can't meet their terms gets a quick second look. Once the defense files, the judge has 48 hours to review. Someone already out who wants changed rules waits up to five working days (13 V.S.A. § 7554).

1. Ask the lawyer to file the motion on paper.
2. Pull together pay stubs, a lease or letter from a landlord, family ties and an honest budget.
3. Offer a fix for what worries the judge, like a curfew or treatment.
4. Lose the request? An appeal can go to a single Vermont Supreme Court Justice (13 V.S.A. § 7556).

Someone held over seven days because bail can't be met can seek a home detention review. Separately, a judge may order a voluntary risk screen by a pretrial services coordinator for someone who can't post within 24 hours (13 V.S.A. § 7554c). The clerk at 802-651-1950 handles scheduling.

Anyone who can't pay a lawyer for a serious charge can request one at arraignment. The form to use is the court's Application for Public Defender Services, and a clerk screens it. A judge can revisit a no.

• In Burlington: Chittenden Public Defender Office, 192 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-863-6323.
• Statewide: Office of the Defender General, 6 Baldwin Street, 4th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05633-3301, 802-828-3168.

Expect a $50 assignment fee within 60 days. The court can drop it for someone unable to pay. Households above 125% of the poverty line pay a sliding share of what the case costs. Kids in juvenile cases are never billed (13 V.S.A. § 5238).

Nearly every adult criminal case here runs through the Costello Courthouse. Here is each court a family might deal with:

• Criminal Division, for misdemeanors and felonies: 32 Cherry Street, Suite 300, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-651-1950, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Family Division, for youth: 32 Cherry Street, Suite 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-651-1709
• Adult treatment dockets, for drug and mental health cases: also at the Costello Courthouse; the team answers at 802-951-5716
• Judicial Bureau, statewide, for civil tickets like speeding: 55 Railroad Row, White River Junction, VT 05001, 802-652-1900
• Federal court, for U.S. charges: 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301

The Civil Division sits at 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-863-3467. It handles lawsuits, so bail goes to Cherry Street instead.

A secured deposit is repaid after the person has made every required court date. Cash bail stays with the case until the court releases it or a sentence is handed down (13 V.S.A. § 7551). Your receipt proves the money is yours.

The only thing that costs you the bond is a no-show. Breaking a curfew or contact rule can get the person arrested, yet the bond itself survives (13 V.S.A. § 7560a).

• When a court date is missed, the judge may order an arrest. After notice goes out and a hearing takes place, the bail can be kept.
• A surety gets 14 days to respond and may be told to bring the person to court.
• Down the road, a surety can seek a full or partial return in the interests of justice (13 V.S.A. § 7570).
• Missing court is chargeable too, with up to two years and $5,000 on the line (13 V.S.A. § 7559).

Refund questions go to the Cherry Street clerk at 802-651-1950.

Leftover account funds are paid out by State of Vermont check at the door. Mention it to staff on the way out so it does not get missed.

Phones, keys, wallets and clothes are a separate pickup. Call ahead to learn the pickup times and whether the person must sign something letting you collect.

• Northwest State Correctional Facility, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771
• Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356

Carry photo ID. Our inmate money page covers deposits and balances.

Federal cases from Chittenden are heard right in Burlington, at the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301. State bail law does not reach these cases.

• Release in a federal case turns on 18 U.S.C. 3142. Expect that hearing at or soon after the first appearance, though defense counsel can ask for a brief postponement.
• Federal detainees awaiting trial are the Marshals' responsibility, and the U.S. Marshals Service office shares that Elmwood Avenue building: 11 Elmwood Avenue, Unit 601, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6271.
• Marshals often house people in DOC sites: Northwest State, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771; Chittenden Regional, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356; or Marble Valley, 167 State Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-786-5830. Some end up out of state, in Rhode Island, New York or New Hampshire jails.
• Federal Public Defender: 95 Pine Street, Suite 150, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-862-6990.

After a federal sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Not by itself. ICE holds work apart from state bail. Here is the order:

1. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) sends the facility Form I-247A. This detainer is a written request to hold the person.
2. Under federal rules, the hold may last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Agents come to collect the person, and ICE picks the next location. The ICE Boston Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803, 781-359-7500, oversees Vermont.
4. ICE's Vermont check-in office is at 64 Gricebrook Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-527-3801.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator with a name and birth country.

Under 20 V.S.A. § 2366, police across Vermont work under one model policy on fair and impartial policing. Local rules may never allow closer work with immigration agents than that model permits. Even so, DOC does house some people briefly for ICE, for a median of six days in 2025.

After a prison sentence, the DOC Commissioner chooses the place, not the judge (28 V.S.A. § 701). These are all the sites in use:

• Northern State Correctional Facility, 2559 Glen Road, Newport, VT 05855, 802-334-3364. Men. The largest site, 433 beds, home to violent-offense programs.
• Southern State Correctional Facility, 700 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156, 802-909-2601. Men. Medical, mental health and older residents, plus hospice and an Honors Unit.
• Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151. Men. Minimum through close custody, and a work camp building.
• Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, 167 State Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-786-5830. Men. Mostly pretrial, with a unit for juveniles when needed.
• Northwest State Correctional Facility, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771. Men. Federal detainees too, and the main sex offender treatment site.
• Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356. Women, sentenced and pretrial alike.
• Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, 19351 US Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963. CoreCivic operates it, and DOC sends some sentenced men there by contract. DOC Central Office answers questions at 802-241-2442.

Track a move on the Offender Locator, and browse our Vermont state prisons pages.

Teens go before the Family Division, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-651-1709, not the adult criminal court. A child must be at least 12 for a delinquency case. Most 18-year-olds go there too, the gravest crimes aside. The court adds 19-year-olds on July 1, 2027.

• Teens aged 14 to 16 who face some serious charges get a short deadline: the youth sees a judge and goes free no later than 24 hours after the arrest (13 V.S.A. § 7554).
• Red Clover Treatment Center, opened in October 2024, is the lone locked youth unit in the state, with room for four.
• The state's DCF Family Services unit supervises teens placed on juvenile probation.
• No public defender fee is ever charged to a juvenile.

The Family Division clerk knows which site has the teen and the court date.