Vermont Warrant Search: How to View Warrant Records in Vermont

Warrants are documents that people would rather not have to deal with, but the presence of outstanding warrants may become an uncomfortable reality at some point.

Discovering and dealing with outstanding warrants quickly may go a long way towards making your circumstance a lot more manageable down the line.

Beyond helping you find out if you’re on the right side of the law, a Vermont warrant search can be useful for several other things.

For instance, a warrant search can reveal a lot about a potential employee or new neighbors.

If you need to check if you’ve had warrants issued against you, this article will show you the best ways to perform a warrant search in Vermont.

What is a Vermont Warrant?

Law enforcement officers need legal permission to arrest a person, search their space, or withhold their property, actions that are normally considered to be violations of a person’s rights.

Warrants are the legal backing that law enforcement officials need to carry out any of the above actions.

Warrants, particularly arrest and search warrants, are not issued lightly. 

Active warrants for arrest are only issued when the complaining officer can provide factual evidence that is sufficient to establish probable cause to hold the suspected offender accountable for the offense.

Probable cause refers to reasonable evidence that connects an individual to a crime.

It’s important for the lead prosecuting officer to ensure that the prerequisite of probable cause is fulfilled, or the case may be thrown out when it goes to trial.

In most cases, law enforcement officers are not required to notify an offender that there’s a warrant against them.

Law enforcement agencies typically do not actively execute bench warrants (except when it shows up during routine checks), but they may show up at an offender’s residence or workplace and arrest, search, or seize their property.

Warrants issued in the state of Vermont can generally be executed anywhere within the state by any law enforcement official. 

Types of Warrants in Vermont

Arrest warrants, search warrants, and bench warrants are three of the most common types of warrants issued by judges and grand juries in the state of Vermont.

Arrest Warrants in Vermont

First and foremost, law enforcement officers in Vermont are permitted by law to arrest lawbreakers without an arrest warrant if the time it would take to procure the warrant may give the offender a window of opportunity to escape or cause more harm to the victim and others.

This type of arrest is reserved for felonies or major misdemeanors. Yet, even without a warrant, law enforcement agents carrying out this type of arrest still need to ensure that probable cause is established.

That said, arrests with warrants are the most preferred and typical types of arrests in the state.

Vermont Search Warrants

When law enforcement officers suspect a space of hosting a criminal activity or harboring criminal evidence, they may obtain a search warrant from an impartial judge in the state.

This search warrant authorizes law enforcement officials to search areas specified in the warrant and also take specific items into their possession, if necessary, to be used as evidence.

However, before a judge issues a search warrant, the officer in charge of the investigation must make sure that the probable cause requirement is fulfilled. 

Vermont Bench Warrants

Bench warrants are issued at the discretion of judges in Vermont, consequently, there’s no need for the establishment of probable cause by law enforcement officials.

These warrants are typically served to people who fail to obey a court order, appear in court during their scheduled hearing dates, and pay their fines or meet other mandatory financial responsibilities.

Bench warrants may be issued without notifying the subject.

How to Find Warrants in Vermont

Thinking of performing a warrant search in Vermont for you or for other people? Here’s how you can go about it:

Vermont Criminal Information Center

If you’re looking for a fast and convenient way to perform a warrant search in Vermont, then the State Department of Public Safety’s Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC) may be your safest bet.

In addition to warrants, you can also get access to arrest and criminal records on the platform. Each search on the VCIC website attracts a charge of $30 payable by money order or check.

Vermont State Police

Like other state police departments, the Vermont State Police maintains criminal history records, which are made available to the public.

However, while arrest warrants, bench warrants, and criminal summons are easily accessible, search warrants and the information contained in them are not available for public scrutiny.

To use the VSP’s online criminal history search service, visit the VSP website. You may also request these records in person at:

Vermont State Police,

Police Report Request,

103 South Main Street,

Waterbury, VT 05671

Third-party Websites

Third-party websites boast a large database of records, making them excellent options for warrant searches in Vermont. These platforms are also easy to use, quick, and typically inexpensive.