The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- Vermont
- Level
- State
- Authority
- police power of the State; 18 V.S.A. sec. 2(4) ('Health officer' means the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner's designee, or a local or district health officer)
- Effective
- standing; in force throughout March 2020 to September 2021
- End
- standing (read as 2021-09-30)
- In force
- Standing (a statutory duty; in force throughout the six quarters)
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Business closureQuarantine and isolationStanding duty
- Addressees
- persons generally; owners or persons in control of premises; specified businesses (any place of assemblage, food or lodging establishment)
- Character
- statutory authority
- Collection
- Standing duties: Vermont DUT-VT
Operative words
A health officer may, without a prior hearing, issue an emergency health order when necessary to prevent, remove, or destroy an imminent and substantial public health hazard or to mitigate an imminent and substantial significant public health risk. Such order may include any actions available under section 126 of this title. An emergency health order shall be effective upon actual notice
Penalty
18 V.S.A. sec. 130 (civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation per day; injunction) and sec. 131 (criminal fine up to $5,000 per day; refusal: up to $25,000 or six months, or both)
What it required
Any person to whom a health officer (the Commissioner, the Commissioner's designee or a local health officer) directs an emergency health order to take, immediately upon actual notice and without a prior hearing, any of the section 126 actions, including quarantine, isolation, closure and prohibition of assemblage, against an imminent and substantial public health hazard. Character as recorded: statutory_authority (enabling power; binds through the orders issued under it).
Retrieval noteCurrent text rendered September 29, 2026; subsection (a) is the 1985 text. Subsection (c) gives the person 'the opportunity for a hearing within five business days after the issuance of such order' (before the Commissioner for a State order; before the selectboard for a local order). Local health officers exercised this power in 2020-2021 in consultation with the Department, as 18 V.S.A. sec. 602a(a)(4) requires (Ex. DUT-VT-008).