Vermont: Landlord Entry Notice Requirements
The short answer
A Vermont landlord may enter with your consent at any time (you can't unreasonably refuse). Without your consent, the landlord must give at least 48 hours' notice, may enter only between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and only to inspect, make repairs, supply agreed services, or show the unit. The only time a landlord may enter with no consent and no notice is when they reasonably believe there is imminent danger to a person or to property — Vermont's version of the emergency exception.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Vermont. Ezel applies current Vermont law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | 9 V.S.A. § 4460 ('Access'), the access section of Vermont's Residential Rental Agreements act (Title 9, ch. 137). Entry rests on either the tenant's consent or 48 hours' notice for a listed purpose. Added 1985 (No. 175 (Adj. Sess.), § 1) |
|---|---|
| Advance notice required | At least 48 hours for a non-consent entry. The landlord 'may also enter the dwelling unit for the following purposes between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. on no less than 48 hours' notice' (§ 4460(b)). Alternatively the landlord may enter with the tenant's consent at any time, and that consent 'shall not be unreasonably withheld' (§ 4460(a)). The same 48-hour rule covers showings |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | When necessary to inspect the premises; to make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements; to supply agreed services; or to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers, or contractors (§ 4460(b)). Entry with the tenant's consent (§ 4460(a)) is not limited to this list, but a landlord relying on 48 hours' notice instead of consent may enter only for these purposes |
| Permitted hours | A hard window: 'between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M.' (§ 4460(b)). A non-consent entry outside those hours is not authorized; an imminent-danger entry is exempt |
| When no notice is needed | One: imminent danger. 'A landlord may only enter the dwelling unit without consent or notice when the landlord has a reasonable belief that there is imminent danger to any person or to property' (§ 4460(c)) — Vermont's emergency exception, such as an apparent fire or gas leak. Contemporaneous consent (§ 4460(a)) also dispenses with the 48-hour notice |
| Form and delivery of the notice | The statute requires at least 48 hours' notice but does not prescribe a form (written or oral) or a delivery method — it fixes the timing (48 hours) and the hours of entry (9 a.m.–9 p.m.), not the manner of the notice (§ 4460(b)) |
| Special rules for showings | No separate showing rule. Exhibiting the unit to purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers, or contractors is one of the listed purposes and carries the same 48-hour notice and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. window as any other non-consent entry (§ 4460(b)). See the advance-notice column |
| Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry | Section 4460 sets no penalty for a wrongful entry. A tenant's recourse is common-law and general — a claim for breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment or trespass, an injunction to stop repeated intrusions, and damages; an entry with no consent, no 48-hour notice, and no imminent danger is unauthorized and can support that claim. The mirror duty runs to the tenant: consent to a lawful entry 'shall not be unreasonably withheld' (§ 4460(a)) |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
Requirements one by one
Advance notice required
Vermont builds its rule around two paths. The landlord may enter with your consent at
any time, and you "shall not [] unreasonably withhold[]" that consent (§ 4460(a)).
Without your consent, the landlord must give "no less than 48 hours' notice" and may
enter only "between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M." (§ 4460(b)). So 48 hours is
the floor for any entry you have not separately agreed to, and it applies to showings
just as to repairs.
Reasons a landlord may enter
For a 48-hour-notice entry, § 4460(b) lists the purposes: to inspect the premises; to
make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements; to supply agreed
services; or to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees,
tenants, workers, or contractors. A consented entry under § 4460(a) is not tied to this
list — but if the landlord is relying on notice rather than your agreement, the entry
must be for one of these reasons.
Permitted hours
Vermont fixes a clock: a non-consent entry may occur only "between the hours of 9:00
A.M. and 9:00 P.M." (§ 4460(b)). An entry outside that window needs either your consent
or a genuine imminent-danger situation.
When no notice is needed
Vermont's emergency exception is phrased as imminent danger: "A landlord may only enter
the dwelling unit without consent or notice when the landlord has a reasonable belief
that there is imminent danger to any person or to property" (§ 4460(c)). An apparent
fire, a gas leak, or a burst pipe fits; a landlord's general curiosity does not. Your
contemporaneous consent (§ 4460(a)) also removes the need for 48 hours' notice.
Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry
Section 4460 does not set a dollar penalty. A tenant facing entries with no consent, no
48-hour notice, and no imminent danger can treat them as unlawful and pursue common-law
relief — an injunction to stop repeated intrusions, damages, and a claim for breach of
the covenant of quiet enjoyment or trespass. The access right runs both ways: your
consent to a lawful, properly-noticed entry "shall not be unreasonably withheld"
(§ 4460(a)).
What trips people up
It's 48 hours, and only 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Vermont pairs a two-day notice with a hard
daily window (§ 4460(b)). A next-day notice, or a 7 a.m. or 10 p.m. entry, does not
comply unless you consented or there is imminent danger.
"Imminent danger," not just any "emergency." Section 4460(c) lets a landlord skip
consent and notice only on a "reasonable belief that there is imminent danger to any
person or to property." It is a narrow test — a real, immediate threat, not a
convenience.
Consent is a real alternative — and you can't unreasonably refuse it. If you agree
to a time, the landlord need not wait 48 hours; and § 4460(a) says you "shall not []
unreasonably withhold[]" consent to a lawful entry.
Common questions
How much notice does my Vermont landlord need to enter? At least 48 hours, and only
between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., for one of the listed purposes — unless you consent or there
is imminent danger (§ 4460).
Can my landlord enter without notice in an emergency? Only for imminent danger: the
landlord "may only enter ... without consent or notice when the landlord has a
reasonable belief that there is imminent danger to any person or to property"
(§ 4460(c)).
Does my landlord need 48 hours if I say yes to a time? No. Entry "with the tenant's
consent" is allowed at any time (§ 4460(a)); the 48-hour rule is for entries you have
not agreed to.
What can I do about repeated entries with no notice? Vermont's statute sets no fixed
penalty, but you can seek an injunction and damages and raise a breach of quiet
enjoyment or trespass; document each entry.
Statutes and sources
- 9 V.S.A. § 4460 — the access section: entry with the tenant's consent, not to be unreasonably withheld (a); the 48-hour notice, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. window, and the listed entry purposes (b); and the imminent-danger exception permitting entry without consent or notice (c).
https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09/137/04460 (accessed 2026-07-11)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
Get the answer for your situation
You just read how Vermont handles this in general. Ezel applies current Vermont law to your facts and answers your specific question, with citations.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer cites the authority it relies on.