Quick Facts and Resources for Vermont Residents
Quick Fact: A person is exempt from immunizations if the person, or in the case of a minor the person’s parent or guardian, presents a Department of Health-supplied form, indicating that the person, parent or guardian has religious beliefs or philosophical convictions opposed to immunizations. This form shall be maintained by the child care facility or school as part of the student’s immunization record.
The person or parent/guardian “signing the exemption must also acknowledge the following” (1) “they have read and understood evidence‐based information regarding immunizations as provided by the Vermont Department of Health”, (2) “they understand that failure to complete the required vaccination schedule increases risk to the child and others of contracting or carrying a vaccine-preventable infectious disease”, and (3) “they understand that there are people with special health needs attending schools and child care facilities who are unable to be vaccinated or who are at heightened risk of contracting a vaccine‐preventable communicable disease and for whom such a disease could be life‐threatening.”
Medical exemptions are also allowed.
Other Resources: Many vaccination and exemption information links are date specific. If the links below have expired, click on the state's department of health, or immunization program link provided below, as they are likely to provide links to updated information. The General Information link leads to the overview page provided by the state at the time of this webpage's update and may also be helpful. Please email NVIC with broken link information.
The information contained on NVIC's web pages is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be medical or legal advice. Those seeking medical or legal advice should obtain the services of a competent attorney, physician or qualified health care professional. Although NVIC continually updates our website, state laws and rules change frequently and consumers are ultimately responsible for verifying their state's vaccination and exemption laws and requirements.
- General Information
- Vaccination Requirements
- Exemption Information and Education Forms (education forms are required to be read prior to signing religious exemption form)
- General Information
- Vaccination Requirements
- Exemption Information and Education Forms (education forms are required to be read prior to signing religious exemption form)
- State Healthcare Worker and Patient Vaccination Laws
- State of Vermont Legislature – see applicable statutes and their hyperlinks below. Visit NVIC’s Advocacy Portal for information on legislation introduced impacting vaccine exemption rights.
- State of Vermont Department of Health
- State of Vermont Immunization Program
- State of Vermont Vaccine Tracking System – You may also wish to contact your state’s vaccine tracking registry to determine if the ability to opt out is available.
- State of Vermont Proposed Rule-Making – View your state’s registry to learn about proposed rule-making.
TITLE EIGHTEEN. HEALTH
PART 2. PUBLIC HEALTH REGULATIONS
CHAPTER 21. COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
SUBCHAPTER 4. IMMUNIZATION
18 V.S.A. § 1121. Immunizations required prior to attending school and chld care facilities
(a) No person may enroll as a student in a Vermont school, regardless of whether the student has been enrolled in the school during a previous school year, unless the appropriate school official has received a record or certificate of immunization issued by a licensed health care practitioner or a health clinic that the person has received required immunizations appropriate to age as specified by the Vermont Department of Health.
(b) No person may enroll or retain a child in a child care facility, regardless of whether the child has been enrolled in the facility during a previous year, unless the facility has received a record or certificate of immunization issued by a licensed health care practitioner or a health clinic that the child has received required immunizations in the prior 12-month period appropriate to age as specified by the Vermont Department of Health.
(c)(1) To the extent permitted under 20 U.S.C. § 1232g (family educational and privacy rights), and any regulations adopted thereunder, all schools and child care facilities shall make publicly available the aggregated immunization rates of the student body for each required immunization using a standardized form that shall be created by the Department. Each school and child care facility shall provide the information on the school and child care facility's aggregated immunization rate for each required immunization to students, or in the case of a minor to parents and guardians, at the start of each academic year and to any student, or in the case of a minor to the parent or guardian of any student, who transfers to the school or child care facility after the start of the academic year. A student attending a postsecondary school shall directly receive information on the school's aggregated immunization rate at the start of the academic year or upon transfer to the school, regardless of whether the student is a minor.
(2) Each school and child care facility shall annually, on or before January 1, submit its standardized form containing the student body's aggregated immunization rates to the Department.
(3) Notwithstanding section 1120 of this title, as used in this subsection only, the term "child care facility" shall exclude a family day care home licensed or registered under 33 V.S.A. chapter 35.
(a) Notwithstanding subsections 1121(a) and (b) of this title, a person may remain in school or in a child care facility without a required immunization:
(1) If the person or, in the case of a minor, the person's parent or guardian presents a form created by the Department and signed by a licensed health care practitioner authorized to prescribe vaccines or a health clinic stating that the person is in the process of being immunized. The person may continue to attend school or a child care facility for up to six months while the immunization process is being accomplished.
(2) If a licensed health care practitioner who is authorized to prescribe vaccines certifies in writing that a specific immunization is or may be detrimental to the person's health. A certifying health care practitioner shall specify the required immunization in question as well as the probable duration of the condition or circumstance that is or may be detrimental to the person's health. Any exemption certified under this subdivision shall terminate when the condition or circumstance cited no longer applies.
(3) If the person or, in the case of a minor, the person's parent or guardian annually provides a signed statement to the school or child care facility on a form created by the Department that the person, parent, or guardian:
(A) holds religious beliefs opposed to immunization; and
(B) has reviewed evidence-based educational material provided by the Department regarding immunizations, including:
(i) information about the risks of adverse reactions to immunization;
(ii) information that failure to complete the required vaccination schedule increases risk to the person and others of contracting or carrying a vaccine-preventable infectious disease; and
(iii) information that there are persons with special health needs attending schools and child care facilities who are unable to be vaccinated or who are at heightened risk of contracting a vaccine-preventable communicable disease and for whom such a disease could be life-threatening.
(b) The Department of Health may provide by rule for further exemptions to immunization based upon sound medical practice.
(c) A form signed pursuant to subdivision (a)(3) of this section and the fact that such a form was signed shall not be:
(1) construed to create or deny civil liability for any person; or
(2) admissible as evidence in any civil proceeding.
(d) As used in this section, "health care practitioner" means a person licensed by law to provide professional health care services to an individual during the course of that individual's medical care or treatment. (Added 1979, No. 40; amended 1981, No. 18, § 3; 2007, No. 204 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2011, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2015, No. 37, § 4, eff. July 1, 2016.)
18 V.S.A. § 1123. Immunization rules and regulations
The Department shall adopt rules for administering this subchapter. Such rules shall be developed in consultation with the Agency of Education with respect to immunization requirements for Vermont schools, and in consultation with the Department for Children and Families with respect to immunization requirements for child care facilities. Such rules shall list which immunizations shall be required and the manner and frequency of their administration, and may provide for exemptions as authorized by this subchapter.