Town Officers

V.S.A. tit. 32, ch. 17, subch. 8

in effect

32 V.S.A. § 1671 Town clerk

1671. Town clerk (a) For the purposes of this section, a “page” is defined as a single side of a leaf of paper on which is printed, written, or otherwise placed information to be recorded or filed. The maximum covered area on a page shall be 7 1/2 inches by 14 inches. All letters shall be at least one-sixteenth inch in height or in at least eight-point type. Unless otherwise provided by law, the fees to town clerks shall be as follows: (1) For recording a trust mortgage deed as provided in 24 V.S.A. § 1155, $15.00 per page. (2) For filing or recording a copy of a complaint to foreclose a mortgage as provided in 12 V.S.A. § 4932(b), $15.00 per page. (3) For examination of records by town clerk, a fee of $5.00 per hour may be charged but not more than $25.00 for each examination on any one calendar day. (4) For examination of records by others, a fee of $4.00 per hour may be charged. (5) Town clerks may require fees for all filing, recording, and copying to be paid in advance. (6) For the recording or filing, or both, of any document that is to become a matter of public record in the town clerk’s office, a fee of $15.00 per page shall be charged; for any certified copy of such document, a fee of $10.00 per page shall be charged; for the recording or filing, or both, of a property transfer return, a fee of $15.00 shall be charged. (7) For uncertified copies of records and documents on file, or recorded, a fee of $1.00 per page shall be charged, with a minimum fee of $2.00; however, copies of minutes of municipal meetings or meetings of local boards and commissions, copies of grand lists and checklists, and copies of any public records that any agency of that political subdivision has deposited with the clerk shall be available to the public at actual cost. (8) For survey plats filed in accordance with 27 V.S.A. chapter 17, a fee of $25.00 per 11 inch by 17 inch sheet, $25.00 per 18 inch by 24 inch sheet, and $25.00 per 24 inch by 36 inch sheet shall be charged. (b) A schedule of all fees shall be posted in the town clerk’s office. (c)(1) The legislative body shall create a Restoration and Preservation Reserve Fund of not less than $4.00 per page from the per page recording fees established under this section. (2) The Restoration and Preservation Reserve Fund shall be used solely for restoration, preservation, digitization, storage, and conservation of municipal records. (3) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, a municipality may allocate less than $4.00 per page from recording fees if the clerk of the municipality annually certifies that the municipality has sufficient dedicated reserve funds to provide for the uses described in subdivision (2) of this subsection. On or before the third Monday of each year, the clerk shall submit a copy of the certification to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs. (d) Nothing in this section shall preclude a municipality from committing funds to a Restoration and Preservation Reserve Fund in addition to those funds in subsection (c) of this section. (e) Unspent funds in the Restoration and Preservation Reserve Fund shall carry over to subsequent fiscal years and shall be available as needed for the purposes described in subsection (c) of this section. (f) When more than one previously recorded instrument is affected by the terms of a new instrument submitted for recording, the per page fee established in this section shall be assessed for each document affected by the terms of the new instrument. Amended 1959, No. 171, §§ 1-9; 1965, No. 128; 1967, No. 146, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1968; 1969, No. 40, § 3, eff. April 4, 1969; 1971, No. 84, § 14; 1979, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 1981, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 22, 1982; 1985, No. 204 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1993, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 1993, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 17; 1995, 1993, No. 109 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1993, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 1997, No. 59, § 89a, eff. June 30, 1997; 1997, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 66a; 1999, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 12b; 2007, No. 76, § 33f; 2007, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 29; 2009, No. 47, § 13; 2009, No. 3 (Sp. Sess.), § 22c, eff. June 1, 2009; 2019, No. 38, § 2; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 492, eff. July 1, 2022.

32 V.S.A. § 1672 Town treasurer’s fee for receiving taxes

1672. Town treasurer’s fee for receiving taxes Town treasurers shall be allowed one percent on all sums paid by the taxpayers to them, computed on actual cash receipts after deduction of discounts taken, unless the town by vote fixes their compensation otherwise. Amended 1959, No. 171, § 10.

32 V.S.A. § 1673 Repealed. 1979, No. 177 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.

32 V.S.A. § 1674 Delinquent tax commission and collection costs

1674. Delinquent tax commission and collection costs The fees and penalties collected by collectors of taxes shall be as follows: (1) Where a municipality does not vote to collect its taxes by its treasurer, the collector shall not tax or collect of the taxpayer any commission or fees on taxes paid within the time established in the notice required by section 4772 of this title. (2) On all taxes collected after the expiration of the time established in the notice required by section 4772 or 4792 of this title, the collector may charge and collect from the taxpayer a commission of eight percent on the amount of the tax, unless a municipality votes otherwise pursuant to subdivision (3) of this section. (3) For all taxes collected after the expiration of the time established in the notice required by section 4772 or 4792 of this title, voters of a municipality may adopt by a majority vote of the municipality’s members present and voting at an annual or special meeting: (A) The percent of the amount of the tax collected that shall be charged as a commission, provided that the adopted percent does not exceed eight percent. (B) A grace period or graduated commission schedule for taxes paid within a defined time frame after the established time of payment. (4) Whenever it is necessary to levy on persons or personal estate, the collector shall be allowed to tax and collect from the taxpayer, as further compensation, such fees as sheriffs are allowed for levying executions. Amended 1993, No. 68, § 1; 1997, No. 26, § 1; 2003, No. 100 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

32 V.S.A. § 1675 Fence viewers

1675. Fence viewers Fence viewers shall receive $6.00 for each day’s service. At the time of performing such service, they shall adjudge the proportion of their fees and expenses to be paid by the parties interested. Any of such parties paying the same may recover of each other party the portion so adjudged to be paid by him or her, with full costs, in a civil action under this section. Amended 1971, No. 185 (Adj. Sess.), § 236(d), eff. March 29, 1972.

32 V.S.A. § 1676 Inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood

1676. Inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood The fees of an inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood shall be $0.04 a cord for the first ten cords and $0.01 for each additional cord, and $0.25 for each 1,000 feet of lumber, to be paid by the person applying for the measurement.

32 V.S.A. § 1677 Weigher of coal

1677. Weigher of coal The fees of a weigher of coal shall be $0.10 for the first ton and $0.04 for each additional ton, to be paid by the person applying for the weighing.

32 V.S.A. § 1678 Impounders and poundkeepers

1678. Impounders and poundkeepers Impounders and poundkeepers shall receive the following fees: for all horse kind and neat cattle, $0.12 a head; for sheep, $0.02 a head; for swine, $0.08 a head; three-fourths to the impounder and one-fourth to the poundkeeper.

32 V.S.A. § 1679 Persons taking up estrays

1679. Persons taking up estrays A person taking up an estray shall receive for notifying the town clerk, $0.25 and for each advertisement posted, $0.25.

32 V.S.A. § 1680 Tree warden

1680. Tree warden When a town or incorporated village fails to fix the compensation of a tree warden or his or her deputies, they shall receive such compensation as the selectboard or trustees determine.

32 V.S.A. § 1681 Building inspector

1681. Building inspector A building inspector shall receive such compensation for his or her services as the board of alders, selectboard, or trustees determine, payable as the salary of other municipal officials.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/32/017Fetched: 10/21/2026