Game Wardens

V.S.A. tit. 10, ch. 103, subch. 4

in effect

10 V.S.A. § 4191 Game wardens, number, record

4191. Game wardens, number, record (a) The Commissioner, with the approval of the Governor, may employ a chief game warden and as many State game wardens as may be required for the proper enforcement of the fish and wildlife laws of the State. These officers shall be included in the classified service created in 3 V.S.A. chapter 13. These officers and deputy game wardens employed as herein provided shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties. The Commissioner may appoint and employ for a limited time as many deputy game wardens as deemed necessary. The number of game wardens shall be determined by the Commissioner with the approval of the Governor. A copy of the appointment and oath of office of each game warden and deputy shall be filed in the office of the Commissioner. (b) While so employed, game wardens shall devote their entire time to the discharge of their duties and shall not be engaged in any other business without having first obtained permission to do so from the Commissioner. The Commissioner may grant permission if it appears that the outside employment will not render the warden unavailable during an emergency, will not physically or mentally exhaust the warden to the point that performance of duties might be affected, and will not require that any special consideration be given to scheduling of regular duty hours. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1985, No. 101 (Adj. Sess.); 1991, No. 230 (Adj. Sess.), § 18.

10 V.S.A. § 4192 Duties of deputy game wardens

4192. Duties of deputy game wardens Deputy game wardens shall have authority to enforce all provisions of this part and all orders and rules adopted thereunder. They shall also have authority to enforce the provisions of chapter 47 of this title, 13 V.S.A. § 3705, 24 V.S.A. § 2201, Title 25, and 23 V.S.A. chapter 29. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1967, No. 96, eff. April 13, 1967; 1971, No. 245 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 6, 1972; 1991, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

10 V.S.A. § 4193 Seizure; power to arrest

4193. Seizure; power to arrest (a) The Chief Game Warden and State and deputy game wardens shall seize fish or wild animals taken or held in violation of a provision of this part or regulations or orders authorized under this part. They may arrest, without warrant and on view, in any part of the State, a person violating a provision of this part or regulations or orders authorized under this part and take such person before a magistrate having jurisdiction of the offense and detain such person in custody at the expense of the State until opportunity is had to notify a prosecuting officer, who shall forthwith prosecute such offender. (b) While the State of New York shall have in effect a law similar to this subsection for the arrest and punishment of violations of the conservation or fish laws of this State or the State of New York, committed or attempted to be committed by any person fishing in that portion of Lake Champlain lying between such states, any game protector, game warden, sheriff, deputy sheriff or other person of either state, who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the conservation or fish laws of such states, shall have power and authority to make arrest on any part of such lake between such states or the shores thereof and to take the person so arrested for trial to the state in which the violation was committed and there to prosecute such person according to the laws of such state. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.

10 V.S.A. § 4195 Power as to forest fires; payment

4195. Power as to forest fires; payment (a) While in and about the woods, the game wardens shall caution persons as to the danger of fires and shall extinguish a fire left burning. When a fire is threatening to extend beyond his or her control, the game warden shall notify all parties interested and the forest fire warden of the town in which such fire occurs. Until the arrival of such fire warden, he or she shall have all the powers of such fire warden. (b) Such game wardens shall render a statement accompanied by proper vouchers for expense incurred in respect to such fire to the treasurer of the town in which the fire occurred and such town shall make payment therefor in the manner provided for the payment of forest fire wardens. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.

10 V.S.A. § 4196 Instructions and meetings

4196. Instructions and meetings The Chief Game Warden, with the advice and consent of the Commissioner, shall instruct and assist the game wardens in their duties and from time to time may call such wardens together at some time and place designated by the Commissioner for instruction in their duties. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.

10 V.S.A. § 4197 Records and reports

4197. Records and reports A game warden shall keep a record of his or her official acts in the manner and form prescribed by the Commissioner. He or she shall submit such record and such reports to the Commissioner as he or she may require. Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.

10 V.S.A. § 4198 Police powers; training; State game wardens; deputy game wardens

4198. Police powers; training; State game wardens; deputy game wardens Upon obtaining from the Vermont Criminal Justice Council Level II or Level III law enforcement officer certification as established in 20 V.S.A. § 2358, State game wardens and deputy game wardens shall have the same law enforcement authority, duties, and powers as State Police, sheriffs, constables, and municipal police and shall have all immunities and defenses now or hereafter available to State Police, sheriffs, constables, and municipal police in a suit brought against them in consequence of acts done in the course of their employment. State game wardens and deputy game wardens shall receive their regular compensation during the time they are enrolled in the training program. Added 1973, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), amended 1979, No. 57, § 11; 1991, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1993, No. 236 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2013, No. 141 (Adj. Sess.), § 16, eff. July 1, 2015.

10 V.S.A. § 4199 Reciprocal assistance agreements

4199. Reciprocal assistance agreements (a) In this section, “officer” means a game warden, a conservation law enforcement officer, or a person in another state charged with enforcing the fish and wildlife laws of that state. (b) The Commissioner may enter into a reciprocal assistance agreement with his or her counterpart in any other state. An agreement made under this section shall be for the purpose of cooperating and assisting each other in detecting and apprehending people violating the fish and wildlife or environmental laws of the State, subject to the limitations of section 4193 of this title. (c) Pursuant to an agreement under this section, the Commissioner may send fish and wildlife wardens into another state for the purpose of assisting the officers of that state and may accept officers of another state into Vermont for the purpose of assisting Vermont wardens. (d) Under an agreement pursuant to this section: (1) When a Vermont game warden or an officer of one state enters another state for the purposes of assistance, he or she shall be under the operational control of the chief officer of the host state and shall have the same duties, rights, privileges, and immunities as officers of the host state. An officer of another state operating in Vermont under this section shall have the same powers as a Vermont game warden provided the officer is certified by the Executive Director of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council as meeting the standards established in 20 V.S.A. § 2358 for Vermont law enforcement officers. This subsection does not nullify subsection 4193(b) of this title. (2) When an officer is serving in another state under this section, the host state shall assume liability to third persons for actions of that officer taken on account of or in connection with a request for assistance hereunder but only to the extent that the host state would be liable for actions of one of its own officers. The home state of the officer shall be responsible for payment of salary, expenses, and injury and death benefits of the officer while on duty in another state. (e) A reciprocal assistance agreement shall be executed in writing, shall set forth the terms and conditions under which assistance may be requested or rendered and shall remain in full force and effect until terminated by mutual consent of the parties to the agreement, or until 10 days after one of the parties has given notification to another party of intention to terminate the agreement. Added 1991, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.).

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/10/103Fetched: 10/21/2026