Vermont Court Docket Search

Vermont Court Docket Search

In Vermont, courthouses maintain court dockets for effective management of the caseload providing a timeline of events, occurrences, and filings in a case. It provides information about cases that are scheduled for hearing as contained in the case calendars that are shared online for public access.

Court dockets are informative tools that help interested persons (case parties, attorneys, and members of the public) to monitor deadlines and proceedings in court cases. It provides all case parties and other members of the public with information about the case status.

Vermont court dockets provide basic case information such as the date of events, the location where a court hearing took place, the documents filed in a court case, orders, the presiding judge, and the case proceedings' outcome. It may serve as source data and link to documents for judicial research.

What is a Court Docket in Vermont?

A Vermont court docket is a formal document containing the record of all documents and events in a court case presented chronologically. Like Vermont court records, dockets may provide basic case information about a court case, such as case parties, docket number, date of filing, description, notes of events, and filings. The court clerk in the court where the case was filed is responsible for assigning docket numbers and maintaining court dockets.

Every case that is filed in a Vermont court is assigned a unique identifying code known as the docket number or case number. It differentiates a case from others in the Vermont court system and is used to manage case proceedings and progress.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in Vermont?

Yes, court dockets are public in Vermont. Court dockets are part of the Vermont court records that are available for public inspection under the Vermont Public Records Act. However, the Vermont Rules for Public Access to Court Records and the Rules Governing Dissemination of Electronic case records limit access to court dockets of non-public court cases. For instance, juvenile court cases are generally considered confidential and are not open to public access. Also, court records containing personally identifying information such as names of minor children, date of birth, social security number, and taxpayer identification numbers are not allowed public access. The docket of a sealed court case is unavailable for public inspection.

Vermont Public Access to Court Records Rule 5 grants an unlimited right of access to court records to Judicial Officers and Court Staff, Case Parties, Case Attorneys, Guardian ad Litem, Criminal-Justice Agencies, and public-purpose Agencies.

What Do Court Dockets Contain in Vermont?

Court dockets in Vermont may contain the case information, case parties' information, information about attorneys involved in the case, case judge's information, and the case's current status. It may also contain details of documents filed in the case, and the timeline of occurrences and filing in the case. Documents that may be filed in a case include but are not limited to complaints, briefs, motions, interrogations and responses, transcripts, court orders, opinions, and verdicts. The summaries of proceedings and filings in a particular case are presented in the order of event occurrence. Timeline of events filings in a court case proceedings are usually recorded (in tabular format) on the register of actions section of a court case’s docket with the date and brief descriptions. Typically information that can be found in court case dockets in Vermont may include:

• Case title
• Case number and docket number
• Case type or nature of the case
• Case parties
• Cause of action
• Attorneys involved with their contact addresses
• Court type and location
• Judge, magistrate, or jurors presiding over the case (this may include the type of hearing or trial)
• Court officers involved in the cases (for instance, when filing an order, the initials of the court officer that prepared the order will be included in the docket entry)
• Meetings and hearing schedules with date, time, and location
• The case status (active or closed). This may also include how the cases were disposed of (dismissed or the judgment entered)
• Documents filed by case parties, such as pleadings, motions, and exhibits
• Generated documents such as hearing/trial transcripts, orders, instructions to the jury, the jury’s verdict, and the court’s judgment

Where to Find a Court Docket in Vermont

In Vermont, court dockets are maintained by the clerk of the court where a case is heard and are regarded as the legal custodian of court records. Individuals who want to find a court docket in Vermont may contact the clerk’s office or visit the courthouse where the case was filed to conduct a case docket search.

Record seekers may be able to access Vermont court dockets remotely, using the available online search tools. For instance, the Court Calendars provides access to cases scheduled for hearing (in 90 days) at the Superior Court, the Environmental Division, the Judicial Bureau, and the Vermont Supreme Court

How to Conduct a Vermont Court Docket Search

There are different ways to conduct a Vermont Court docket search depending on the available services offered by a court or judicial administrative office. Record seekers can conduct an in-person at the office of the clerk of the court where the case was heard. Record seekers need to provide basic information about a particular court case to enable the clerk or administrative office staff to identify the court case docket. The necessary basic case information may include the case number, case title, or case party's name and type of case.

Record seekers may also request a court docket by filling out the Request for Access to Court Record form. The duly completed form may be submitted by hand, by mail addressed to the court location, or by email sent to the court email addresses.

Alternatively, interested individuals may use the Vermont Judiciary Public Portal to look up court dockets. Court docket searches can be done remotely or using the Public Access Computer Terminals (PAT) at the courthouse. The Public Portal offers access to court records based on the role of the requester. Public users are only allowed remote access to case summaries for the Civil Division and the Judicial Bureau while case parties, attorneys, and designated public agency personnel are granted access to documents filed in a case. To have a specific right of access to electronic court records, the requestor must register an account and request for elevated access status. However, members of the public can access the records of all public case types using the Public Access Terminals at the courthouse. Court docket searches on the Public Portal can be conducted using the Smart Search tool.

What is a Court Docket Number in Vermont?

A court docket number is a unique identifying code that is assigned to a case in court in Vermont. These unique identifying codes typically contain numbers, letters, and special characters such as “-”. Court docket numbers which differentiate a case from others in the court system are used to keep track of court proceedings in a case. A case’s court docket number usually appears on every document generated in the case. Generally, a Vermont court docket number typically contains the following information about the case:

• The case filing year (in two digits)
• The court where the case was filed
• Court case types are denoted by a two-letter abbreviation
  • CV - Civil case
  • CR - Criminal Case
  • DM - Domestic/family case
  • JV - Juvenile Case
  • PR - Probate
  • SC - Small Claims
  • CM - Civil Miscellaneous
  • ENV - Environmental case
  • AP - Appeal case at the Supreme Court
• An assigned sequence number

For instance, a case with docket number “23-CR-00067” means it was the 67th criminal case filed in 2023 (i.e. 23 for the year 2023, CR for criminal case type, and 00067 for the case sequence position in the series of criminal cases filed at the court)

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Vermont

In Vermont, the clerk of the courts is the custodian of court records and provides public access through in-person search, requests for records by mail or email, and the Public Portal. To conduct a court docket number lookup in Vermont, record seekers may use the Public Access Computer Terminals at the courthouses or conduct a remote search through the Vermont Judicial Public Portal. Requestors can also use the Public Portal to look up Vermont court docket numbers remotely.