Seller disclosure requirements in Vermont: what must be told

Is a disclosure form required by law?

The statutes read for this article do not create a general “seller’s property disclosure statement” like the ones some other states require. What Vermont does require is a set of targeted disclosures, each in its own statute:

Many sellers also fill out a voluntary condition questionnaire. The statutes cited here do not require one, so a seller should read any such form carefully and answer from what the seller actually knows.

Flood disclosure

Since June 17, 2024 (amended in 2025), § 380(a) requires the seller to give the buyer:

• a copy or digital link of the FEMA flood insurance rate map for the community, or notice that no effective map is available;
• a statement of whether the property flooded or suffered flood damage (including flood-related erosion or landslide damage) while the seller owned it; and
• a statement of whether the seller carries flood insurance, or is required by federal or State law to carry it.

A seller is not liable for an error or omission that came from information given by a public body, or from a written report by a licensed or specially knowledgeable person that the seller reasonably believed correct and passed on to the buyer (§ 380(d)). For flood insurance basics, see the flood insurance guide.

Well water, class 4 roads and land splits

• Private wells. For a contract signed on or after January 1, 2013, a seller of property with a potable water supply that is not on a public system must give the buyer the Department of Health’s informational materials on contaminated groundwater and on test kits within 72 hours of signing (§ 616(a)). Liability is limited to a civil penalty of $25 to $250 per violation (§ 616(c)).
• Class 4 roads. An owner selling property on a class 4 highway or legal trail must tell the buyer that the town is not required to maintain it (§ 617(a)).
• Act 250. If the sale divides or partitions land, the seller must prepare an Act 250 Disclosure Statement, give it to the buyer within 14 days of the purchase and sale agreement, and file a copy with the town clerk (10 V.S.A. § 6007(a)). If facts change before title transfers, the seller must provide an amended statement (§ 6007(b)).

What about the agent’s duty?

Vermont’s licensing law treats it as unprofessional conduct for a licensed broker or salesperson to fail “to fully disclose to a buyer all material facts within the licensee’s knowledge concerning the property being sold” (26 V.S.A. § 2296(4)). That duty falls on the licensee, in addition to the seller’s own statutory duties above.

What happens if a seller does not disclose?

For both § 380 and §§ 616 and 617, the statutes say noncompliance does not affect the marketability of title.

Federal lead-based paint rule (homes built before 1978)

For housing built before 1978, the EPA says the seller must give the buyer the “Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home” pamphlet, disclose what the seller knows about lead-based paint and lead hazards (with any records or reports), and include a Lead Warning Statement in the contract. The buyer gets 10 days to inspect for lead-based paint or hazards, unless the parties agree in writing to a different period or the buyer waives it. The seller keeps a signed copy of the disclosures for three years after the sale (EPA, as of October 2026).

Related: home inspection cost, closing costs in Vermont, and the Burlington market. Questions about a specific contract belong with a Vermont attorney.