Chittenden County

Chittenden County follows Vermont law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.

Who decides release first

After an arrest, the officer must call a judicial officer, a Superior Court judge or a court clerk, to set temporary release. For charges carrying less than two years, a person the Court Administrator designates may also set bail.

13 V.S.A. 7554(f) and 7559a

Time to see a judge

The rules say an arrested person must be brought before a judicial officer without unnecessary delay, and set no hour limit. The U.S. Supreme Court's 48-hour rule for a probable cause finding applies as the federal floor.

V.R.Cr.P. 3(k)

Money bail

Money bail is allowed. Since 2018, a court may not set bail at first appearance for a cited misdemeanor, and may set at most $200 for a misdemeanor eligible for expungement.

13 V.S.A. 7551(b)

Courts

Vermont has one trial court, the Superior Court, with a unit in each county. Its criminal division hears all crimes, felonies and misdemeanors alike. The Judicial Bureau hears civil violations, not crimes.

Vermont Judiciary, About the Vermont Judiciary

Judges and magistrates

The governor appoints judges, and the state Senate confirms them, for six-year terms. At the end of each term, the General Assembly votes on whether the judge stays.

Vt. Const. ch. II, s. 32 and 34

Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. The state constitution says state's attorney districts are set by law; that each county is one district was not read in the statute. Whether clerks or designees who set bail must be lawyers was not confirmed.

Pretrial practice

Mapping Pretrial Injustice listed its risk tool in 2021 as the Ohio Risk Assessment System Pretrial Assessment Tool (ORAS-PAT).

MediaJustice and Movement Alliance Project, Mapping Pretrial Injustice county map (data as of fall 2021)

From Mapping Pretrial Injustice, a map compiled by MediaJustice and the Movement Alliance Project, advocacy groups that campaign against pretrial risk assessment tools. Its data is from fall 2021; CrimeDB uses it only where no court, government, or research list covers the county.

• Burlington44,675
• South Burlington20,756
• Colchester town17,648
• Essex town11,516
• Essex Junction10,803
• Milton town10,769
• Williston town10,144
• Winooski8,293
• Shelburne town7,969
• Jericho town5,114
• Hinesburg town4,718
• Richmond town4,159
• Charlotte town3,916
• Underhill town3,141
• Westford town2,290
• Huntington town1,853
• Bolton town1,163
• St. George town812

Every city, village, town, and township with any of its land in Chittenden County, largest first. Population, the whole place's: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024.

• Burlington Police DepartmentCity police department44,354 served
• Essex Police DepartmentCity police department22,284 served
• South Burlington Police DepartmentCity police department22,106 served
• Colchester Police DepartmentCity police department17,884 served
• State Police: WillistonState police agency16,993 served
• Milton Police DepartmentCity police department10,817 served
• Williston Police DepartmentCity police department10,075 served
• Winooski Police DepartmentCity police department8,454 served
• Shelburne Police DepartmentCity police department8,209 served
• Hinesburg Police DepartmentCity police department4,752 served
• Richmond Police DepartmentCity police department4,157 served
• Chittenden County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county police
• Chittenden Unit for Special InvestigationsOther agency
• University of VermontCollege or university police

Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.