Rutland County

Rutland 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.

• Rutland15,712
• Castleton town4,453
• Brandon town4,120
• Rutland town3,927
• Poultney town3,010
• Pittsford town2,892
• Fair Haven town2,724
• Clarendon town2,460
• Wallingford town2,286
• West Rutland town2,240
• Proctor town1,794
• Pawlet town1,480
• Mount Holly town1,415
• Chittenden town1,318
• Shrewsbury town1,237
• Wells town1,148
• Danby town1,133
• Mendon town1,113
• Poultney village1,033
• Hubbardton town831
• Tinmouth town827
• Killington town785
• Benson town784
• Middletown Springs town747
• Sudbury town679
• Pittsfield town391
• Ira town381
• Mount Tabor town304
• West Haven town234

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

• State Police: RutlandState police agency24,649 served
• Rutland Police DepartmentCity police department15,512 served
• Castleton Police DepartmentCity police department4,458 served
• Brandon Police DepartmentCity police department4,115 served
• Rutland Town Police DepartmentCity police department3,918 served
• No name VT0110500City police department2,991 served
• Pittsford Police DepartmentCity police department2,894 served
• Fair Haven Police DepartmentCity police department2,705 served
• No name VT0110600City police department1,705 served
• Killington Police DepartmentCity police department1,397 served
• No name VT0110800City police department209 served
• Rutland County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county 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.