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Vermont Superior Courts Superior Courts have exclusive original jurisdiction over all civil cases, except for certain types of cases heard by District Courts, Family Courts, Environmental Courts, Judicial Bureaus or the Vermont Supreme Court. Superior Courts may handle some criminal cases, but most criminal cases are handled by District Courts.Cases typically heard by Superior Courts include personal injury, contracts, real estate, landlord-tenant, orders of protection from stalking and sexual assault, appeals from certain administrative agency decisions and small claims cases. Superior Courts each have a Small Claims Court division for certain types of civil claims within financial and other limits. Superior Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over most requests to enforce orders in civil cases from Superior Courts or District Courts. Superior Courts share jurisdiction with the Vermont Supreme Court over certain types of cases, including mandamus, prohibition and quo warranto. Superior Courts have original jurisdiction over all criminal offenses within their territorial jurisdiction, but most criminal cases are handled by District Courts. District Courts share jurisdiction over most misdemeanors with Superior Courts. Vermont District Courts District Courts generally handle most criminal cases, but District Court may hear certain types of civil cases as well. Criminal jurisdiction of a District Court includes felonies, misdemeanors and some municipal ordinance violations. District Courts share jurisdiction over most misdemeanors with Superior Courts. Civil jurisdiction of a District Court is limited and includes civil suspension of drivers licenses, extradition proceedings, drug or liquor or fish and wildlife forfeiture, automobile forfeiture and immobilization, refusals to provide DNA samples, sex offender notification, restitution modification, appeals from the Judicial Bureau, some municipal parking violation appeals and some proceedings related to energy efficiency standards for products or buildings. Each individual District Court is considered to be a division of one District Court with statewide jurisdiction. The Waterbury District Court has specialized jurisdiction and handles different types of cases that other District Courts. The Waterbury District Court has specialized jurisdiction to handle the petitions for the treatment of individuals with mental illness. The Waterbury District Court has exclusive jurisdiction over petitions for involuntary hospitalization when the subject of the petition is confined to the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury. The Waterbury District Court does not exercise jurisdiction over other types of cases typically handled by a District Court. The Judicial Bureau has statewide jurisdiction over certain types of cases and operates out of the District Court in White River Junction. Cases heard by the Judicial Bureau include traffic tickets, municipal ordinance violations, some fish and game ordinance violations and other types of non-criminal ordinance violations. Vermont Family Courts Family Court generally handle all domestic relations and juvenile cases.Cases heard by Family Courts include divorce, annulment, dissolution of civil unions, legal separation, desertion, parentage, parental rights and responsibilities (child custody), parent-child contact (visitation), child support and grandparents visitation. Family Courts also handle some mental health proceedings, most abuse prevention orders (Relief From Abuse) and most vulnerable adult protection orders (Relief From Abuse and Exploitation). Family Courts share some jurisdiction with Probate Courts, and a Family Court may handle guardianship cases under certain circumstances. Child support cases are usually heard by Family Court Magistrates in separate Family Court proceedings. Family Courts each have a Juvenile Court division with jurisdiction over certain types of cases, including juvenile delinquency, children in need of supervision, child abuse and neglect, foster care, termination of parental rights and other juvenile matters. Some ordinance violations with juvenile defendants may be handled by the Judicial Bureau. Vermont may have Experimental Family Courts in some counties that may blend Family Court and Juvenile Court jurisdiction and authority in certain types of cases involving the same child. Vermont Probate Courts Probate Courts generally handle most probate cases, most guardianships and most name changes. Cases typically handled by Probate Courts include the probate of wills, administration of estates or trusts, adoptions, guardianships, emancipation of minors, uniform gifts to minors, judicial consent for marriage of a minor, some cases related to cemeteries and most name changes. Probate Courts also handle petitions to correct birth, death and marriage certificates. Guardianship case filed in Probate Court may be transferred to Family Court under certain circumstances. Family Courts may order name changes in divorce or other dissolution cases. Vermont The Environmental Court The Environmental Court is a specialized court with statewide jurisdiction that operates out of one main office location. The Environmental Court handles appeals of Act 250 enforcement orders, appeals of zoning decisions made by cities and towns, some municipal enforcement cases and appeals from decisions of the Agency of Natural Resources and the Natural Resource Board. Vermont The Judicial Bureau The Judicial Bureau has statewide jurisdiction over certain types of cases and operates out of one location in White River Junction.Cases heard by the Judicial Bureau include traffic tickets, municipal ordinance violations, some fish and game ordinance violations and other types of non-criminal ordinance violations. The Judicial Bureau has jurisdiction over traffic violations, civil ordinance violations, some fish and wildlife violations, possession of tobacco by a minor, furnishing tobacco to a minor, hazing violations, violations related to littering, burning solid waste and illegal dumping, and other certain types of cases. The Judicial Bureau does not have jurisdiction over municipal parking violations. Where to find court cases in Vermont
The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in Vermont.  = Most or all cases. = Some cases.
Note: Some courts in Vermont are not included in the chart above. Please use the following links for descriptions and types of cases heard: The Environmental Court The Judicial Bureau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||