Personal gun range in Vermont?

[tomrkba]

I am thinking of going to the Burlington, Vermont area. I would like to buy property and put up a small range for personal use. It would be outside any town or city. What are the laws?

 

[unclenunzie]

Can't help with Vermont, or requirements for a permanent private range. But here in Texas private property 10+ acres is enough to allow discharge so long as you are good in other areas - like distances to homes, never across roads, etc. Maybe someone here who knows VT can point you toward the laws and regs.

 

[CapnMac]

But here in Texas private property 10+ acres is enough to allow discharge so long as you are good in other areas

Not exactly so, but would derail this thread too much.

10 V.S.A. § 5227 appears to be the controlling State Law:
https://law.justia.com/codes/vermont/2012/title10/chapter119/section5227

(a) "Sport shooting range" or "range" means an area designed and operated for the use of archery, rifles, shotguns, pistols, skeet, trap, black powder, or any other similar sport shooting.

(b) The owner or operator of a sport shooting range, and a person lawfully using the range, who is in substantial compliance with any noise use condition of any issued municipal or state land use permit otherwise required by law shall not be subject to any civil liability for damages or any injunctive relief resulting from noise or noise pollution, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary.

(c) If no municipal or state land use permit is otherwise required by law, then the owner or operator of the range and any person lawfully using the range shall not be subject to any civil liability for damages or any injunctive relief relating to noise or noise pollution.

(d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit or limit the authority of a municipality or the state to enforce any condition of a lawfully issued and otherwise required permit.

No distinction appears to be made between "open to public" and "private only" ranges.

Title 10 Chapter 119 also has Section 5217
https://law.justia.com/codes/vermont/2012/title10/chapter119/section5217/

Upon receipt of a fee of $100.00, the fish and wildlife commissioner may issue a shooting grounds permit to operate a shooting ground upon which to propagate and release small game under regulations approved by the commissioner and upon which to release small game when regularly propagated or purchased for shooting and other purposes. (1961, No. 251, § 1; amended 1963, No. 131, § 1; 1983, No. 245 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1997, No. 72 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 52, eff. Jan. 1, 1999.)

But, that appears to be for live pigeon shooting or similar.
See:

§ 5219. Shooting regulations on regulated grounds
Such permit shall entitle the holder or holders thereof, and their guests, to kill or take, by shooting or falconry, the small game propagated or purchased and released on the premises. (1961, No. 251, § 3; amended 1983, No. 245 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1995, No. 104 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 1997, No. 72 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)

And there is this from Title 10 Chapter 113

§ 4710. Safety zone; shooting prohibited
(a) A person may on land owned or occupied by him and within 500 feet of any occupied dwelling house, residence or other building or camp occupied by human beings, or any barn, stable, or other building used in connection therewith, maintain posters furnished by the fish and wildlife department not less than 12 inches wide and 18 inches high containing the words "safety zone, shooting prohibited." An area bounded by such posters placed at each corner, and not more than 200 feet apart on the boundaries shall be considered enclosed land for the purpose of this section and is hereby defined as a "safety zone." Without advance permission of the owner or occupant, a person shall not discharge a firearm within or take a wild animal that is within a "safety zone" as defined herein.

Which creates a "don't shoot" area.

 

[unclenunzie]

I should have been more clear. I was not addressing private or public ranges, just firearm discharge on private property - in Texas.

ETA - I'll agree with @CapnMac - not exactly so (in TX) as he said. But 10+ acres in an unincorporated area of a TX county meets the criteria as I understand it. Obviously one must obey the related safety laws/regs.

 

[bearcreek]

I am thinking of going to the Burlington, Vermont area. I would like to buy property and put up a small range for personal use. It would be outside any town or city. What are the laws?

The vast majority of the members of this forum do not live in or near Burlington, VT, nor will our opinion matter in the least to LE there. Best to check with sources that matter.

 

[dweis]

You have to review the VT state laws and the laws of the county and any subdivision of the county too. So you have to know the actual location of the property to get the info you want.

 

[Bazoo]

Could try calling down to the vt state police and asking them what requirements need to be met.

 

[jmorris]

Looks like the State isn’t going to be the limiting factor.

https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/10/119/05227

But it does seem local authorities can declare it a nuisance. So, I would try and be a good neighbor when it comes to noise. I do that here at my home too, just to be a good neighbor. Seems you don’t have a lot of pull if you move next to someone’s private range but it might be easier if locals get together to shut down the new guy in town that just bought a place to shoot. I would pick property carefully, probably talking to adjacent neighbors. Better to find out before you are a land owner than after if you would have any opposition.

Vermont law does not regulate shooting ranges in any way. The only law that even mentions ranges protects them from lawsuits and nuisance claims, especially brought by abutting property owners who moved there after the range opened.

https://www.vtcng.com/stowe_reporte...cle_b8e12f88-0737-11e6-9ea2-abd44de2511c.html