You first need to obtain a permit. Obtaining a permit is a knowledge based test. You then need to take your licensing test which consists of a vision test, a knowledge test, and a road test. You must supply an appropriate vehicle for the road test (registered, inspected, & insured). Details on licensing and information related to the testing requirements is available in the drivers manual https://dmv.vermont.gov/sites/dmv/files/documents/VN-007-Drivers_Manual.pdf

The answer to this question is going to entirely depend on the town you’re located in. The zoning ordinance should be available to you (either online or by requesting a copy from the town). It should have instructions on what you need to do.

The state also has a permit navigator https://dec.vermont.gov/permitnavigator which can be helpful in determining any state level permissions you might need.

I lived in Massachusetts previously and moved to VT as a young adult. The biggest differences (at least when we moved nearly 15 years ago)

The authority of town cops doesn’t stop at their town line. An officer has authority state wide regardless of what town they work for.

Towns (especially small towns) still hold town meeting and utilize floor votes to make pretty big decisions. Town meeting day is the first Tuesday in March.

Not everything you need to know will necessarily be available online. Calling someone is often the only way to get information.

(Some) people will attempt to devalue your opinion because you’re not “from here”. This usually occurs when you’re right and they can’t otherwise back up their shitty stance on something. Try not to take it personally.

The communities (especially more rural) are close knit. Everyone knows everyone and knows their business. This is both a blessing and a curse.

Most folks are genuinely kind. We take care of each other here - even the folks who don’t have much are willing to show up for someone else who needs help.

We couldn’t be happier living here, I hope you like it too.

Truthfully I have never tried to call because the internet exists and calling would make me interact in real time with another human being. But presumably, yes, you can get through.

Folks can call 211 or visit their website for warning locations and shelters. Royalton’s will be open

IMO their pizza is expensive and the quality is not consistent. The owner has gone on a few unfortunate tirades on social media, which I don’t think has helped him. Village pizza is more affordable and produces a consistent product in a style that folks are used to. For what I would need to pay to feed my family from 802 pizza, we will go a couple doors down and hit Carlitas instead.

A town clerk may charge up to $4.00 per hour for any person to examine the records. The fee is higher if the clerk agrees to examine the record for you. So yes, some clerks may offer you time to examine the record free of charge, but they can (and many do) charge for access. https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/32/017/01671

The company offers scanning services, database development and web hosting that allow the records to be accessed via and online portal. Town clerks are not able to offer that on their own. There is absolutely value in being able to access records online versus having to drive to whatever town and spend time in the vault doing research. Town clerks charge an hourly rate for vault access in addition to charging copy fees. Particularly during the pandemic when many clerk offices were closed, online services became even more valuable. In my opinion, the state should work towards a statewide database / online record portal. It would overall be less expensive for residents than towns trying to individually make it happen through contracting with a variety of companies.

The records that COTTS provides online ARE the clerks records. Towns contract with them to provide this service. Typically cotts will send a team in to scan the records and create a database which they then put on their portal. Clerks can then add in new records as they are submitted. It costs too much for smaller towns (15,000-20,000 for startup and an operating fee of around 1,000 a month last I knew). Many towns use NEMRC to provide this service instead because it’s more affordable, but NEMRC doesn’t offer scanning service so that leads to older records not being available in digital form because the clerks don’t have time to deal with it.

Don’t forget if your position is eliminated you may be eligible for unemployment and other benefits. Contact the Dept. Of Labor - they can help you get whatever benefits you might be entitled to and they can also help connect you with open positions! https://labor.vermont.gov/workforce-development

Out of starers get a lot of hate on this sub, not so much in real life. Be a good neighbor and participate in your community and you’ll be fine.

Bummer. I’ve never been to either, just knew that Catamount should be fairly easy for transport

There’s catamount outdoor in Williston https://catamountoutdoor.org/maps-conditions/ not sure how close it is to a bus route, but I would imagine it is feasible, or at least not too terrible if a cab/Uber is needed