City of Burlington in the Year Two Thousand Twenty-Five an Ordinance in Relation to Unlawful Entry Into a Motor Vehicle

ORDINANCE 6.11

Sponsor: Councilor Traverse, Ordinance Committee

Public Hearing Dates:

First reading: 11/17/25

Referred to: Ordinance Committee

Rules suspended and placed in all stages of passage:

Second reading: 12/15/25

Action: adopted

Date: 12/15/25

Signed by Mayor: 12/16/25

Published: 01/07/26

Effective: 01/27/26

It is hereby Ordained by the City Council of the City of Burlington as follows:

That Chapter 21, Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Burlington be and hereby is amended by amending Article 1, In General; Section 21-45, Unlawful trespass; as follows:

21-45 Unlawful trespass.

(a) It shall be unlawful for a person who, without legal authority or the consent of the person in lawful possession, enters or remains on any land or in any place as to which notice against trespass is given by:

(ai)    Actual communication by the person in lawful possession or their agent or by a law enforcement officer, community service officer, community support liaison, urban park ranger, parks patrol, the city’s contracted private security, or any other city official authorized to enforce the city’s ordinances, acting on behalf of such person or their agent pursuant to protocols and/or directives established by the police department; or

(bii)    Signs or placards so designed and situated as to give reasonable notice.

(b) It shall also be unlawful for a person to enter the motor vehicle of another and know that the person does not have the legal authority or the consent of the person in lawful possession of the motor vehicle. Notice of trespass shall not be required under this subsection.

(c) A violation of this section shall be a civil matter and enforced in accordance with the provisions of 24 V.S.A. section 1974a and section 1977 et seq. A civil penalty of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) may be imposed for a violation of this section. The civil penalty may, at the discretion of the prosecuting official, be eliminated or reduced upon the successful completion of a restorative or reparative justice program through the community justice program. In lieu of further process and prosecution, persons ticketed for violations of this section may pay a waiver penalty under the schedule set out below:

Waiver Penalty:

First offense: The waiver penalty shall be two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).

Second offense, within a six-month period: The waiver penalty shall be three hundred dollars ($300.00).

Third offense or more, within a twelve-month period: The waiver penalty shall be four hundred dollars ($400.00).

Each time that the violation occurs will constitute a separate violation of this section. Any law enforcement officer, community service officer, community support liaison, urban park rangers, parks patrol, or any other city official authorized to enforce the city’s ordinances, can enforce this section.

* Material stricken out deleted.

** Material underlined added.

Ordinances 2025/Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle/BCO Ch. 21, Article 1

Sec. 21-45

12/5/2025