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Justices of the Peace are elected local officials who serve important roles in town government. While they are commonly known for officiating weddings, their primary responsibilities involve supporting elections and assisting with certain tax and property matters.
For more information, please see the Vermont Secretary of State’s publication, The Vermont Justice of the Peace Guide.
To become a Justice of the Peace, you must either be elected at a general local election or appointed to fill a vacancy. JP candidates can be nominated by party caucus or run as an independent. Justices of the Peace serve two year terms.
Justices of the Peace do not meet as a group and there are no agendas, minutes, or recordings.
Dorinda Crowell
John Demeter
Chris McVeigh
Jan Thouron
Duties
- Elections and Voting - Justices of the Peace are members of the Board of Civil Authority (BCA). Their responsibilities include assisting with polling place operations on Election Day, maintaining the town voter checklist, and delivering absentee ballots to voters who are ill or physically disabled.
- Property Tax Appeals - If a resident disagrees with the final property valuation set by the Town Listers, Justices of the Peace sit with the Board of Civil Authority to hear and decide these appeals.
- Tax Abatement - As members of the Board of Abatement, Justices of the Peace may forgive or reduce tax obligations in certain cases allowed by law, such as financial hardship, manifest error, or other qualifying circumstances.
- Marriages - Justices of the Peace may perform marriages anywhere within Vermont. Before a ceremony can take place, couples must obtain a valid marriage license from a Vermont Town Clerk. Please note that performing wedding ceremonies is at the discretion of each individual Justice of the Peace.
- Oaths and Notarial Acts - Justices of the Peace may also administer oaths and become Notary Publics.