Addison County
Addison County was established in 1785 and named after English poet, Joseph Addison. It is Vermont's fourth-largest county, occupying about 766 square miles of land. The county is home to over 37,000 residents, while its county seat is the Town of Middlebury.
The Superior Court, which is Addison County's only trial court, features four divisions: the Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate Divisions. The Civil Division of the Superior Court handles civil cases such as eviction, breach of contract, and small claims matters not exceeding $5,000. It also has appellate authority to handle review or modify judgments from the Probate Division.
The Criminal Division typically presides over legal matters involving felonies, misdemeanors, traffic, forfeitures, and sex offender matters. It also handles appeals from the Judicial Bureau. The Family Division deals with all family-related cases including divorce, annulment, child support, child custody, and visitation. Meanwhile, the Probate Division handles probate of wills, adoptions, settlement of estates, guardianships, and name changes.
The Addison County Clerk of Courts is tasked with maintaining and distributing court records. According to the Vermont Public Record Law, the following court records should be publicly accessible:
- Criminal court records
- Traffic records
- Probate records
- Civil records
- Family records
However, confidential documents such as juvenile, adoption, and mental health records, are available only to authorized persons. Generally, Addison County public court records contain case filings, names of parties involved, and other information related to judicial processes in the county. Interested persons can get public court documents by completing and sending the Copy Request Forms via email or in person at:
Addison County Courthouse
7 Mahady Court
Middlebury, VT 05753
Phone: (802) 388-7741
Email: AddisonUnit@vtcourts.gov
An alternative way to find Addison County court records is through the Vermont Judiciary Public Portal. To search the online platform, remote requesters must provide key details such as case numbers, filing dates, or party names. Accessing court records online in Addison County is typically free of charge. However, paper copies typically cost $0.25 per duplicate page and $5 per certified document.
