Vermont WARN Act and Layoff Notice Requirements
Vermont has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. Here's who's covered, how much notice is required, the penalties, where to find official notices, and what employees should do.
Vermont has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. The state rule may cover smaller employers, smaller layoffs, longer notice, additional recipients, or different penalties. Whether it applies depends on the employer, worksite, number of affected employees, event type, and timing.
For Vermont: Employers with 50 or more full-time employees, or 50 or more part-time employees who each work at least 1,040 hours a year, or a combination of the two (21 V.S.A. § 411(5)) — half federal WARN's 100-employee threshold. Covered events generally require 45 days' notice to the secretary of commerce and community development and the commissioner of labor, and 30 days' notice to affected employees, any bargaining agent, and the local chief elected official or administrative officer (21 v.s.a. § 413(b)). federal warn's 60 days also applies where the employer is covered by it.
Vermont WARN notices filed in the last 24 months
Collected directly from Vermont Department of Labor. Each row is a notice the state published, not an estimate — search it by employer to see whether your own company has filed.
Vermont publishes few WARN notices.This is the state's complete published record for the period — 15 notices in 24 months — not a sample of a longer list. A layoff missing from it may simply have fallen below the federal WARN thresholds, which is common in a state this size.
15
1,357
12
15 Sep 2026
Showing all 15 filings
| Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2026 | University of Vermont Health | Burlington | 179 |
| 17 Jun 2026 | St. Albans Creamery, LLC | Saint Albans | 81 |
| 9 Jun 2026 | University of Vermont Health | Burlington | 142 |
| 28 May 2026 | Franklin Foods | Enosburg Falls | 99 |
| 28 Apr 2026 | Perrigo Company | Georgia | 162 |
| 30 Jan 2026 | Maple Ridge Memory Care and Lodge | Essex Junction | 126 |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Calmont Beverage | Barre | 67 |
| 30 Sep 2025 | ITC Federal | Essex Junction | 60 |
| 24 Sep 2025 | HP Hood | Barre | 70 |
| 29 Jul 2025 | University of Vermont Health Network | Burlington | 60 |
| 24 Jul 2025 | America's Gardening Resouces inc, dba Gardeners supply | Burlington | 60 |
| 18 Jun 2025 | The Orvis Company | Arlington | 56 |
| 30 Apr 2025 | Fed Ex Corporation | Williston | 55 |
| 3 Dec 2024 | ITC Federal | Essex Junction | 28 |
| 4 Oct 2024 | The Orvis Company | Sunderland | 112 |
Source: Vermont Department of Labor — official Vermont WARN listing. Covers the last 24 months and is current to 15 Sep 2026. States revise and re-publish their listings, so treat this as a reliable index of what has been filed rather than a legal record — verify any specific notice against the official listing. This state does not classify notices as layoff or closure.
At a glance
Federal WARN vs Vermont
The federal WARN Act is the nationwide baseline: it generally requires 60 days' written notice for a covered plant closing or mass layoff at employers with 100+ employees, with remedies of back pay and benefits enforced through the courts. Vermont's state law can be broader — for example, Vermont Notice of Potential Layoffs Act (21 V.S.A. §§ 411–418). The details below reflect the state rule.
Covered employers, events & thresholds
Covered employer: Employers with 50 or more full-time employees, or 50 or more part-time employees who each work at least 1,040 hours a year, or a combination of the two (21 V.S.A. § 411(5)) — half federal WARN's 100-employee threshold.
mass layoff
A permanent employment loss of at least 50 employees at one or more Vermont worksites during any 90-day period. Smaller groups within 90 days are added together unless the employer shows separate and distinct causes.
plant closing
A business closing: the permanent shutdown of a facility; a permanent cessation of operations at one or more Vermont worksites that lays off 50 or more employees over 90 days; or a cessation of work not scheduled to resume within 90 days that affects 50 or more employees.
Notice period: 45 days' notice to the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development and the Commissioner of Labor, and 30 days' notice to affected employees, any bargaining agent, and the local chief elected official or administrative officer (21 V.S.A. § 413(b)). Federal WARN's 60 days also applies where the employer is covered by it.
Who must receive notice
Employees
- Affected employees (30 days' notice)
- Their bargaining agent, if any
Government
- Vermont Secretary of Commerce and Community Development (45 days)
- Vermont Commissioner of Labor (45 days)
- The local chief elected official or administrative officer of the municipality (30 days)
Find official Vermont WARN notices
Vermont JobLink, run by the Vermont Department of Labor, publishes a searchable WARN lookup. Search it for your employer; the Department also provides Rapid Response and Layoff Support.
Open the official VT WARN noticesYou can also track recent filings in the LayoffNext WARN Radar — then confirm details against the official VT source above.
Search the VT database directly
Vermont runs a searchable WARN database, so this is the quickest of the routes — you can check a specific employer in a minute.
- 1Open the official database and search your employer's legal name, not its brand name — filings use the entity that employs you, which is often different.
- 2Try a partial name too. Subsidiaries and staffing entities file under names most employees never see on a payslip.
- 3Note the notice date and the effective date separately. The gap between them is what tells you whether the required notice period was honoured.
- 4Screenshot or save the record. Databases are refreshed in place, and an entry can change without a version history.
Penalties & employee remedies
An employer that fails to give the required notice owes each employee who lost employment one day of severance pay for each day after the first day of the 45-day notice period, up to ten days' severance pay, plus up to one month of continued medical or dental coverage. It also faces an administrative penalty of $500 for each day it was deficient in the notice to the Department, which the Commissioner may waive if the employer shows good cause and pays employees what is owed within 30 days. The employer must also pay all unpaid wages and compensation owed to laid-off workers.
Back pay
One day of severance pay for each day after the first day of the 45-day notice period, up to a maximum of ten days' severance pay, reduced by voluntary payments and any liability paid under federal WARN (21 V.S.A. § 415).
Benefits
Continuation of existing medical or dental coverage for up to one month after the employment loss, where needed to cover a delay in obtaining other coverage (21 V.S.A. § 415(a)(2)).
Civil penalty
An administrative penalty of $500 for each day the employer was deficient in the notice to the Department (21 V.S.A. § 417).
How to raise it
Contact the Vermont Department of Labor about missing notice, severance owed under § 415, or unpaid wages; separately, pursue any federal WARN claim in federal court.
Major exceptions & special cases
- Strike or lockout.
- Faltering company — actively seeking capital or investment that would have avoided or postponed the closing or layoff, where notice would have precluded obtaining it.
- Business circumstances not reasonably foreseeable when the 45-day notice would have been required, or a disaster beyond the employer's control.
- Conclusion of seasonal employment or of a particular project, where employees knew their employment was limited to it.
Remote workers
Coverage follows the Vermont worksites; remote-worker treatment can be fact-specific — verify with the Vermont Department of Labor.
Temporary layoffs
Whether a temporary layoff or furlough triggers notice can depend on its expected length and the specific rule — verify with the agency for your situation.
What an employee should do in Vermont
- 1Confirm your employer has 50 or more employees (counting part-timers who work at least 1,040 hours a year) and that 50 or more lost their jobs within 90 days.
- 2Note when you were told: Vermont requires 30 days' notice to employees, and 45 days' to the state.
- 3If notice was short, contact the Vermont Department of Labor about the severance of up to ten days' pay and up to a month of continued health coverage.
- 4If your employer has 100 or more employees, check federal WARN as well — it carries its own 60-day notice and back-pay remedy.
Vermont scenarios
A 60-person layoff across Vermont sites
Facts: A Vermont employer with 80 employees permanently lays off 60 across two worksites within a few weeks, telling employees only a week ahead.
This is a mass layoff under Vermont's Act (50 or more at one or more Vermont worksites within 90 days), even though the employer is too small for federal WARN. Employees were owed 30 days' notice and the state 45 days'. Each employee can be owed severance of up to ten days' pay and up to a month of continued coverage, and the employer faces a $500-per-day administrative penalty.
A larger Vermont employer
Facts: A Vermont employer with 300 employees closes a facility.
Both laws apply. Federal WARN requires 60 days' notice and carries back pay for up to 60 days; Vermont's Act requires 45 days' notice to the state and 30 to employees. Vermont's severance liability is reduced by anything the employer pays under federal WARN, so the two do not simply stack.
Vermont WARN Act FAQ
Does Vermont have a mini-WARN law?+
How much notice does Vermont require?+
Whom must a Vermont employer notify before a layoff?+
What happens if a Vermont employer skips the required notice?+
Where can Vermont employees get WARN information or help?+
Nearby states
Vermont unemploymentRelated
Sources & methodology
This page summarizes Vermont's layoff-notice rules from official government sources and links to each. Coverage and outcomes depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event, and timing, and rules can change. Where a specific figure wasn't confirmable this pass, the text says “verify.” Confirm the current rule with the agency and, where rights are at stake, an attorney.
- 21 V.S.A. § 411 — Definitions — Vermont LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
- 21 V.S.A. § 413 — Notice and wage payment obligations — Vermont LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
- 21 V.S.A. § 415 — Violations — Vermont LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
- 21 V.S.A. § 417 — Administrative penalty — Vermont LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
- WARN lookup — Vermont JobLink (Vermont Department of Labor)Where official WARN notices are published. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
- WARN Act and Notice of Potential Layoffs Act — Vermont Department of LaborOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (federal) — U.S. Department of LaborOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
Important disclaimer
This page is educational only and is not legal advice or representation, and LayoffNext is not a law firm. Whether WARN applies, and any remedies, depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event type, timing, and the current law, which can change. Nothing here is a conclusion that an employer did or did not comply. Verify details with the official sources above and consult a qualified attorney about your situation. See our full disclaimer.
Deepak Middha is the founder of LayoffNext and a Chartered Accountant (ICAI, India). A U.S. immigrant with nearly 20 years of experience — and 17 years in hedge fund and private equity administration, including as Vice President of Fund Accounting at NAV Fund Administration Group and Associate Director of Private Equity and Real Estate at SS&C Technologies — he builds free, plain-language layoff tools and guides for employees, H-1B workers, and immigrant families.