How to Register a Trademark in Vermont (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Vermont · Last updated August 12, 2026
A Vermont trademark registration is filed with the Vermont Secretary of State under 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71 (9 V.S.A. 2521 et seq.) and protects a mark only within Vermont. Unusually, Vermont charges a flat $35 filing fee rather than a per-class fee, and the registration stays effective for 10 years before it must be renewed. State registration is far cheaper and faster than a federal USPTO filing, but it carries no nationwide priority and cannot reach use in other states. Businesses selling across state lines or online almost always want a federal registration instead, while a Vermont filing suits a purely local mark.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Vermont?
Vermont charges a flat $35 filing fee to the Secretary of State under 9 V.S.A. 2523, and the same $35 applies to renewal. Unlike most states and the USPTO, Vermont does not multiply the fee by the number of goods or service classes, so a multi-class Vermont mark still costs $35 to register.
How long does a Vermont state trademark registration last?
A Vermont trademark registration is effective for 10 years under 9 V.S.A. 2524, and it is renewable for successive 10-year periods on application to the Secretary of State with the $35 renewal fee. This matches the 10-year federal cycle, though Vermont has no interim maintenance filing like the federal Section 8 declaration.
Should I register my trademark with Vermont or with the USPTO?
A Vermont registration protects your mark only inside Vermont and gives no nationwide priority. If you sell across state lines or online, a federal USPTO registration is usually the better choice. The Vermont filing suits a local business, or a business that wants an inexpensive state record while it prepares a federal application.
Where do I file a trademark application in Vermont?
You file with the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division, which administers trademark registration under 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71. The office issues a certificate of registration under the Secretary's signature and the State Seal once the statement and the $35 fee are filed and accepted.
Vermont's flat $35 fee and 10-year term under Chapter 71
Vermont's trademark law lives in Title 9, Chapter 71 of the Vermont Statutes (9 V.S.A. 2521 et seq.), titled Trademarks; Registration of Name or Mark, and it is administered by the Secretary of State's Business Services Division. Two features make Vermont stand out. First, the filing fee set by 9 V.S.A. 2523 is a flat $35 for the whole registration, not a per-class charge, so a mark covering several classes of goods or services still costs the same $35, with renewal also at $35. That is among the lowest state trademark costs in the country. Second, under 9 V.S.A. 2524 a Vermont registration runs for 10 years and renews for like 10-year periods, unlike the shorter five-year terms some neighboring states use. The Secretary of State issues a certificate under signature and the State Seal describing the mark and the owner. A Vermont registration is a state-law right only. It does not confer the nationwide priority, federal-court presumptions, or the ® symbol that come from a USPTO registration under the Lanham Act.
Relevant Laws
Vermont Trademark Statute, 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71 (9 V.S.A. 2521 et seq.)
Vermont's trademark law, titled Trademarks; Registration of Name or Mark. Section 2523 sets the flat $35 filing and renewal fee and section 2524 sets the 10-year renewable term.
Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division (trademark filing)
The official office that administers Vermont trademark registration, accepts the registration statement and $35 fee, and issues the certificate under the State Seal.
Vermont Trade Secrets Act, 9 V.S.A. Chapter 143 (9 V.S.A. 4601 et seq.)
Vermont's enactment of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, defining trade secrets and misappropriation and providing injunctive relief and damages for their theft.
Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), 15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.
The federal trademark statute that governs USPTO registration, nationwide rights, the ® symbol, and the likelihood-of-confusion standard that a Vermont-only registration cannot provide.
Regional Variances
Vermont registration vs. federal registration vs. common law
Vermont (Secretary of State, 9 V.S.A. Ch. 71)
Protection within Vermont only. Flat $35 fee under 9 V.S.A. 2523 regardless of class count. Effective 10 years, renewable, under 9 V.S.A. 2524. No ® symbol and no nationwide priority.
Federal (USPTO, Lanham Act)
Nationwide priority, a presumption of ownership, the ® symbol, and federal-court enforcement. $350 per class base fee, far more than Vermont's flat $35. Lasts 10 years and is renewable.
Common law (use alone)
Rights arise automatically from using the mark, limited to your actual Vermont trading area. Free, but the hardest to enforce, with no certificate and no ® symbol.
Related Vermont intellectual-property rules
Trade secrets (9 V.S.A. Ch. 143)
Vermont adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at 9 V.S.A. 4601 et seq., giving injunctions and damages for misappropriation of information kept reasonably secret.
Right of publicity
Vermont has no right-of-publicity statute. Any name-or-likeness claim rests on undeveloped common law, so statutory protection cannot be assumed.
Vermont fee structure
The state charges one flat $35 for the whole registration and $35 to renew, among the lowest state trademark costs and unusual for not scaling with the number of classes.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm Vermont use and first-use date
Before filing days after startingVerify the mark is in use on goods or services in Vermont and record the date of first use in the state, which the registration statement under 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71 requires.
Clear the mark in Vermont and federal records
Before filing days after startingSearch the Vermont Secretary of State records and the USPTO Trademark Search database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before committing to the mark.
Prepare the Vermont registration statement
Before filing days after startingDraft the Secretary of State registration statement with the owner name and address, a description of the mark, the goods or services, and a specimen or drawing.: confirm the current SoS form and specimen requirements.
File the statement and pay the $35 fee
When ready days after startingSubmit the statement to the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division, with the flat $35 fee under 9 V.S.A. 2523, and retain the certificate of registration and fee receipt.
Calendar the 10-year renewal
Before the 10-year expiration days after startingDocket the renewal deadline under 9 V.S.A. 2524. File the renewal application with the $35 fee before the registration expires, and keep using the mark to preserve rights.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm Vermont use and first-use date | Verify the mark is in use on goods or services in Vermont and record the date of first use in the state, which the registration statement under 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71 requires. | - | Before filing |
| Clear the mark in Vermont and federal records | Search the Vermont Secretary of State records and the USPTO Trademark Search database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before committing to the mark. | - | Before filing |
| Prepare the Vermont registration statement | Draft the Secretary of State registration statement with the owner name and address, a description of the mark, the goods or services, and a specimen or drawing.: confirm the current SoS form and specimen requirements. | trademark-application | Before filing |
| File the statement and pay the $35 fee | Submit the statement to the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division, with the flat $35 fee under 9 V.S.A. 2523, and retain the certificate of registration and fee receipt. | - | When ready |
| Calendar the 10-year renewal | Docket the renewal deadline under 9 V.S.A. 2524. File the renewal application with the $35 fee before the registration expires, and keep using the mark to preserve rights. | - | Before the 10-year expiration |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. 9 V.S.A. 2523 sets a flat $35 fee for filing the registration statement, with renewal also $35. Vermont does not multiply the fee by the number of goods or service classes the way the USPTO and many states do, so covering several classes in Vermont does not raise the state cost.
No. A registration under 9 V.S.A. Chapter 71 is a Vermont state-law right and reaches only use within Vermont. It gives no nationwide priority and cannot stop use in other states. For protection beyond Vermont you need a federal registration with the USPTO under the Lanham Act, or you rely on common-law rights in your actual trading area.
Yes. Vermont's trade secret law is codified at 9 V.S.A. Chapter 143 (9 V.S.A. 4601 et seq.) and follows the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. It defines a trade secret as information that has independent economic value from not being generally known and is the subject of reasonable efforts to keep it secret, and it provides remedies for misappropriation.
No. Vermont has no right-of-publicity statute. Any protection for a person's name or likeness would arise under common law, and Vermont courts have not squarely established a right-of-publicity cause of action, so this area is undeveloped in the state. A business relying on a person's identity should not assume statutory protection exists.
The federal ® symbol is reserved for marks registered with the USPTO, so a Vermont-only registration does not entitle you to use ®. You can use TM for goods or SM for services to signal a claim of rights. To gain the right to use ® you need a federal registration under the Lanham Act.
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