Vermont Data Broker Registry 2026: How to Opt Out + H 211 Update

To opt out of Vermont’s data brokers, you must send a deletion request to each registered broker individually — as of July 2026 there is still no single “delete-me-everywhere” portal in Vermont. The Vermont Senate stripped the universal deletion portal from H 211 before it became Act 138 (signed June 16, 2026; substantive provisions effective January 1, 2027). Vermont’s public Secretary of State registry lists 283 registered data brokers, and the 3-step workflow below shows exactly how to opt out of all of them.

Vermont Data Broker Law at a Glance (June 20, 2026)

• Existing law (in force): 9 V.S.A. §§ 2446–2447 — first US data broker registration law (enacted 2018, effective Jan 1, 2019). Annual registration with the Vermont Secretary of State + disclosure of brokered-data categories.
• Brokers currently registered: 283 in the most recent public fiscal note tied to H 211 (LJFO fiscal note, retrieved May 28, 2026); consumers should still pull the live Vermont Secretary of State registry before sending requests.
• Current opt-out path: No central portal — consumers must contact each broker individually, and the enrolled H 211 does not change that. See the 3-step workflow below.
• H 211 status: Signed into law as Act 138 by Governor Phil Scott on June 16, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. (vermont.gov H.211 bill status (Act 138) and DataGuidance, “Vermont: Governor signs bill on data brokers,” retrieved June 20, 2026.)
• What the Senate cut: The Senate amendment removed the universal deletion portal and the consumer right to delete that the House version contained, substituting a study by the Secretary of State on the feasibility of building one, with a final report and proposed legislation due December 2028. (Privacy Daily, May 29, 2026; Frankfurt Kurnit, June 2026, retrieved June 20, 2026.)
• What Act 138 adds (effective Jan 1, 2027): Registration fee raised from $100 to $900/yr, a new $20,000 surety bond, legitimate-purpose certification and know-your-customer duties, a tightened “direct relationship” definition, and expanded disclosure of data shared with foreign actors and generative-AI developers. (Frankfurt Kurnit analysis, retrieved June 20, 2026; effective date confirmed against Hunton Andrews Kurth, “Vermont Enacts Significant Amendments to Data Broker Legislation,” retrieved July 15, 2026.)
• Fee math (why the 9× jump matters): At 283 registered brokers, raising the annual fee from $100 to $900 lifts Vermont’s broker-registration revenue from roughly $28,300 to about $254,700 per year — a ~9× increase that funds stronger oversight of the registration regime rather than a working deletion portal (the portal itself was cut to a $50K feasibility study).
• Enforcement (today): Vermont Attorney General — failure to register is an unfair/deceptive trade practice under 9 V.S.A. § 2453.
• Comparison: Only California has a working universal deletion portal (DROP, January 2026). Vermont was on track to be #2 — but with the portal cut to a study, that timeline is now years away.

How to Opt Out of Vermont Data Brokers Today (3 Steps)

H 211 (Act 138) is now law but did not create a universal deletion portal — so Vermont residents must still opt out broker-by-broker. The good news: the registry itself is public, so you have a complete list. Here is the practical workflow:

1. Pull the current registry. Go to sos.vermont.gov → Data Brokers and download the searchable list of registered brokers. Each entry includes the broker’s name, address, registration year, and the categories of brokered personal information they hold. The latest public fiscal note cites 283 registered brokers, but the live registry is the operative list.
2. Send a deletion or opt-out request to each broker. Use our free deletion request generator to draft a Vermont-aware letter that cites 9 V.S.A. § 2446 plus any comprehensive privacy law you can claim residency under (CCPA if you spend time in California, CPA in Colorado, etc.). Most brokers honor a written deletion request within 30–45 days even when not strictly mandated.
3. Track responses + keep proof. Maintain a spreadsheet with broker name, request date, response received, and outcome. Document every refusal — if the feasibility study leads Vermont to build a universal portal, this paper trail demonstrates ongoing harm and supports complaints to the Vermont Attorney General.

Tools that can speed up the per-broker work: our national data broker opt-out guide covers the major people-search aggregators by name; our DSAR Request Manager tracks state-specific response deadlines if you also have CCPA, CPA, or CTDPA standing.

What the Senate Changed: From Delete Act to Feasibility Study

This is the single most important thing to understand about H 211, and most secondary trackers have not caught up: the bill that passed is not the Delete Act it started as. The House-passed version (March 25, 2026) was built around a state-run universal deletion portal and a consumer right to delete. The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs reworked the bill through April and May, and the version the Senate passed on May 28, 2026 — which the House concurred in on May 29, 2026 — strips the universal deletion portal and the right to delete entirely. (Privacy Daily, “Vt. Data Broker Bill Goes to the Governor After Losing Right to Delete,” May 29, 2026, retrieved June 4, 2026.)

In place of a working portal, the enacted law directs the Vermont Secretary of State to study the feasibility of building a deletion mechanism, with a final report and proposed legislation due December 2028. In other words: a study of whether to build the portal, not the portal itself. That means Vermont is not about to become the second state with a single-request deletion mechanism — that remains a California-only feature for now, and any Vermont portal is years away even if the study recommends one.

What Is Vermont H 211?

Vermont H 211 is a data broker regulation law that overhauls the state’s existing data broker registration law — the first of its kind in the nation when Vermont enacted it in 2019. The bill passed the full Vermont House on March 25, 2026, was reworked in the Senate, passed the Senate (with amendment) on May 28, 2026, the House concurred on May 29, 2026, and Governor Phil Scott signed it on June 16, 2026 as Act 138 (effective January 1, 2027).

As enacted, H 211 strengthens registration and disclosure duties but — after the Senate amendment — does not create the universal deletion portal or consumer right-to-delete that early coverage (including earlier versions of this page) described. Below is what the law actually does versus what was cut.

Key Provisions of the Enrolled H 211

Universal Deletion Portal — Cut to a Feasibility Study

The signature provision of the original House bill was a state-run online portal where Vermont residents could submit a single deletion request covering every registered broker at once — valuable given that 283 brokers are registered and consumers otherwise have to contact each one individually. The Senate removed this provision. The enacted law (Act 138) instead directs the Secretary of State to study whether such a portal is feasible, with a report due December 2028.

For contrast, this is exactly the mechanism California’s Delete Act (SB 362) actually built: California’s DROP portal launched in January 2026 and brokers must process its requests on a recurring 45-day cycle. Vermont consumers do not get an equivalent under H 211.

Enhanced Registration Requirements

H 211 significantly strengthens Vermont’s existing data broker registration regime:

• Registration fee increase — Annual fee jumps from \$100 to \$900 per year, a 9x increase intended to fund the deletion portal infrastructure.
• Certification requirements — Data brokers must certify that the personal information they collect is used for legitimate purposes.
• Breach notification — Strengthened security breach notification obligations for data brokers.

Deletion Upon Request — Removed

The House version would have required brokers to delete personal information within a set timeframe upon consumer request — a genuine right to delete that went well beyond Vermont’s registration-only regime. The Senate removed this mandate along with the portal. Under the enrolled bill, Vermont’s law stays registration-and-disclosure based; brokers must register, pay the higher fee, certify legitimate-purpose use, and follow the breach-notification rules, but they are not compelled by H 211 to delete a Vermont resident’s data on request.

Enforcement

The Vermont Attorney General retains enforcement authority. Violations may result in civil penalties. The bill also treats violations as unfair or deceptive trade practices under Vermont consumer protection law.

How the Enrolled Vermont H 211 Compares to California’s Delete Act

For more on California’s approach, see our California Delete Act business guide and data broker registration requirements overview.

What This Means for Data Brokers

Businesses that buy, sell, or license the personal information of Vermont residents — without having a direct relationship with those consumers — should take the following steps:

1. Check your data broker status — Under Vermont law, a “data broker” is a business that knowingly collects and sells or licenses brokered personal information of consumers with whom it does not have a direct relationship. If that describes any part of your operation, you likely qualify.
2. Budget for higher registration fees — The jump from \$100 to \$900 per year is significant, especially for smaller operators.
3. Watch the feasibility study, not a portal mandate — Because the Senate cut the deletion portal, there is no near-term integration obligation. Track the Secretary of State’s FY2027 study; a future bill could revive the portal requirement, but it is not law today.
4. Audit your data inventory — Know exactly what personal data you hold, where it comes from, and how long you retain it. This positions you for both the certification requirement and any future deletion mandate.

See our data broker opt-out guide for more on how consumers and businesses interact under these regimes.

What This Means for Consumers

The headline disappointment: Vermont residents do not get a one-click deletion tool under H 211. The single-portal mechanism that would have let you erase your data from all 283 (and growing) registered brokers at once was removed in the Senate, leaving only a study of whether to build one. For now, opting out still means contacting each broker individually — use the 3-step workflow above.

That said, the enrolled bill is not nothing: the higher registration fee, legitimate-purpose certification, and stronger breach-notification rules raise the baseline for every broker handling Vermonters’ data. For comparison, deletion rights under comprehensive state privacy laws still require consumers to make requests directly to each company — only California’s DROP portal offers the true single-request experience Vermont’s bill abandoned.

Legislative Timeline and Next Steps

Here is the full path H 211 took from introduction to enactment (vermont.gov H.211 bill status (Act 138) and DataGuidance, retrieved June 20, 2026):

• March 13, 2026 — Passed Vermont House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
• March 19, 2026 — Passed House Ways and Means + House Appropriations.
• March 25, 2026 — Passed the full Vermont House.
• March 27, 2026 — Referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs (first Senate reading).
• April 8, 2026 — Senate committee introduction and walk-through.
• April 15 & April 22, 2026 — Senate committee hearings.
• April 29, 2026 — Senate committee markup — the stage where the committee finalizes amendments before reporting the bill out.
• May 13, 2026 — Senate committee discussion and straw poll.
• May 21 & May 27, 2026 — Senate committee markup continued.
• May 28, 2026 — The full Senate passed H 211 with the committee’s proposal of amendment — the amendment that removed the universal deletion portal and the consumer right to delete.
• May 29, 2026 — The House concurred in the Senate’s proposal of amendment and ordered the bill delivered to the governor forthwith.
• June 16, 2026 — Governor Phil Scott signed H 211 into law as Act 138.
• January 1, 2027 — Effective date of Act 138.

H 211 is now law (Act 138). Businesses should plan around the enacted text — the $900 fee, the $20,000 surety bond, certification and disclosure duties — rather than the deletion portal that earlier drafts (and earlier coverage) described. The effective date is January 1, 2027.

The Bigger Picture: Data Broker Regulation Is Accelerating

Vermont H 211 is part of a broader national trend toward stricter data broker regulation. Several states are moving in parallel:

• California — The Delete Act (SB 362) established a universal deletion mechanism and is building the infrastructure for launch in 2026.
• Oregon — The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act includes provisions specifically targeting data brokers and their registration obligations.
• Connecticut SB 4 / Public Act 26-64 — Adds data broker registration requirements to the CTDPA, along with facial recognition, geolocation-sale, and surveillance-pricing protections. Signed into law as Public Act 26-64 on May 27, 2026.
• Texas — The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA) enforces broad obligations on data brokers, with the AG already securing major settlements.

The pattern is clear: state legislatures see data broker regulation as a priority, and the universal deletion portal model pioneered by California is spreading. Businesses in the data broker space should expect this trend to continue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vermont data broker registry?

The Vermont data broker registry is a public list of businesses that meet the state’s definition of a data broker, maintained by the Vermont Secretary of State. Vermont’s 2018 data broker law (9 V.S.A. §§ 2446–2447) was the first in the United States and requires any business that knowingly collects and sells or licenses the personal information of consumers with whom it does not have a direct relationship to register annually, pay a fee, and disclose the categories of data it brokers. As of 2026, 283 data brokers are registered, and the list is searchable at the Vermont Secretary of State’s website.

How do I opt out of the Vermont data broker registry?

Today, opting out of Vermont’s data broker ecosystem requires contacting each registered data broker individually. There is no centralized opt-out portal, and the H 211 bill that passed in May 2026 does not create one (the Senate cut that provision). The practical workflow is: (1) pull the current registered-broker list from the Vermont Secretary of State data broker registry; (2) visit each broker’s privacy policy or opt-out page; (3) submit individual deletion or opt-out requests citing 9 V.S.A. § 2446 and any applicable consumer privacy law (CCPA, CPA, CTDPA, etc., depending on your residency). Our free deletion request generator creates a Vermont-aware letter you can send to brokers today.

How much does it cost to opt out of Vermont data brokers?

Nothing. Vermont’s data broker law does not charge consumers to request deletion or opt-out — the $900 registration fee and $20,000 surety bond in Act 138 are paid by the brokers, not by residents. Your only cost is time: because there is no universal deletion portal, you send a request to each of the 283 registered brokers individually. Budget roughly 3–5 minutes per broker if you use a reusable template. Our free deletion request generator produces a Vermont-aware letter you can reuse across every broker, and paid removal services (which typically charge $100–$250/year to automate the same requests) are optional, not required.

How long do Vermont data brokers have to respond to a deletion request?

Vermont’s registration statute (9 V.S.A. §§ 2446–2447) does not impose a specific deletion deadline, because — after the Senate cut the right-to-delete from H 211 — Vermont law still has no standalone consumer right to erasure. In practice, most brokers honor a written deletion request within 30–45 days. If you can also claim residency or presence in a state with a comprehensive privacy law, that law’s statutory clock applies: 45 days under CCPA (California), CPA (Colorado), and CTDPA (Connecticut), each extendable once by an additional 45 days. Cite that law alongside 9 V.S.A. § 2446 to give your request an enforceable deadline; our DSAR Request Manager tracks each state’s response window.

Did Vermont H 211 create a data broker deletion portal?

No. The House-passed version of H 211 would have created a state-run universal deletion portal and a consumer right to delete, but the Senate removed both before the bill passed on May 28, 2026. In their place, the enacted law (Act 138) directs the Vermont Secretary of State to study whether building such a portal is feasible, with a final report and proposed legislation due December 2028. So Vermont did not become the second state (after California) with a single-request deletion mechanism — that remains a study, not a working tool. (Source: Privacy Daily, May 29, 2026, retrieved June 20, 2026.)

What does the enrolled Vermont H 211 actually change?

As enacted (Act 138), H 211 makes several concrete changes on top of Vermont’s existing 2018 registration law: (1) the annual registration fee jumps from $100 to $900 per broker; (2) a new $20,000 surety bond requirement; (3) legitimate-purpose certification and know-your-customer duties; and (4) expanded disclosure of data shared with foreign actors and generative-AI developers. It also directs a feasibility study of a deletion portal (report due December 2028). What it does not do — after the Senate cut these from the House version — is create a universal deletion portal or a consumer right to delete. Governor Scott signed it on June 16, 2026; effective date January 1, 2027.

Who is required to register as a data broker in Vermont?

Under 9 V.S.A. § 2446, a “data broker” is any business that knowingly collects and sells or licenses the brokered personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship. First-party data collection — for example, a retailer holding data on its own customers — is excluded. Marketing-list resellers, people-search sites, ad-tech intermediaries, identity-verification vendors, and credit-header data providers typically qualify. If you operate any of these models and process personal data of Vermont residents in the regular course of business, you must register annually with the Vermont Secretary of State, pay the fee (currently $100, rising to $900 under H 211), and submit the disclosure form. Failure to register is a deceptive trade practice under Vermont consumer-protection law.

How does Vermont H 211 compare to California, Oregon, Texas, and Nevada data broker laws?

Vermont’s 2018 law was the first data broker registration law in the US; California followed in 2019, then Texas, Oregon, and Nevada. Today the lineup is: California (Delete Act / DROP) — universal deletion portal launched January 2026, brokers check every 45 days starting August 2026, $200/day non-registration fines. Texas (TDPSA + 2023 broker registration) — AG-led enforcement, multimillion-dollar settlements already on record. Oregon (OCPA + broker registration) — combined comprehensive law plus broker rules. Nevada (NRS 603A) — narrow opt-out-of-sale rights for consumers. Vermont H 211 was expected to put Vermont in second place with a universal deletion portal, but the Senate cut that provision before passage — so as enrolled, Vermont keeps a registration-and-disclosure regime (now with a $900 fee and certification) rather than California’s single-request deletion model.

Has Vermont H 211 been signed into law?

Yes. Governor Phil Scott signed H 211 on June 16, 2026, enacting it as Act 138. The Senate had passed it (with an amendment) on May 28, 2026 and the House concurred on May 29, 2026. The law’s effective date is January 1, 2027. (Sources: vermont.gov H.211 bill status (Act 138) and DataGuidance, “Vermont: Governor signs bill on data brokers,” retrieved June 20, 2026.)

Where can I find the Vermont data broker registry?

The Vermont data broker registry is maintained by the Vermont Secretary of State at sos.vermont.gov → Corporations → Other Services → Data Brokers. The registry is searchable by broker name and downloadable as a list. Each entry shows the broker’s name, address, registration year, and the categories of brokered personal information the broker holds. The most recent public fiscal note for H 211 cited 283 registered brokers; pull the live registry before sending requests because broker registration changes over time. The registry is the practical starting point for any consumer who wants to opt out of Vermont data brokers, and remains the operative list because H 211 did not add a centralized portal.

Published: March 29, 2026. Last verified: July 15, 2026, against the Vermont legislature H.211 bill status (Act 138), DataGuidance, Frankfurt Kurnit, and Hunton Andrews Kurth reporting on the signed law — effective date (substantive provisions Jan 1, 2027) re-confirmed against Hunton (date_retrieved: 2026-07-15).