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Office: Bennington County Emergency Management – via Vermont Emergency Management regional coordination
Alert System: VT-Alert
FEMA Region: Region 1
Notes: Southwestern Vermont county bordering New York and Massachusetts; flooding along the Walloomsac and Battenkill Rivers is a significant hazard, reinforced by the historic July 2023 Vermont floods; winter storm risk; Bennington is the county seat (shire town)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-7 and SH-9, primary corridors; the county is a significant gateway to the Green Mountain National Forest and the southern Vermont ski region
Transit: Green Mountain Community Network (GMCN) – local and regional bus service
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Individual town zoning administrators (Bennington, Manchester, and others) handle permitting; Bennington County Regional Commission provides advisory planning support
Services: Building permits handled at the town level; floodplain permits significant given the county’s flood exposure
Notes: As in all Vermont counties, permitting authority rests primarily with individual towns rather than the county itself
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bennington County Veterans Service Officer (via Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs regional coordination)
State VSO: Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs – veterans.vermont.gov
VA Medical: White River Junction VA Medical Center (accessible north, though distant); Albany, NY VA facilities (accessible west)
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Bennington Free Library; Manchester Community Library and other town libraries
Services: Books; e-books; public computers; Wi-Fi; extensive genealogy resources
Notes: Bennington is home to Bennington College, a significant liberal arts institution, and the Bennington Battle Monument, one of the tallest monument structures accessible anywhere in New England
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Bennington Battle Monument, commemorating the 1777 Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington, one of the most historically significant Revolutionary War sites accessible anywhere in New England; Manchester’s significant outlet shopping and resort tourism economy; the Southern Vermont Arts Center; access to Stratton Mountain and Bromley Mountain ski resorts
Notes: The Bennington Battle Monument’s status as one of the tallest man-made structures accessible anywhere in Vermont, combined with Manchester’s significant resort and shopping tourism economy, give Bennington County one of the most historically and economically significant tourism identities accessible anywhere in southern Vermont
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Vermont Center for Geographic Information (statewide) – vcgi.vermont.gov
Parcel Search: Vermont statewide parcel viewer
Addressing/911: Bennington County E-911 Addressing – via town governments and Vermont Enhanced 911 Board
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Second Chance Animal Center – (802) 447-1373
Landfill/Transfer: Bennington County Solid Waste Management District – regional transfer stations
Recycling: Curbside and drop-off recycling required statewide under Vermont’s universal recycling law
Environmental Complaints: Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation – dec.vermont.gov | (802) 828-1556
Notes: PFOA groundwater contamination remediation, tied to a former Chemfab manufacturing facility, has been one of the most significant environmental cleanup efforts accessible anywhere in Vermont in recent decades, alongside standard floodplain management
NOTES
Bennington County holds one of the most historically significant Revolutionary War heritage sites accessible anywhere in New England at the Bennington Battle Monument, commemorating the pivotal 1777 battle. The county has also navigated one of the most significant environmental cleanup efforts accessible anywhere in Vermont in recent decades, addressing PFOA groundwater contamination tied to a former manufacturing facility, alongside its substantial modern resort and outlet-shopping tourism economy centered on Manchester.
About Bennington County County
Bennington County is southwest Vermont’s Revolutionary War turning point and Green Mountains county – the 1777 Battle of Bennington that led directly to Saratoga and France’s entry into the Revolution and the Taconic-Green Mountain landscape define a county where Bennington and Manchester together anchor southwest Vermont’s historical and recreational identity.
Bennington (the county seat, population ~9,000) is Bennington County’s governmental hub on US 7, a southwest Vermont community whose Revolutionary War monument, Bennington College, and Taconic Mountain setting anchor its identity while Manchester serves as the county’s resort and outlet shopping center.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bennington County listers operate at the town level; contact individual town offices. VT assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Bennington County Superior Court – Probate Division at 200 Veterans Memorial Drive, Bennington, VT 05201, phone 802-447-2718, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE DIVISION
Bennington Probate Division of the Vermont Superior Court, 200 Veterans Memorial Dr, Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-2700
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bennington Probate Division, Bennington (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Historically Bennington County had two probate districts (Bennington and Manchester) prior to 2011 consolidation.
In Vermont, MOST vital and land records are actually kept at the TOWN level, not the county level.
Local societies
No dedicated Bennington County-wide genealogical society was confirmed in available directories, though numerous town-level historical societies exist within the county.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Vermont Superior Court, Bennington Probate Division 207 South Street, Bennington, VT 05201 (802) 447-2700
Bennington County is in Southwest Vermont, shire town Bennington. Vermont has ONE probate court per county, operating as the Probate Division of the Superior Court.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Vermont has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – it maintains its own probate framework under Title 14 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, administered through the Probate Division in each county.
Small Estate Procedure (14 V.S.A. § 1901) – available when the estate’s fair market value is $45,000 or less AND consists entirely of personal property (a timeshare interest is the sole real-property exception, per 32 V.S.A. § 3619(a)). Unlike many states, this is NOT a self-executing affidavit presented directly to a bank – it opens an actual probate case, filed with the Probate Division. The petitioner must be the sole beneficiary under a will or sole heir if intestate, and must also be the sole fiduciary. Filing requires: a petition to open, a list of interested persons, the filing fee, an original death certificate, an inventory, an affidavit of paid/outstanding debts and funeral expenses, a bond without surety in the amount of the estate’s value, and the will if one exists. Non-consenting interested parties get notice and 14 days to object. If the estate later proves worth more than $45,000, the fiduciary must petition to convert it to full administration.
Waiver of Administration (14 V.S.A. § 1852) – a separate, newer mechanism available when the personal representative is the SOLE heir or beneficiary; if granted, it waives the inventory requirement and the bond, and the estate can close with just a single affidavit of administration filed 6 months to 1 year after appointment. No dollar threshold applies to this specific mechanism.
Full/Standard Administration – the default path for estates that don’t qualify for the above, involving formal appointment of an executor or administrator, creditor notice, inventory, and court-supervised distribution.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a Petition to Open an Estate with the Bennington Probate Division – within 30 days of death if a will exists.
Required documents include the original will (if any) and codicils, a list of estate property and its approximate value, deed book/page numbers for any real estate, a certified death certificate, and a list of interested persons.
The court reviews the petition, holds a hearing if needed, and appoints the executor or administrator, issuing letters.
The personal representative provides notice to creditors – Vermont’s creditor claim period is 4 months.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and manages the estate.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed with final accounting.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by estate value; small estate/summary probate filings run roughly $50–$110 per 32 V.S.A. § 1434(a)(30). Confirm current Bennington County fees directly, or ask about a fee waiver if needed.
Vermont does not publish a fixed statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives; reasonable compensation is standard practice.
Vermont has an active STATE ESTATE TAX: a $5,000,000 exemption, with a flat 16% rate applied to the portion of the estate above that threshold. This is separate from and in addition to the federal estate tax (roughly $15 million exemption for 2026) – an estate can owe Vermont tax even when it owes no federal tax.
Vermont does NOT have a separate inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE DIVISION
Bennington Probate Division of the Vermont Superior Court, 200 Veterans Memorial Dr, Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-2700
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
200 Veterans Memorial Dr, Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-3232
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
Description
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
324 Main St, Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-3531
Economic Services Office
324 Main St, Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-2841
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Vermont Department of Health, Bennington District Office – (802) 447-3531
Services: Immunizations; WIC; environmental health; vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bennington
Population: 36,000
Public Records
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