Electronic Filing

In April 2020, the Judiciary began transitioning to a new electronic filing system called Odyssey File and Serve (“OFS”). The following courts use OFS: all Superior Courts, the Judicial Bureau, the Environmental Division, and the Supreme Court.

On April 1, 2021, the Judiciary implemented a new efiling use fee structure for users of Odyssey File & Serve (OFS). The new per case fee is $14 per filer or firm, payable upon a party’s first filing. When cases are filed directly with the Supreme Court or appeals are made to the Supreme Court, a new case will be initiated, which will trigger the requirement to pay the $14 per case efiling fee unless a waiver applies.

Please be aware that parties may incur the $14 efiling fee more under certain circumstances. When a party changes representation (including choosing to represent oneself “pro se” after being represented by a firm, or by changing representation from one law firm to another), the $14 will be incurred the first time that “new” filer efiles even though there is no change in party. Also, if a party is represented by multiple firms, each firm will incur the fee when they efile for the first time.

If the $14 fee is assessed under any other circumstance, then the filer should contact efile support to initiate a refund. OFS users can contact efile support by email: JUD.efilesupport@vermont.gov.

Convenience fees remain in place with a 2.89% processing fee for credit card payments and $1.00 per case for eCheck payments.

A number of exemptions to these fees also remain in place. All criminal filings are automatically exempt from the case fee and for any case type where there is no court fee, the party filing will not incur the user fee either. For the following exemptions, parties must still choose a waiver account when filing:

Statutory or rule exemptions

• Government and appointed filers, pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 1433 and 2020 Vermont Rule of Electronic Filing 10(d)(1)
• Requests for Orders Against Stalking or Sexual Assault, pursuant to 12 V.S.A. § 5133(f)
• Requests for Relief from Abuse, pursuant to 15 V.S.A. § 1103(f)
• Requests for Abuse Prevention for Vulnerable Adult, pursuant to 33 V.S.A § 6933(b)

As applied economic hardship exemptions

• Fee waiver determination, pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 1431(h) or 32 V.S.A. § 1434(b) in Probate cases, and
• Fee waiver determination, pursuant to V.R.C.P. 3.1 and V.R.P.P. 3.1

Instructions on how to create a waiver account are available here:

Odyssey File and Serve

All trial courts, Judicial Bureau, Environmental Division, and Supreme Court

Register for e-filing using OFS (to submit documents to the court)

Receipt of Court Notices and Orders (eCabinet)

The Vermont courts send all court-issued documents (hearing notices, orders, etc.) to attorneys by email using the email addresses registered in a system called eCabinet. Attorneys may register up to three email addresses in the system and are responsible for keeping the information updated. The email address(es) registered in eCabinet are not used for service of documents filed by opposing parties, which is done through service contacts in the efiling system.

To create an eCabinet account or update an existing account, attorneys must contact the Judiciary helpdesk through one of the methods listed below.  Please include your attorney bar license number in your communication.

• Email JUD.Helpdesk@vermont.gov
• Telephone the Judiciary helpdesk at 802-828-4357
• Use the online form