People considering a move to Vermont often research property taxes, housing costs, schools, employment regulations and other laws that may differ from those in their current state. Another Vermont law newcomers may want to understand involves protections against discrimination based on hair type, hair texture and hairstyles associated with race.
In 2024, Vermont enacted Act 92 (H.363), An act relating to prohibiting discrimination based on certain hair types and styles. The legislation is commonly associated with the national CROWN Act movement, which seeks to address discrimination involving natural hair and protective hairstyles.
Governor Phil Scott approved H.363 on April 25, 2024, and the law took effect July 1, 2024.
For people relocating to Vermont, the law is particularly relevant in two areas of everyday life: employment and places of public accommodation.
Vermont’s CROWN Act: The Basics
Legislation: H.363
Law: Act 92 of 2024
Governor approved: April 25, 2024
Effective date: July 1, 2024
Official title: An act relating to prohibiting discrimination based on certain hair types and styles
Act 92 amended Vermont law so that the definition of race includes traits associated with, or perceived to be associated with, race, including:
- Hair type
- Hair texture
- Hairstyles
- Protective hairstyles
Vermont’s law goes further by providing specific examples of protective hairstyles. Those examples include individual braids, cornrows, locs, twists, Bantu knots, afros, afro puffs and other formations, along with wigs, headwraps and other head coverings.
For newcomers, that means Vermont’s anti-discrimination framework expressly recognizes that certain hair characteristics and styles can be associated with race.
What Does Vermont’s Law Mean in the Workplace?
For people moving to Vermont for a new job, Act 92 is particularly important because it amended the state’s fair employment practices law.
Under 21 V.S.A. § 495d, Vermont now defines race for purposes of the applicable employment protections to include traits associated with or perceived to be associated with race, including hair type, hair texture, hairstyles and protective hairstyles.
That means Vermont employers should take the state’s anti-discrimination requirements into account when establishing and enforcing workplace grooming, appearance and hairstyle policies.
Someone transferring to a Vermont office or accepting a new job after relocating from another state may therefore encounter protections that differ from those available in their previous state.
The law does not create an entirely separate employment discrimination system for hair. Instead, it expands Vermont’s existing definition of race for purposes of the state’s applicable anti-discrimination laws.
What Does the Law Mean for Public Accommodations?
One significant difference between Vermont’s law and CROWN Act legislation enacted in some other states is its application to places of public accommodation.
Act 92 amended 9 V.S.A. § 4501, part of Vermont’s public accommodations and fair housing statutory framework, to expand the definition of race to include the specified hair-related traits.
The Vermont General Assembly’s official summary of Act 92 states that the law prohibits discrimination based on traits associated with race—including hair type, hair texture, hairstyles and protective hairstyles—in employment and places of public accommodation.
For people relocating to Vermont, that makes the legislation relevant beyond the workplace.
Vermont’s Definition Is Particularly Detailed
New residents may notice that Vermont’s statutory language specifically identifies a relatively broad range of hairstyles and coverings.
The law doesn’t simply refer generally to “natural hair.” It identifies examples including braids, cornrows, locs, twists, Bantu knots, afros and afro puffs.
It also specifically includes wigs, headwraps and other head coverings within its definition of protective hairstyles.
That specificity can be important for employees as well as businesses developing grooming and appearance policies.
What About Vermont Schools?
Families moving to Vermont should note an important distinction between Vermont’s 2024 Act 92 and laws enacted in some other states.
The official legislative summary for Act 92 describes the new protections as applying in employment and places of public accommodation. The enacted legislation specifically amended 9 V.S.A. § 4501 and 21 V.S.A. § 495d.
Therefore, newcomers should not assume Vermont’s 2024 CROWN Act is identical to another state’s law that expressly amended separate educational discrimination statutes.
Families concerned about a particular school dress code, grooming requirement, athletic rule or student policy should review the applicable Vermont law and the policies of their specific school or district.
What New Vermont Residents Should Know
For newcomers, several practical points stand out.
Employees: Vermont’s employment discrimination law expressly recognizes hair type, hair texture, hairstyles and protective hairstyles as traits associated with race.
Job seekers: People applying for employment after relocating to Vermont receive the benefit of Vermont’s applicable employment anti-discrimination protections.
Businesses and employers: Workplace grooming and appearance policies should be developed and administered consistently with Vermont’s anti-discrimination laws.
Consumers and members of the public: Vermont’s protections also extend to places of public accommodation under the applicable state law.
Families: Vermont’s 2024 Act 92 should not automatically be assumed to operate exactly like CROWN Act legislation in other states, particularly when evaluating school-specific policies.
Why This Matters When Moving Between States
Moving across state lines means entering a different legal environment.
Someone relocating to Vermont may encounter different rules involving employment, housing, education, taxes, consumer protection, vehicle registration and numerous other aspects of daily life.
Vermont’s hair-discrimination law is one example.
Act 92 did not create an entirely separate legal framework. Instead, lawmakers amended existing Vermont statutes to clarify that the definition of race includes certain traits associated with, or perceived to be associated with, race.
Those expressly identified traits now include hair type, hair texture, hairstyles and protective hairstyles.
For employees moving to Vermont for work, as well as employers bringing workers into the state, understanding that distinction can be important.