Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Vermont has no dedicated will-contest statute of limitations. The figure that actually governs is 30 days, running from entry of the probate decree admitting the will (Vermont has no dedicated will-contest statute; this is the general civil-appeal deadline).
How long do you have to contest a will in Vermont?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 30 days |
| What starts the clock | entry of the probate decree admitting the will (Vermont has no dedicated will-contest statute; this is the general civil-appeal deadline) |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | No; this is a general probate-appeal / vacate-the-order deadline |
“an appeal from a Probate Division order must be filed with the superior court clerk within 30 days after entry of the order or decree.”
What makes Vermont different
Vermont has no independent will-contest statute at all; a challenge must occur as an objection before the Probate Division allows the will, or as a de novo appeal to the Superior Court’s Civil Division within the general 30-day civil appeal window. The controlling authority is 12 V.S.A. ch. 107; V.R.C.P. 72(a), and the window runs from entry of the probate decree admitting the will (Vermont has no dedicated will-contest statute; this is the general civil-appeal deadline).
A note on sourcing: legislature.vermont.gov’s own rule-text pages were not directly fetchable this session; the 30-day V.R.C.P. 72(a) figure is confirmed via multiple independent Vermont court-practice sources rather than a verbatim read of the rule itself.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Vermont’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Vermont allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | 12 V.S.A. ch. 107; V.R.C.P. 72(a) |
| Vermont courts (general reference) | Vermont judicial branch |
| Confidence | Medium |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Vermont page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Vermont probate court file can confirm.