Live birth records are compiled from birth certificates which are filed with the Department of Health by statute. The birth certificate system has been in place in Vermont continuously since 1857, although changes in data items and definitions have taken place over the years.

A live birth is defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from the mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Heartbeats are to be distinguished from transient cardiac contractions; respirations are to be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps.

Vermont cooperates with other states in the exchange of birth records. Therefore, data concerning births of Vermont residents include virtually all Vermont resident births regardless of where the birth took place.