Vermont has signed into law a cap on the resale price of concert, entertainment, and sporting event tickets.
Governor Phil Scott signed H.512 into law on Tuesday (May 26), capping resale prices at 110% of a ticket’s original face value.
The law also bans speculative ticket sales, where a reseller lists tickets they do not yet own, and prohibits secondary ticket exchanges from using deceptive URLs or falsely implying an affiliation with a venue or artist.
Vermont is the only US state to have enacted an enforceable cap on ticket resale prices, according to the Boston Globe.
The bill was backed by Vermont-born singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who testified by video before the Vermont Senate in April in support of the legislation.
“As an artist, I care very deeply about the fan experience and accessibility of concert tickets,” Kahan told lawmakers, calling the bill “a critical step in eliminating predatory resale behaviors.”
Kahan released his fourth studio album, The Great Divide, earlier this year via Mercury Records. He has four sold-out shows at Fenway Park in Boston scheduled for July.
“What’s happening in Vermont is the first step toward what we believe is going to be a trend that continues.”
Drew Simmons, Noah Kahan’s Manager (via The Boston globe)
According to the Boston Globe, tickets for those Fenway Park dates were priced between $60 and $399, with an average price of $125 – but most tickets listed on StubHub are now reselling for more than $1,000 apiece.
Drew Simmons, Kahan‘s manager, told the Boston Globe that the outcome in Vermont is “incredible.”
“What’s happening in Vermont is the first step toward what we believe is going to be a trend that continues,” Simmons told the paper.
“I think it is foundational to shifting the economic landscape to be a healthier place for artists.”
The law applies only to events held at “independent venues” – defined as event spaces that derive a majority of their revenue from ticketed events, are not majority-owned by a publicly traded company, and do not operate venues in more than 10 states.
Within that category, the resale price cap is further limited to venues with a seating capacity of 3,000 or fewer, nonprofit venues that host agricultural fairs or community events, and venues primarily used for collegiate or amateur sports.
That means Live Nation, which is publicly traded and operates hundreds of venues worldwide, is not directly affected by the price cap. The Boston Globe noted that Live Nation does not currently operate any venues in Vermont.
The broader provisions of the law – including the bans on speculative ticketing and deceptive practices – apply regardless of venue type.
The legislation also includes a sunset clause: it will be repealed on July 1, 2028, unless renewed by the legislature.
Online ticket marketplaces including StubHub and SeatGeek lobbied against the legislation.
Brian Berry, executive director of the Ticket Policy Forum, which represents secondary ticket exchanges, told the Boston Globe that his organization is “fundamentally opposed to arbitrary price caps.”
“We think this will not solve for concerns about higher cost tickets because people can sell them elsewhere.”
Brian Berry, Ticket Policy Forum (via The Boston globe)
Berry told the paper that the price cap would simply push buyers and sellers to unregulated platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, where they could be further exposed to fraud.
“We think this will not solve for concerns about higher cost tickets because people can sell them elsewhere,” he said.
The Ticket Policy Forum said it does support the law’s bans on deceptive practices, according to the Boston Globe.
Vermont‘s move comes amid a broader push to regulate the secondary ticket market at both the state and federal level in the US – and internationally.
Similar resale cap bills are being debated in California and New York. In California, the Fans First Act proposes the same 10% markup limit, while New York‘s proposal would cap resale at the original ticket price with no markup.
At the federal level, the TICKET Act – which mandates all-in pricing and bans speculative ticketing – remains under consideration in the US Senate, with music industry groups pushing for the addition of a resale price cap.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 targeting ticket scalping and hidden fees in live entertainment, while Live Nation itself proposed a 20% resale price cap to the Trump administration last year.
In the UK, the government announced plans in November 2025 to ban the resale of tickets above their original price entirely.
Vermont‘s H.512 takes effect on July 1, 2026. Violations will be treated as unfair and deceptive acts in commerce under Vermont state law.Music Business Worldwide
