No, sleeping on a refrigerator in your Vermont backyard is not illegal—it’s a common internet myth with no basis in state law.
The Actual Law
Vermont Statute 13 V.S.A. § 1310 prohibits possessing a discarded, child-accessible refrigerator or freezer without removing the door or lock to prevent entrapment, but only for airtight units large enough for a child to enter.
Similar local ordinances, like Burlington’s code, ban abandoning such appliances on others’ property without safety modifications.
Myth Origins
The “sleeping on a fridge” rumor likely stems from misreadings of these child safety rules or hoaxes blending them with unrelated odd laws from other states, like Pennsylvania’s fridge sleep ban myth.
No provision addresses sleeping, using, or positioning refrigerators outdoors on private property.
SOURCES
[1](https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/13/025/01310)
[2](https://montpelier-vt.org/DocumentCenter/View/9714/Renting-in-Vermont-Handbook?bidId=)
[3](https://vermontstate.edu/student-life/university-handbook/housing-policies/)
[4](https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/document/reg-lodging-establishment.pdf)
[5](https://www.codepublishing.com/VT/Burlington/html/Burlington21/Burlington2101.html)
