By Kolby R. LaMarche

Last night, the Burlington City Council unanimously voted to advance amendments to the city’s public nudity ordinance, enhancing rules around undressing and being nude in public.  

The revised ordinance has largely abandoned Burlington’s progressive stance on public nudity, only permitting it in designated areas like certain parks or beaches, provided it is non-sexual and non-disruptive. Stricter guidelines now prohibit undressing or being nude in non-designated areas, such as downtown streets or near schools, with fines up to $500 for violations. Enforcement is said to prioritize sites for education and family gatherings. 

In May, a man identifying himself as Joseph was filmed walking naked on Church Street, citing personal reinvention as his motive, according to NBC5. 

This followed a similar 2023 sighting of a man strolling nude for hours, wearing only a hat, which drew public attention but no legal action. These events, alongside historical occurrences like a 2016 naked man wearing just a bandanna, have raised concerns about appropriateness in high-traffic areas, particularly near families and tourists. 

In November of 2024, the Burlington City Council approved a measure to further crack-down on public defecation and urination, particularly on Church Street and in City Hall Park. The ordinance allows members of city staff to tickets persons found to be engaging in indecent behavior. 

Burlington’s Past Nudist Events

The University of Vermont’s (UVM) Naked Bike Ride, a decades-long tradition that ended in 2011 due to safety and liability concerns, began in the late 1990s by UVM student Erica Kutcher. The biannual event saw students biking or running naked across campus on the last day of classes to celebrate freedom and blow off steam. 

By 2008, issues like harassment, assaults, and alcohol-related incidents prompted scrutiny from the Student Government Association and UVM’s administration. In 2011, interim President John Bramley announced the university would no longer support the event, citing thousands spent on security and risks of injury. Despite student plans to continue, the event ceased after December 7, 2011, replaced by safer end-of-semester activities that didn’t include nudity.