There's a road in Vermont which if you cross it you'll be arrested

There’s a road in Vermont which you could get arrested for crossing – and no, it’s not about jay-walking.

If you’ve looked at a map of the US recently, you’ll know that Vermont is all the way at the top, bordering Canada.

National borders are nothing new, but there’s something different about this one – it cuts down the middle of a road.

YouTuber Tom Scott paid a visit to the road, but he didn’t cross it because that’d be a crime.

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Why you could get arrested for crossing this road in Vermont

Rue Canusa is a road with a difference.

On one side of the street, it’s in the Canadian town of Stansted, and on the other, it’s in Derby Line, Vermont.

That’s right – the border cuts down the middle of the street.

Back in the day, residents from both sides could walk freely from one side to another.

But that’s all changed now, with visitors having to report to customs and show their passports even if they just want to cross for a short while.

While on the scene, Tom Scott spoke to the Mayor of Stansted, who was old enough to remember how things used to be.

“I’ve lived here all my life, so 63 years,” Philippe Dutil said.

“Today you cannot cross over the line and visit your neighbors like years ago.

“I used to cross every day, now I probably cross about once a week, because I come to the Post Office that’s here.”

Fortunately for Mayor Dutil, he’s a dual citizen of both countries, so it’s a little easier for him.

Rue Canusa doesn’t entirely run across the US-Canada border, but enough of it does to make things a little confusing.

“In practice, if I was driving, I’d be okay,” Tom Scott explained.

“I’m considered to still be in Canada, as long as I don’t stop and walk up to an American house.”

There’s some degree of leniency if you’re over by a couple of inches or centimeters.

But the police are still on the lookout along this road in Vermont.

Has anyone been arrested crossing Rue Canusa?

If you cross this street informally, you could land yourself in a heap of trouble – a $5,000 fine or two years behind bars.

Even while he was filming, Scott saw cops pulling up to some bikers.

“The police turned up, lights flashing, to move along those bikers,” he explained.

“[The bikers] were admiring the view from the other side of the road. It all seemed in good spirits, but they had crossed the border.”

Things get really confusing with the library, which is simultaneously on Canadian and American land.

Most people have their fill of headscratchers at the library without needing to factor in border laws.

Since the early 2000s, the border has been more tightly policed, leading to a massive decrease in pedestrian crossings.

In 2010, only 273 pedestrians crossed the Derby Line Border Crossing, located just east of Canusa Street, which was a 98 percent decrease from 16,474 border crossers in 2000.

While the legal threat does hang over residents’ heads, there don’t appear to be many cases of arrests.

Reports of a pizza man being arrested for ‘smuggling’ a pizza across the street have circulated online, but appeared to be unsubstantiated.

At any rate, it must be a headache to wrap your head around this constantly.

With many residents of both towns holding dual citizenship, that’s made things run a lot smoother.

One nonprofit, the CANUSA PROJECT INC, has proposed introducing a Schengen-like area between Canada and USA, abolishing border controls at their shared border.

This idea hasn’t been taken up by either government.

We’ve seen a lot of unusual laws when it comes to roads, but this is one is definitely one of the strangest.

But there was this law in Arizona that meant a common driving habit could land with you with a $500 fine.

Florida also rolled out a very strict speeding law early in 2025, which prompted one Lamborghini owner to sell his car.

It’s a similar story up in Nebraska, where going 1mph over the speed limit can cost you more than a meal at a restaurant.

Whether viewed as strange or punitive, it’s important for drivers to know the road rules in whatever state or country they’re traveling through – for the sake of their bank accounts if nothing else.

And if you find yourself driving down a road in Vermont, just double-check which side of the border you’re on before you leave the car.

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