Town Clerk

The Town Clerk’s Office is the center of town government. It is an elected office with a two-year term. Responsibilities derive mainly from NYS Town Law, Section 30. Deputies may be appointed by the Town Clerk to assist in the duties of the office. Our Town Clerk also functions as the secretary to The Town Board and records all minutes & is a notary.

The Town Clerk maintains Town Board records and publishes notices of public hearings. As the Registrar, the Town Clerk keeps birth and death records, issues birth and death certificates and burial permits.

Some other functions of the office include:

• License issuing officer: The town clerk issues state licenses and permits including marriage, dog, hunting and fishing, handicapped parking and burial permits.
• Registrar of vital statistics: The town clerk is the appointed keeper of all birth and death records within the community.
• Recording secretary: The town clerk authors the Minutes books which are the only official record of the activities of Town Government meetings. The resulting volumes are retained permanently for legal and historic purposes.
• Filing officer: The Town clerk maintains records of all adopted laws and ordinances, town oaths of office, resignations, petitions, proof of publications, annual budgets, assessment rolls, fiscal reports, zoning ordinances and maps.
• Records management officer: The town clerk is the custodian of all Town records, and is responsible for their storage and also the disposition of inactive records. The town clerk is the administrator of the Freedom of Information Law which guarantees your right to know the workings of government. (The law provides that all records be accessible to the public except for those records that fall within specific exemptions.)
• Need to register to vote? Yes, you do. Pick up a form at the town clerk’s office. All voter registration is done by mail. The registration form must be completed and mailed to the Madison County Board of Elections, Court Street, Wampsville, NY 13163.
• Need punch cards to take trash to the transfer station? This is a place to buy them.

All dogs in New York State require a license. Proof of a rabies vaccination from a veterinarian is required. The rabies certificate must contain the date the shot was given and the expiration. (The expiration date of the license cannot run our before the date of the rabies expiration.)

For dogs that are unable to receive a rabies shot, a Certificate of Exemption from Rabies Vaccination MUST be completed by the attending veterinarian and the dog owner. Certificates are available from the Town Clerk’s office.

All dogs over the age of four (4) months must be licensed. Dog licenses must be renewed every year and the fees are as follows:

• Spayed / Neutered dogs $ 10.00
• Unspayed / Unneutered dogs $18.50

New York State Conservation Licenses may be obtained at the Town Clerk’s Office. Hunters should bring their driver’s license and either an old hunting license or a hunter education certificate when applying. Old back tags are not valid proof of eligibility. Fishing licenses are required for persons 16 years of age and older. A driver’s license or driver’s permit are eligible forms of identification. Fees vary according to license type.

More information can be obtained at the New York State Department of Conservation website: www.dec.state.ny.us

The Town Clerk is responsible for issuing a New York State Marriage License to qualified applicants as well as recording the marriage with the New York State Department of Health. The marriage record is on file in this office and in Albany.

Licenses to marry in New York State may be obtained from the Town Clerk’s office regardless of the residence of either of the parties. Once the license is issued and the 24-hour waiting period has passed, the ceremony must be performed within 60 days and can be performed anywhere in New York State.

In order to obtain a marriage license, the applicants must present photo ID (drivers license or passport) and their birth certificate. Both applicants must appear in person. Marriage license applicants whose previous marriage(s) ended in divorce, annulment or death of a spouse, must provide proof of dissolution of all previous marriage(s) by presenting a certified copy of Divorce or Annulment decrees and/or a certified copy of a Death Certificate for each previous spouse. Blood tests are no longer required.

The fee for obtaining a New York State Marriage License is $30 payable by cash, check or money order to the Fenner Town Clerk. Additional Certified Transcripts of Marriage are available for $10 per copy.

All births that occurred in the Town of Nelson are filed with the Town Clerk and a birth certificate is issued. A certified copy of a birth certificate is available for $10 (cash, check or money order payable to: Fenner Town Clerk) to an applicant eligible to receive it. Application forms are available from the Town Clerk’s office or can be downloaded under forms on this website.

A certified copy or a certified transcript of a birth certificate may be issued only:

• To the person named on the birth certificate, if 18 years of age or older;
• To the parents of the person named on the birth certificate;
• To the lawful representative of the person named or the parents of the person named on the birth certificate;
• To a person with a New York State Court Order;
• To a municipal, state or federal agency when needed for official purposes.
• The applicant must provide a driver’s license as proof of identification. If a driver’s license is not available the following may be presented:
• State issued non-driver’s license identification card;
• Military identification card;
• Passport;
• Employer’s photo identification card;
• Police report documenting the applicant’s name, address and theft or loss of positive identification.

All deaths that occur in the Town of Fenner are filed with the Town Clerk. Our death records go back to the late 1800s. Certified copies are provided for $10 per copy (cash, check or money order, payable to Fenner Town Clerk) to an eligible person or family member. Application forms are available from the Town Clerk’s office or can be downloaded on this website under forms.
A certified copy or a certified transcript of a death certificate may be issued only:

• To the spouse, parent or child of the deceased;
• To the lawful representative of the spouse, parent or child of the deceased;
• To a person with a New York State Court Order issued on a showing of necessity for the confidential medical information;
• By a municipal, state or federal agency specifically requesting the confidential medical information for official purposes.