Town of Eastham MA

Contact: Lillian Lamperti

Assistant Town Clerk

Mary Beth O'Shea

Address: 2500 State Highway

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Telephone: (508) 240-5900

WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE FOR THE EASTHAM TOWN CLERK

The Town Clerk is the official keeper of town records, by-laws and the Town Seal and is the chief election official and a member of the Board of Registrars. The Town Clerk’s office also records and preserves vital records, including birth, death and marriage, and provides certified copies of these documents upon request. The Town Clerk is also responsible for the annual town census and for issuing dog licenses, rental permits, business certificates, auctioneer licenses and raffle permits. Decisions of the Town Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals are also filed with the Town Clerk.

Why You Need To Return Your Census

The Town Clerk's office would like to remind you to return your 2008 census as soon as possible. Forms will be mailed to each household on or before January 1. Failure to respond to the census may result in removal from the voters list. Parents need to also remember that tuition could be charged for any child attending Nauset schools and not listed on the Town of Eastham census.

The Assessing Office also uses our street list to verify Eastham as your primary residence. If your name has been removed from this list, the Assessing Office may send you a personal property tax bill for the contents of your dwelling.

SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM THE TOWN CLERK

Household Dog License

All owners or keepers of dogs whose primary residence is within the Town of Eastham must license their dog(s) annually. Annual licenses are valid January 1 through December 31 inclusive. The following requirements and fee schedule apply:

You may license up to three dogs on any one premise; more than three (3) dogs on any one premise requires a kennel license; an application for a kennel license is available at the Town Clerk's Office. A copy of a current rabies vaccination form must be submitted for each dog along with your payment. License(s) cannot be issued without proof of vaccination.

Fee for licensing 1 to 3 dogs is $10.00 per dog. Any dog six months of age or older must be licensed. Licenses must be renewed by April 15 of each year.

Failure to obtain a license may result in a fine of $50.00 per day.

Kennel licenses are required for more than three dogs and for breeding dogs. These licenses will be issued in conformity with zoning by-laws. An application for a kennel license is available at the Town Clerk's Office.

Business Certificate:

Any person conducting a business in the Town of Eastham under any title other than the real name of the person is required to obtain a business certificate. The fee is $50.00 for a two-year certificate. Applications can be obtained in person from the Town Clerk’s office.

Yard Sale Permit:

Permits are required for yard sales and are limited to two yard sales per resident per year. The $10.00 fee includes two consecutive sale dates and one rain date. Applications can be obtained from the Town Clerk’s office.

Home rental permits are required by any person leasing or renting any building or any portion of a building for human habitation. The fee is $50.00 per year per unit. An up-to-date water test must be included with each application or annual renewal. The stucture rented must also have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and the number of bedrooms listed on the application must agree with assessing records. Applications can be obtained from the Town Clerk’s office.

Failure to obtain a rental permit can result in fines up to $300.00 per day.

Marriage License:

Marriage intentions must be filed jointly and in person. Intentions can be filed between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. If one person is in the military, intentions may be filed by either party, providing one is a Massachusetts resident. Persons under 18 years of age must obtain parental and court permission with the court age waiver filed with this office.

Couples of the same gender who reside in states where same-gender marriages are illegal will not be issued a marriage license.

The fee is $25.00 and there is a mandatory three-day waiting period after filing intentions before the marriage license can be issued, unless a court waiver has been obtained. A marriage license, once obtained, is valid for 60 days from the date intentions are filed and may be used in any Massachusetts city or town.

The State of Massachusetts no longer requires pre-martial blood tests.

Permission is required to perform marriages on Town of Eastham beaches and may be obtained from the Recreation Department.

Permission is also required to perform marriages within the National Seashore and may be obtained by contacting the National Seashore Visitors Center.

Certified copies of birth, death and marriage certificates are available for $5 for each certificate. Certificates can be ordered in person at the Town Clerk’s office or by mail by sending:

* a check payable to the Town of Eastham for $5 times the number of certificates desired

* a stamped self-addressed envelope

- For a birth certificate, the child’s name and date of birth must be included.

- To order a marriage certificate, the name of one or two of the spouses and date of marriage must be included.

- To order a death certificate, include the name of the decedent and the date of death.

Street lists, business lists and voter lists:

Available by request. Fees vary and can be obtained by calling the Town Clerk’s office.

Voter Registration:

Voter registration can be conducted in person at the Town Clerk’s office or an application mailed upon request. Deadlines for voter registration for each election will be posted at the Town Clerk's office.

Absentee Ballots:

Applications for absentee ballots can be filed at the Town Clerk’s office or the voter can request an application be sent by mail. Deadlines to obtain absentee ballots are posted for each election at the Town Clerk's office.

Genealogy Requests:

A research fee of $15.00 per hour applies. The fee for certificates is $5.00 each. Requests can be made in person or by mail. Research consent and genealogy request forms are available through the Town Clerk's office. We regret that research can only be conducted by town clerk staff.