• Introduction
• Duties of the Town Clerk
• Frequently Asked Questions
    Marriage Licenses
    Cerificates of Residency
    Dog Licenses
    Registering to Vote
    Garbage
• Online Forms (Voter Registration, Dog License, Handicap Parking, Recycle permit)
• Contact Us

Introduction

Coming in contact with hundreds of Beekman residents annually for a variety of reasons, I have made it my priority over the past 18 years to make the Clerk’s Office as friendly and efficient as possible.

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Duties of Beekman Town Clerk 

• As Registrar of Vital Statistics, the Town Clerk is responsible for keeping a permanent record of all births and deaths that occur within the boundaries of the Town, as well as all marriage licenses that are applied for in our office. We issue birth certificates, death transcripts and burial permits. Often individuals contact our office to assist with genealogical research. Death and marriage records become available fifty years (50) after the date of issuance while birth records become available after seventy-five (75) years.
• As Records Manager, the Clerk acts as custodian of all permanent Town records and provides for the storage retrieval and disposition of all records for all the departments of the Town. We maintain a record of adopted Town ordinances and local laws, oaths of office, resignations, proofs of publication and posting, annual budgets, assessment rolls and fiscal reports.
• As Recording Secretary for the Town Board, the Town Clerk keeps a permanent record of all Town Board meetings and public hearings, as well as minutes of  the meetings for the Planning Board, and Zoning Board.
• In regards to Licenses, the Town Clerk issues many New York State licenses and permits including marriage, dog, conservation (hunting and fishing), bingo, games of chance, and handicap parking. To Town residents, we issue permits for use the Recyle Center.As Election Coordinator, the Town Clerk oversees all special, primary and general elections in the Town. In addition, the Clerk is responsible for polling places, inspectors of election, voting machine custodians, the purchase, maintenance and storage of the voting machines and the drawing of election district boundaries for Town Board approval. We work in conjunction with the Dutchess County Board of Elections to register new voters and assist with the Town's current 11,500 enrollees.
• The Town Clerk sells Zoning Maps, Code Books, stickers for the Recycling Program. Under the New York State Education Law, the Clerk's Office can issue Certificates of Residency to individuals who will be attending local community colleges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What does someone have to do to get a marriage license?

A couple who intends to be married in New York State must apply together in person for a marriage license to any town or city clerk in the state. Each applicant must furnish identification when applying for a license. According to Town of Beekman policy, the following documents are acceptable: driver's license, birth certificate, passport, active credit card or baptismal record. In the event one of the parties is a not a citizen of the United States, the following identification will be accepted: passport, Green card, USA Resident Alien Card, work permit or naturalization papers.

The application for a license must be signed both by the future bride and the groom in the presence of the Clerk. If both parties are eighteen (18) years of age or older, no written parental or judicial consent is required. Information regarding previous marriages must be furnished in the application for a marriage license. This includes whether the former spouse or spouses are living, and whether the applicants are divorced and if so, when, where and against whom the divorce or divorces were granted. Only an original or certified copy of the Decree of Divorce for each divorce is accepted. Although the marriage license is issued immediately, the marriage ceremony may not occur within twenty-four (24) hours from the exact time that the license is issued and the document is then valid for sixty (60) days after the twenty-four hour waiting period.

The fee for a marriage license is $40.00. Call the Town Clerk's office to schedule an appointment to obtain a Marriage License. Appointments are set Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 AM & 3:00 PM.

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2. How do I get a Certificate of Residency?

To obtain a Certificate of Residency, the Clerk will need to see documentation from the applicant which would prove one year's residency in New York State and six month's residency in Dutchess County. In addition, the applicant's signature must be witnessed and notarized. Usually, a drivers license will satisfy both of these requirements. However in the event that the applicant has moved, lived in a different county, or has been recently issued a new license, additional documentation will be
needed. Examples of additional acceptable documentation would be dated first class mail sent to the applicant at their current address, a property deed or lease or a pay stub which lists the applicant's address. There is no fee to obtain a Certificate of Residency.

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3. What do I need to license my dog?

Currently, almost 1,500 canines are licensed in the Town of Beekman. However, before a license can be obtained or renewed, a current rabies vaccination must be proven. The Dutchess County Department of Health requires all dogs six months of age or older to be vaccinated for rabies. Having rabies information is crucial for the general public's well being. In addition, if the dog has been neutered or spayed, a certificate of neutering or spaying must also be presented in order to be eligible for a reduced licensing fee. The breakdown for dog licensing fees is as follows:

The Town Clerk's Office processes all new dog licenses and collects renewal fees.The actual annual renewal notices for a dog license is sent out on a monthly basis by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Dog owners who do not respond to the annual renewal notice will be contacted by the Clerk's Office. In the event there is no response from the dog's owner after several delinquency letters the names and addresses of these individuals are passed onto the Town's Dog Control Officers. The animal's owner can be ticketed and/or fined for not complying with the Town's ordinances.

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4. How do I register or reregister to vote?

Both the New York State Voter Registration Form and the Absentee Ballot Application are available through the Town of Beekman Clerk's Office. The Voter Registration Form is used when an individual needs to: register to vote, change their name or address (if there is a change since the last time they voted) or to enroll or change their enrollment in a particular political party. This form can be either filled out at or forwarded to the Clerk's Office or the Dutchess County Board of Elections If you want to vote in an election, this form needs to be received by the board of elections no later than twenty-five (25) days prior to the election in which you want to vote. Eligibility to vote will be based upon the date that the voter registration form was filed. In the event a person is already registered but will not be able to physically go to their preassigned polling place to vote in a primary or a general election, an Absentee Ballot Application can be utilized. Once filled out and returned in a timely fashion to either the Town Clerk or the Dutchess County Board of Elections, the individual will be subsequently sent a paper ballot and be given the opportunity to vote.

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5. How do I get rid of my garbage?

The Town of Beekman shares a recycling center with the Town of Unionvale. It is located on Route 55 in Unionvale. The cost is $75.00 per year, with a senior citizen discount to $40.00. Seniors are 60 or older. The permits are not prorated and are issued in January of each year. Permits are sold in the Beekman Town Clerk's office only. The office is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. There is a complete list of what may be disposed of at the center available in our office. The center is open Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:00 to 4:00 p.m., closed on major holidays.

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Forms Available for Download: The following forms can be downloaded in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the forms.
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

• Voter Registration - download
• Dog License Application - download
• Handicapped Parking Permit Application - download
• Recycle Permit Application - download

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Contact the Town Clerk

Email: beekmantc@aol.com

Mailing Address:
4 Main Street
Poughquag, NY 12570
 
Telephone Number:
845-724-5300
 
Fax Number:
845-724-3245
 
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