Town Clerk

townclerk@townofcambria.com

THE TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE IS OPEN

 MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 8 AM - 4 PM 

 Marriage Licenses | Records Access | Dog Control
Conservation Licenses | Ordinances/Local Laws | Comprehensive Plan | Handicap Parking

Frequently, the Town Clerk’s office is considered the center of town government. The office is responsible for recording activities of the town government and is the central place in which vital documents and papers are filed.

Various licenses are issued through the Town Clerk’s office including dog licenses, hunting/fishing licenses and marriage licenses. Bingo and Games of Chance licenses are also issued through this office.

Minutes of the Town Board are prepared by the Town Clerk and filed permanently in the Town Clerk’s Office. All ordinances and local laws adopted by the Town Board are also on file in the Town Clerk’s office.

Staff:

Lou Ann Murawski, Town Clerk
Tamara J. Cooper, Deputy Town Clerk 1

Paula N. Jones, Deputy Town Clerk 2

Office Hours:

Monday through  Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Telephone (716) 433-7664   Fax: (716) 433-7164

Who can get married? | Previous Marriages | Surname Options | HIV/AIDS Info

WHERE DO YOU GET A MARRIAGE LICENSE?
 

A couple who intends to be married in New York State must apply in person for a marriage license to any town or city clerk in the state. The application for a license must be signed both by the bride and groom in the presence of the town or city clerk. A representative cannot apply for the license on behalf of the bride or groom. This applies even if the representative has been given the Power of Attorney.

Notarized marriage license affidavits signed by the bride or groom cannot be substituted for their personal appearance.

IS THERE A WAITING PERIOD?

Yes. Although the marriage license is issued immediately, the marriage ceremony may not take place within 24 hours from the exact time that the license was issued.

When both applicants are 16 years of age or older, the 24-hour waiting period may be waived by an order of a Justice of the Supreme Court or a judge of the County Court of the county in which either the bride or groom resides. If either person is under 16 years of age, the order must be from the Family Court judge of the county in which the person under 16 years of age resides.

A marriage license is valid for 60 days, beginning the day after it is issued.

HOW MUCH DOES THE LICENSE COST?
 

If the marriage license is issued by a town or city clerk in New York State outside of New York City, it costs $40.  The fee includes the issuance of a Certificate of Marriage Registration. This certificate is automatically sent by the issuing clerk to the applicants within 15 days after the completed license is returned by the officiant (person who performs the marriage ceremony). It serves as notice that a record of the marriage is on file. Couples who do not receive a Certificate of Marriage Registration within four weeks of the wedding should contact the town or city clerk who issued the license.

IS A PREMARITAL PHYSICAL EXAM REQUIRED?
 

No premarital examination or blood test is required to obtain a marriage license in New York State.

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WHO CAN GET MARRIED?

Age Requirements

• If either applicant is under 14 years of age, a marriage license cannot be issued
• If either applicant is 14 or 15 years of age, such applicant(s) must present the written consent of both parents and a justice of the Supreme Court or a judge of the Family Court having jurisdiction over the town or city in which the application is made.
• If either applicant is 16 or 17 years of age, such applicant(s) must present the written consent of both parents.
• If both applicants are 18 years of age or older, no consents are required.

One parent alone may consent to a minor’s marriage if:

• The other parent has been missing for one year preceding the application
• The parents are divorced and the consenting parent was given sole custody of the child when the divorce decree was awarded
• The other parent has been judged incompetent; or
• The other parent is deceased

Parents, guardians or other people consenting to the marriage of a minor must personally appear and acknowledge or execute their consent before the town or city clerk or some other authorized official. If the notarized affidavit is made before an official outside of the State of New York, it must be accompanied by a certificate of authentication when the consent is filed in New York State.

PROOF OF AGE

A person is required to submit documentary proof of age in the form of a birth certificate, baptismal record, passport, driver’s license, life insurance policy, employment certificate, school record, immigration record, naturalization record or court record. No other type of proof, such as a statement by parents, may be accepted.

PROOF OF IDENTITY

A person is required to submit documentary proof of identity in the form of a driver’s license. DMV-issued non-driver’s license, passport or employment picture I.D.

FAMILIAL RESTRICTIONS

A marriage may not take place in New York State between an ancestor and descendant, a brother and sister (full or half blood), an uncle and niece or an aunt and nephew, regardless of whether or not these persons are legitimate or illegitimate offspring.

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PREVIOUS MARRIAGES

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. A certified copy of the Decree of Divorce or a Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage may be required by the clerk issuing the marriage license.

WHERE CAN A MARRIAGE TAKE PLACE?

A New York State marriage license may be used within New York State only. Please note that if you go out of New York Sate to be married, your New York State marriage license will not be filed in New York State.

WHAT ABOUT THE CEREMONY?

There is no particular form or ceremony required except that the parties must state in the presence of an authorized member of the clergy or public official and at least one other witness that they take each other as husband and wife.

There is no minimum age for a witness. However, in selecting a witness, choose at least one person who you feel would be competent to testify in a court proceeding as to what he or she witnessed.

WHO CAN PERFORM A MARRIAGE CEREMONY?

To be valid, a marriage ceremony must be performed by any of the individuals specified in Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law. These include:

• The mayor of a city or village
• The former mayor, the city clerk or one of the deputy city clerks of a city of more than one million inhabitants
• A marriage officer appointed by the town or village board or the city common council
• A justice or judge of the following courts: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern or Western Districts of New York, the NYS Court of Appeals, the Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court, the NYS Supreme Court, the Court of Claims, the Family Court, a Surrogates’ Court, the Civil and Criminal Courts of New York City (including Housing Judges of the Civil Court) and other courts of record
• A village, town or county justice
• A member of the clergy or minister who has been officially ordained and granted authority to perform marriage ceremonies from a governing church body in accordance with the rules and regulations of the church body
• A member of the clergy or minister who is not authorized by a governing church body but who has been chosen by a spiritual group to preside over their spiritual affairs
• Other officiants as specified by Section 11 of the Domestic Relations Law.

The person performing the ceremony must be registered with the City of New York in order to perform a ceremony within the New York City limits. The officiant does not have to be a resident of New York State.

Ship captains are not authorized to perform marriage ceremonies in New York State.

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SURNAME OPTIONS

Every person has the right to adopt any name by which he or she wishes to be known simply by using that name consistently and without intent to defraud.

A person’s last name (surname) does not automatically change upon marriage, and neither party to the marriage is required to change his or her last name. The bride and groom need not take the same last name.

One or both parties to a marriage may elect to change the surname by which he or she wishes to be known after the marriage by entering the new name in the appropriate space provided on the marriage license. The new name must consist of one of the following options:

• The surname of the other spouse
• Any former surname of either spouse
• A name combining into a single surname all or a segment of the premarriage surname or any former surname of each spouse
• A combination name separated by a hyphen, provided that each part of such combination surname is the premarriage surname, or any former surname, of each of the spouses.

The use of this option will provide a record of your change of name. The marriage certificate, containing the new name, if any, is proof that the use of the new name, or the retention of the former name, is lawful. The local Social Security Administration office should be contacted so that its records and your social security identification card reflect the name change. There is no charge for this service.

Whether you decide to use or not use this option at the time of your marriage license application, you still have the right to adopt a different name through usage at some future date. However, your marriage license cannot be changed to record a surname you decide to use after your marriage.

If you plan to use your married name at work, be sure to have your name changed in Social Security records. This way, you will get credit for all your earnings. It’s easy and it’s absolutely free. Contact any Social Security office. Look in the telephone book for the address and phone number. You will need documentary evidence showing both your old name and your new name.

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If you are getting married, you need to think about infections that can be spread by sex including infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Many people infected with HIV have no signs or symptoms and don’t think they are infected with the virus. Men and women infected with HIV can pass the virus on to their sex or needle-sharing partners.

If a woman who is infected with HIV gets pregnant, she can pass the virus to her baby. But if she knows she has HIV, she can take special medicines during pregnancy that will reduce the chance that her baby will be infected.

• Anyone who has ever shared a needle to shoot drugs could be infected
• Anyone who ever had sex with a man or a woman who shoots drugs could be infected
• Anyone who has had previous sexual partners could be infected - the more sexual partners, the greater the chances
• Anyone who received a blood transfusion or blood products before 1985 could be infected

A blood test can tell you if you have HIV. Many couples choose to get tested before marriage, to protect each other and their future children.

Your doctor or health clinic can refer you for HIV counseling and testing. The New York State Health Department’s hotline provides information about HIV and AIDS, and can refer you to local free HIV counseling and testing sites. Call (toll free) 1-800-541- AIDS.

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For copies of marriage licenses issued anywhere in New York State except New York City, a certified copy of the marriage records may be obtained from the office of the town or city clerk who issued the license, or from the New York State Department of Health. The fee is $10 if you obtain a certified copy from the town or city clerk who issued the license. If applying to the New State Department of Health, the fee is $5. For a certified copy, write to:

Certification Unit
Vital Records Section
New York State Department of Health
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, New York 12220-2602

Marriage Record Application

Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader click for free download.

For marriage licenses issued in New York City, do not apply to the New York State Department of Health. You must apply to the borough office of the City Clerk of New York in the borough where the license was issued. The fee is $15 per copy.

(Information copied from NYS Department of Health Publication entitled, “Getting Married in New York State”)

RECORDS ACCESS OFFICER                                                             Lou Ann Murawski, Records Access Officer - Records Management Officer

Under regulations established by the New York State Committee on Open Government, governmental entities in New York State are required to designate a Records Access Officer to coordinate an agency’s response to public requests for records.

The records access officer is responsible for keeping the subject matter list up to date, assisting in identifying records sought, making the records promptly available or denying access, providing copies of records or permitting the making of copies, certify that a copy is a true copy and, if the records cannot be found, certifying either that the agency does not have possession of the requested records or that the agency does have the records, but they cannot be found after diligent search.

The New York State Committee on Open Government is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Freedom of Information Law and the Open Meetings Law. The Freedom of Information Law governs rights of access to government records, while the Open Meetings Law concerns the conduct of meetings of public bodies and the right to attend those meetings.

Specific questions or advice regarding either the Freedom of Information Law or the Open Meetings Law should be addressed to:

Committee on Open Government
NYS Department of State
162 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231
Telephone: (518) 474-2518

Free brochures available from the Committee on Open Government include:

• Personal Privacy Protection Law
•  “Your Right to Know”, New York State’s Open Government Laws

All requests for public access to records should be made in writing on the prescribed form. The fee charged for copies is $.20 per page.

Records Access Application

Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader click for free download.

A request for access to records should be sufficiently detailed to identify the records. Where possible, the requester should supply information regarding dates, titles, or other information which may help identify the records.

DENIAL OF ACCESS TO RECORDS

The Town Supervisor shall hear appeals for denial of access of records under the Freedom of Information Law.

Denial of access shall be in writing stating the reason therefore and advising the requester of his right to appeal to the individual or body established to hear appeals, and that person or body shall be identified by name, title, business address and business telephone number.

The time for deciding an appeal by the individual or body designated to hear appeals shall commence upon receipt of written appeal identifying:

• The date and location of requests for records
• The records to which the requester was denied access; and
• The name and return address of the requester

The individual designated to hear appeals shall inform the requester of its decision in writing within seven business days of receipt of an appeal

RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

The success of the Town of Cambria’s Records Management Program is a result of a culmination of efforts and grants obtained through the New York State Education Department (State Archives and Records Administration):

• 1989 - A grant of $900 was received to pay the Records Management Officer to organize a multitude of records that had accumulated over the years. Records were re-boxed and labeled.

• 1995 - A grant of $25,274 was awarded to the Town for  remodeling of the storage facility and the purchase of shelving and storage boxes.

• 1996 - A grant of $4,332 was awarded for the purchase of a computer and hiring of additional staff to organize inactive records.

• 1997 - A grant of $8,463 was awarded for the microfilming of archival records.

• 1998 - A grant of $6,428 was awarded for the indexing of Town Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes

MICROFILMED RECORDS

The Town of Cambria has the following records on microfilm:

• Town Board Minutes 1808 - 1997

• Assessment Rolls 1838 - 1899

• Poll List 1868 - 1881

• Overseer of the Poor Records 1878 - 1904

AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS

Copies of the listed microfilmed records have also been provided to the following offices for access to the public:

Niagara County Community College
Library Learning Center
3111 Saunders Settlement Road
Sanborn, New York 14132

Niagara County Historian’s Office
Civil Defense Building
139 Niagara Street
Lockport, New York 14094

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Dog Control         

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HOW TO LICENSE YOUR DOG

•Apply for a dog license at the Town Clerk's office.

•If the dog is spayed or neutered, supply a certificate from a licensed veterinarian or an affidavit signed by the owner showing that the dog has been spayed or neutered, unless this proof is already on file with the clerk.

•ALL dogs three months or older must have proof of a rabies vaccination signed by a licensed veterinarian or a certificate stating why the life of the dog would be endangered by the vaccine.

After the application and appropriate certificates are filed and the license fee has been paid, the license will be valid for one year. Each dog is assigned a permanent official identification number and issued a metal ID tag which is to be attached to the dog's collar. NO REFUND WILL BE MADE AFTER A LICENSE HAS BEEN VALIDATED.

TOWN OF CAMBRIA LICENSE FEES

•Spayed/neutered - $7.00

•Unspayed/unneutered - $15.00

•Guide, war, hearing, police, or service dogs - no fee

License renewal forms will be mailed directly to the dog owner by the Department of Agriculture & Markets.

The owner must provide to the Town clerk in writing any of the following changes to the license record:

•dog ownership

•dog owner's address

•loss or theft of the dog (and if the dog is found, its return) and

•death of a dog

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See below to download a copy of the Dog Control Local Law and Dog License Application

RABIES IMMUNIZATION CLINICS 2008

Full Poster

Click on the links below to open the form in a PDF format. Print it out, fill it in and mail it to:

Town of Cambria
4160 Upper Mountain Rd.
Sanborn, NY 14132-9416

or fax it to:  (716) 433-7164

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader click for a free download.

Dog Control Local Law
Dog License
Marriage Record Application
Records Access Application

Click the Back button on your browser to return here after printing is done.

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The Town Clerk’s office issues various conservation licenses: hunting, fishing, bow, trapping. The license year runs from October 1 through September 30th.  Licenses for the year beginning October 1st generally go on sale during the month of August.

Providing proof of residency each time a person applies for a resident sporting license is mandated by New York Sate Environmental Conservation Law.

Complying with this law protects the Conservation Fund revenue that provides hunting and fishing resources to you. For example, each time a person fraudulently obtains a Resident Big Game License, $87 is lost to the Conservation Fund (Non-residents Big Game is $100; Resident Big Game is $13)

A resident is a person whose domicile is within New York State. A domicile is that place where a person has his or her true, fixed and permanent home to which he or she always intends to return.

There are two categories of acceptable proof of residency:

1. A current New York State driver’s license
2. An affidavit properly sworn and executed by the applicant which affirms that his/her legal residence during the preceding 30-day period has been within New York State, PLUS one or more of the following items in addition to the affidavit:
   • Non-driver’s ID card which shows NYS residency
   • W-2 Income Tax Form or NYS-IT-201 Income Tax Form
   • Current voter registration card
   • Bank statements
   • Utility bill
   • Major credit card bill

 LOST LICENSES

Lost your old hunting, bow hunting or trapping license? To get a new license to hunt, bow hunt and/or trap, you need to submit one of the following:

• Any license for that activity issued to you (from any state or country). For bow hunting, this must be a New York State archery stamp or license issued in 1980 or later.
• Proof (a certificate) that you passed to required course(s).

• Don’t call DEC. They do not have records of old licenses.

• Do look again in your home.

• Do contact the agent who sold you your last license and find out if a record of that sale was kept. If the agent has the record, he or she can issue a license.

For course certificates for sportsman, bow hunter and trapper education:

• Do bring in your course certificate if you have it. Certificates from other states are acceptable.

If you do not have the certificate:

• Do call the Sportsman Education Office in Albany at (518) 457-2994. Give your name and birth date to find out if the office has a record of your successful completion of a specific education course. DEC has records of courses after 1980.
• Contact your sportsman education instructor to find if a record of your successful completion of the course was kept on file.

If you cannot produce a license or a certificate, you must take the required courses.

LIFETIME SPORTING LICENSES

Lifetime sporting licenses are available through the office of NYSDEC. Interested individuals should telephone DEC at (518) 402-8845. For additional information, contact the License and Promotion Sales Unit, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.  Phone: (518) 402-8845

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Ordinances and local laws adopted by the Town of Cambria Town Board are on file in the office of the Town Clerk, where they are available to the public.

Ordinances, by subject matter are listed below:

• Automobile Repair/Storage
• Campgrounds
• Conservation Sector
• Dog Control Local Law
• Dog Ordinance Amendments
• Dog License Fee
• Environmental Quality Review Act Ordinance
• Ethics Code
• Flood Damage Prevention
• Games of Chance
• Mobile Home Ordinance
• Old Pekin Hill Road
• Parking on Certain Highways
• Sewer Ordinance
• Stormwater Management Ordinance
• Town Owned Property
• Unsafe Buildings
• Water Ordinance 2001
• Water Regulations
• Wetlands
• Winter Parking Ordinances
• Zoning Ordinance

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Comprehensive Plan 1997

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
GUIDELINES FOR ISSUING PARKING PERMITS
TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law (NYS VTL) requires all cities, towns and villages in New York State to appoint an agent to issue permits to severely disabled individuals. These permits allow holders to park legally in spaces reserved for people with disabilities. The permits must be issued to the person with the disability, to use when the disabled person drives (or is a passenger in) any vehicle that is not being used for commercial purposes. Permits must also be issued to state facilities or agencies licensed by New York State, or any of its political subdivisions, that operate a motor vehicle for the purpose of transporting persons with disabilities.

Any NYS resident who qualifies as a severely disabled person is eligible for a statewide parking permit. The NYS VTL refers to NYS residents with permanent disabilities, not just drivers with disabilities. The permit offers an alternative to disabled drivers who do not want to display license plates with the wheelchair symbol. However, a parking permit can also be issued to drivers who have the special wheelchair license plates to use when driving or riding in another vehicle.

Although permits can be issued to people who have a driver license and/or vehicle registration, they are also issued to children of any age, the elderly and others who don’t drive or own a vehicle. Parents or guardians may submit an application on behalf of severely disabled person. However, in all cases, the permit must be issued in the name of the person with disability.

Temporary parking permits may be issued to anyone who is certified by a physician as unable to walk without the help of an assisting device, and to visitors from another country who are disabled and traveling in New York State.

A facility or agency licensed by New York State or its political subdivisions, may also apply for a permit for each vehicle it uses primarily to transport disabled persons.

A “severely disabled person” is an individual with one or more of the following impairments, disabilities or conditions, which affect mobility and are PERMANENT in nature:

1. uses portable oxygen
2. blindness
3. limited or no use of one or both legs
4. unable to walk 200 feet without stopping
5. a neuromuscular dysfunction which severely limits mobility
6. class III or IV cardiac condition (American Heart Association Standards)
7. restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg of room air at rest
8. severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition
9. another physical or mental condition not included above which constitutes an equal degree of disability. The disability prevents the person from getting around without great difficulty, and is of such a nature as to impose unusual hardship in using public transportation facilities

Physicians licensed in New York and other states may provide certification for conditions 1, 2 and 3 above. However, only physicians licensed in NYS may certify that someone is eligible for a permit as described in condition 9 above. A podiatrist licensed in NYS may only certify applicants for severe disabilities of the foot.

TEMPORARY parking permits can be issued to any person who is unable to ambulate without the aid of an assisting device, as certified by a physician (VTL S1203-a(3). These devices include wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, canes, prostheses, portable oxygen or others. Temporary permits are issued for periods of six months or less.

Applicants who have a temporary parking permit that is due to expire, and who are still disabled, must return to their physician to obtain new medical certification attesting that they are still temporarily disabled.

The New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law does not provide for a user fee, and a fee may not be charged for issuing an original or renewal parking permit.

Disabled individuals may apply for plates at any Motor Vehicles office. They must provide proof of disability, along with other items that are necessary for registering a vehicle.

Customers who already have a valid, permanent parking permit issued in New York State, or who have a permit that was issued in the state where they previously lived, are required to submit a doctor’s statement as proof of disability.

Disabled registrants who already have standard New York license plates, and who now want disabled license plates, must bring proof of the disability, or a valid, permanent parking permit, the New York plates and registration, to any Motor Vehicles office. The disabled plates may also be obtained at the same time your registration is renewed.

For detailed information regarding handicap parking permits and license plates, visit www.nysdmv.com.

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