The Town Clerk is the official record keeper for the Town of Bethel. This office maintains and ensures the safekeeping and preservation of town records including Vital Records (Birth, Death and Marriage), Select Board records and other official town documents. This office is also responsible for licensing dogs, issuing hunting and fishing licenses and recreational vehicle registrations, motor vehicle registrations, and administering elections and registering voters.
Contact Information
Tracy Walker, Interim Town Clerk
- Phone: (207) 824-2669
- Fax: (207) 824-3355
- Email: Tracywalker@bethelmaine.org
- Location: 19 Main Street, Bethel, ME, 04217-1660
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1660, Bethel, ME 04217-1660
Kristy Aguilar, Deputy Town Clerk
- Phone: (207) 824-2669
- Email: kaguilar@bethelmaine.org
Clerk Services
The Bethel Town Clerk is responsible for the following:
- Animal Control
- Marriage Licenses
- Vital Records
- Hunting and Fishing Licenses
- Recreational Vehicle Registrations
- Motor Vehicle Registrations
- Victualers, Lodging, Innkeeper, and Food Truck Licenses
Animal Control
Dog licensing ensures rabies vaccination, which protects the health of your pet.
Maine state law requires all dogs over 6 months of age to be licensed. Dog licenses expire on December 31 each year. Per state law, a $25.00 late fee will be imposed upon all dog licenses renewed after January 31.
Current dog license fees, without late fees are:
- $6.00 for spayed or neutered dogs
- $11.00 for unaltered male or female dogs
- $30.00 for nuisance dogs
- $100.00 for dangerous dogs
- $42.00 for Kennels (each kennel license may have up to 10 dogs)
When you license your dog, you must present a Certificate of Rabies Vaccination, which must show that the immunization is effective at the time of licensure. For dogs vaccinated in other states, a certificate of immunization consistent with the requirements of the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians in effect at the time of licensure will be considered acceptable.
The first time you license your pet, please bring a neutering certificate if the dog has been neutered or spayed.
Contact Information
Eric Giroux, Animal Control Officer
- Oxford County Dispatch Phone: (207) 743-9554, extension 2 (Animal Complaints)
- Oxford County Sheriff Non-Emergency Phone: (800) 733-1421
- Email: info@bethelmaine.org
- Location: 19 Main Street, Bethel, ME, 04217
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1660, Bethel, ME, 04217
All complaints or concerns should go through Oxford County Sheriff first and the Bethel Town Office second.
(Back to top)Marriage Licenses
Persons wishing to be married in the State of Maine must apply for a marriage license from the Town Clerk’s Office. Residents of the State of Maine intending to marry shall record notice of their intentions in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which at least one of them resides. If only one party resides in Maine, the parties shall record notice of their intentions in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which the resident resides. If both parties reside outside the State of Maine, they may file intentions in any municipal office. Once the intentions are filed and the license is issued the parties are free to marry anywhere in the State of Maine.
If either party has been previously married, they must submit a certified copy of the divorce decree or annulment of the last marriage or the death certificate of the last spouse with the marriage intentions application. If both parties have previously been married, they must both submit the certificates or certified copies. Marriage licenses cannot be issued without this documentation.
There is no waiting period in Maine. After the Marriage Intentions have been filed the Clerk will issue the license, which is valid for 90 days from the date the intentions were filed.
The fee for a marriage license is $40.00. Following the ceremony the license is permanently filed with the Town Clerk of the municipality in which it was originally issued. Certified copies can be obtained from the Clerk for a fee of $15.00 for the first copy and $6.00 for each additional copy issued at the same time.
Additional Resources & Information
- Forms & Applications (Marriage Category)
- For information on marriage officiants in the State of Maine click here.
- The Marriage Intention application can be downloaded here.
Vital Records
The Town Clerk’s Office is responsible for the permanent storage of vital records (birth, marriage and death records). Individuals may request certified copies of a vital record from the Clerk’s Office for a fee:
- $15.00 for the first copy; and
- $6.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time
On July 12, 2010, the State of Maine passed a law to prevent the fraudulent use of vital records. Maine’s law requires a person requesting a copy of records less than 100 years old to provide documentation establishing their direct and legitimate interest in the records.
Individuals who may access vital records less than 100 years old include:
- The person named in the record.
- The person’s spouse or registered domestic partner.
- The parent(s) named in the record.
- Descendants of the person named in the record (child, grandchild).
- Registrant’s legal custodian, guardian or conservator or respective authorized representative (includes attorney, physician, or funeral director).
- Genealogists who have a Maine CDC issued researcher identification card.
- Other family members able to request these records include grandparent, sibling, step-parent, stepchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, mother-in-law and father-in-law.
Proof of identity must also be presented to the clerk. An application for securing a copy of the vital record must be filled out and presented, along with positive identification such as a driver’s license, passport, or other government issued picture identification that clearly shows that the person requesting the record is who they say they are.
Additional Resources & Information
(Back to top)Hunting & Fishing Licenses
The Clerk’s Office issues Hunting and Fishing Licenses for residents and property owners in Bethel, Mason Township and Albany Township. We do not at this time issue licenses for out-of-state individuals who do not either reside or own property in Bethel, Mason Township or Albany Township.
A valid Maine Driver’s license (or positive I.D and an Affidavit of Residency) is required to purchase a Resident License. Big and small game hunting licenses require proof of a prior hunting license or a certificate of Hunter Safety. Non-resident licenses require a positive I.D.
Additional Resources & Information
- Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (Maine.gov)
- Maine Resident Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License Application
Recreational Vehicle Registrations
The Clerk’s Office registers recreational vehicles (ATVs, snowmachines and boats) for residents and property owners in Bethel, Mason Township and Albany Township. We do not at this time register recreational vehicles for out-of-state individuals who do not either reside or own property in Bethel, Mason Township or Albany Township.
Additional Resources & Information
(Back to top)Motor Vehicle Registrations
The Clerk’s Office registers motor vehicles and trailers for residents of Bethel, Mason Township and Albany Township. When you register or re-register a vehicle you will need proof of insurance. All new vehicles must be registered for the first time in person at the clerk’s office. To register a new vehicle, you must have:
- Proof of insurance which is in effect at the time of registration
- A bill of sale listing the seller, purchaser, date of sale, purchase price and vehicle identification number
- If you have already applied for a title, we will need a copy of the title application
- If it is a private sale you will need to bring the title to the vehicle signed on the reverse by both the buyer and the seller
If you have moved to Maine from another state and need to register your vehicle you will need:
- Proof of insurance which is in effect at the time of registration
- Your vehicles title
- Your previous vehicle registration from the originating state
Additional Resources & Information
- Register online (at this time residents of unorganized territories cannot register vehicles online)
Victualers, Lodging, Innkeeper, and Food Truck Licenses
The Town of Bethel requires that all restaurants, inns, motels, lodging houses and food trucks gain a municipal license each year. These licenses expire May 31. Applications are to be submitted each year to the Town Clerk along with a fee stipulated in the Town Fee Schedule. Once the application is received it will be added to the next available Select Board Meeting agenda for review and vote by the Bethel Select Board. Once the Select Board has approved the application a license will be mailed to the applicant.