Debra Reilly, Town Clerk
603-357-0320
dreilly1961@gmail.com

Mailing Address: Town of Gilsum, P.O. Box 36, Gilsum, NH 03448.
Physical Address: 650 Route 10, Gilsum, NH, 03448

The Town Clerk’s Hours:

Tuesday evenings 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday mornings 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Second and Last Thursdays of the month 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

2024 Dog Tags are now available at the Town Clerk’s office

Voting / Elections

To be eligible to register and vote in New Hampshire a person must be:

      • 18 years of age or older on election day;
      • A United States Citizen; and
      • Domiciled in the town or ward where the person seeks to vote.

To register, you will need to provide documents that prove your identity, age, and citizenship.

      • A driver’s license or non-driver ID from any state satisfies proof of identity and age.
      • A birth certificate, U.S. Passport/Pass card, naturalization document or Real ID compliant driver’s license or state issued non-driver ID satisfies proof of citizenship.

If you do not have these, you can prove your identity, age, and/or citizenship, by signing a

Qualified Voter Affidavit, under oath, in front of an election official.

Where to Register – Individuals may register to vote during normal office hours at the Town Office. There are special registration sessions held on certain dates by the Supervisors of the Checklist. These dates are posted at the Town Office and in the local newspaper. Residents may also register to vote at the Polls on Election Days.

Where to Vote – All elections in the Town of Gilsum are held at the Gilsum Community Center, 640 Route 10, Gilsum.  The polls are open from 8:00am to 7:00pm for State and National Elections and from 1:00pm to 7:00pm for Town Elections. The annual Town Meeting is held on the second Wednesday in March beginning at 7:00pm at the Community Center.

Absentee Ballots – If you are unable to vote in person, you may request an absentee ballot from the Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours.

Party Affiliation – You are not required to list a party affiliation in New Hampshire. Listing yourself as undeclared means that you have no party preference. There is no “independent” party in New Hampshire. In primary elections, an undeclared voter may request either party’s ballot at the polls and will be listed on the checklist in the future as a member. A voter who wishes to return to “undeclared” status after voting may do so after voting. Change of party affiliation (changing from one party to another) may be done no sooner than the day after an election.

For further information visit the following website, http://sos.nh.gov/Elections.aspx

REGISTERING ABSENTEE (BY MAIL)
You may request absentee voter registration forms and instructions from your clerk before requesting an absentee ballot. Supervisors of the Checklist must review and approve your application. They are required to meet on a date 6 to 13 days before the September 8, 2020 primary and again before the November 3, 2020 general election. Unless the supervisors hold voluntary sessions before then, the supervisors will review your application at that meeting. You are registered to vote when the supervisors approve the application.

If you request an absentee ballot and are not registered, the clerk will send you both your absentee ballot and your absentee voter registration forms and instructions.

VOTING ABSENTEE (BY MAIL)
Request your absentee ballot from your town/city clerk as early as possible. An Absentee Ballot Application can be downloaded from: http://sos.nh.gov/ElecForms2.aspx See below for how to obtain your Clerk’s contact information.

If you are returning your completed absentee ballot by US Mail, the clerk must receive it by 5:00 p.m. on election day. To increase the likelihood the absentee ballot arrives on time and assist with an expected high volume of absentee ballots, we recommend mailing it at least two weeks before the election. After 5 days, check the Voter Information lookup, Absentee Ballot link, to see if your clerk has received the ballot. Contact your clerk if your ballot has not been received. You may also deliver it to the clerk’s office in-person or by a delivery agent until 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election. A delivery agent may deliver it to the clerk at the polling place until 5 p.m. on election day. Family members, nursing home and elder care facility administrators, and a person assisting a voter with a disability who signs the absentee ballot affidavit (limited to delivering ballots for 4 voters) may be a delivery agent. See RSA 657:17: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/LXIII/657/657-17.htm

Find your clerk’s contact information, your party membership status, or the status of your absentee ballot request here: http://sos.nh.gov/

Services

Notary Service

Notary Services are available at the Town Office during normal business hours. Please have valid photo identification available. Documents requiring notarization must be signed in the presence of the Notary Public. Any document signed where the signature is not done in the presence of the Notary Public, will not be notarized.

Dog License

Each dog over four months old must be licensed by its owner or keeper prior to April 30 of each year.  The license is effective May 1 to April 30 of the subsequent year.  Proof of updated rabies vaccination must be presented at the time of licensing.  Any person who keeps five or more dogs may apply for a group license.  Verification must be furnished that each dog has been vaccinated against rabies.

Annual Fees: 

Male or Female Dog – $9.00
Spayed or Neutered Dog – $6.50 (Please bring proof of spaying or neutering)
Puppy – Under 7 months of age – $6.50
1st Dog owned by a Senior Citizen – $2.00
Group License (5 or more dogs) – $20.00

In addition to the license fees listed above, there is a charge of $1.00 for each month or any part thereof that the fees remain unpaid, if they are not paid before June 1 in any year.

Please note, it is the responsibility of the town clerk to give the governing body a list of those owners who have failed to license or renew their pet’s license by June 20.  A warrant is then prepared directing the law enforcement officer to issue a civil forfeiture of $25.00* for each unlicensed dog.  If the forfeiture is not paid within 15 calendar days, then a summons to municipal or district court may be issued.  This forfeiture is in addition to any required licensing fees and/or late charges.

*Please note there is also a $5.00 charge for the issuance of the notice.

Vehicle Registration

The Town Clerk’s office is the place to begin with new registrations, renewal registrations, or transfers of registrations.

Please bring your current registration along with a government issued photo ID.

Cash or two checks are required to obtain your registration decals/plates. We do not accept debit or credit cards.

Please Make Checks Payable as Follows:

    1. State of NH DMV
    2. Town of Gilsum

You will need to provide proof of residency in Gilsum (rent receipt, lease agreement, electricity bill, etc.).  State of New Hampshire Change of Address forms are available from the Town Clerk.

For further information visit the following website, https://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/index-original.htm

Certified Copies

New Hampshire vital records are considered private and access to them is restricted to those individuals with a “direct and tangible interest” in a record in accordance with NH State Statues. To obtain a certified abstract of a Birth or Death, you must provide the following information in writing:

    1. Name at Birth or (Name at Death)
    2. Date of Birth or (Date of Death)
    3. Place of Birth or (Place of Death)
    4. Mother’s First & Maiden Surname
    5. Father’s Name
    6. Purpose for the Certificate
    7. Relationship to the Person in

If you need a certified abstract of your Marriage License, you may request a copy in person or by providing the following information in writing:

    1. Name of Groom
    2. Name of Bride
    3. Date of Marriage
    4. Place of Marriage

The purpose for which the certificate is needed is required and the request must contain the signature of the person requesting the record. If ordering the abstract by mail, you must also include a valid, legible photocopy of your picture ID, such as a driver’s license or other government issued photo id.

New Hampshire law requires that a non-refundable search fee of $15.00 be collected for each record requested. This search fee also covers the certified record cost for the first certified copy. Additional certified copies of the same record, ordered at the same time, are available for $10.00 each. Please make checks payable to the Town of Gilsum.

Vital Records

Marriage License

All persons wishing to be married in the State of New Hampshire must complete a Marriage License Application with any City or Town Clerk regardless of their place of residence. This includes out-of-state residents. Once the marriage license is issued, the couple is free to marry within any city or town in the State of New Hampshire.

A marriage certificate is a copy of the record certified by the city or town clerk or by the Registrar of the Vital Records and Health Statistics and serves as evidence of the fact of marriage.

Application Procedure

Both individuals must appear at the same time in the Office of the Town Clerk. However, if either party (or both) is a member of the armed forces, he or she shall forward an affidavit of marriage intentions, prepared by the armed forces legal representative, to the Town Clerk, if he or she cannot appear in person.

When completing your marriage license worksheet please make sure to fill in every box.  We need full middle names and last names at birth – even if the names are the same.  There are two pages to this worksheet.  The second page is to be signed in front of a staff member in the Town Clerk’s Office.  “Person A” on the worksheet is to be completed by the groom and “Person B” is to be completed by the bride.  In the case of a same-sex couple, “Person A” and “Person B” information is to be completed alphabetically by last name.

Individuals may apply for a marriage license during regular business hours of the Town Clerk.

Identification Requirements: (no photo or electronic copies)

    • Proof of age (example – driver’s license, passport, certified birth certificate)
    • Photo identification (example – driver’s license or passport)
    • Certified copy of a death certificate of a former spouse, if either applicant is widowed
    • Certified copy of a final divorce decree, if either applicant is divorced
    • Certified copy of a civil annulment decree, if the applicant’s previous marriage was annulled (This is a court document).

Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a translation that has been signed by the translator. A notary must witness the translator’s signature.

Age

A male or female who has reached the age of 18 can marry without special permission. A male or female between the age of 16 and 17 may apply in writing to the judicial branch family division having jurisdiction in the location in which one of them resides, for permission to contract such a marriage. A male and female below the age of 16 are not allowed to marry under any condition.
NH RSA 457:4

Relationship

Marriage is not permitted in New Hampshire between people who are related by blood as first cousins or in any more direct lineage.

Marriage may be performed by: 

    • A Justice of the Peace commissioned in New Hampshire
    • A minister of the gospel in New Hampshire who has been ordained to the usage of his denomination, resides in New Hampshire and is in regular standing with the denomination
    • A minister within his parish, residing outside New Hampshire, but having a pastoral charge wholly or partly in New Hampshire
    • Jewish Rabbis who are citizens of the United States and reside in this state
    • Quakers
    • A deacon in the Roman Catholic Church ordained according to the usage of his denomination
    • Judges of the United States, a US magistrate judge residing in this state pursuant to federal law, a clergyman who are not ordained, and non-resident Justices of the Peace, ministers and Jewish Rabbis, after being licensed by the Secretary of State.

Exempt Records

Certain older records are exempt from access restrictions. Birth records older than 100 years, and deaths, marriages and divorce records older than 50 years are available with unrestricted access.

You can access these records through the town clerk where the original license was obtained or through the Bureau of Vital Records Genealogy Center at 71 South Fruit Street, Concord, NH.

The center is open to the public at 8:30 to 11:45 am and 12:15 – 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

For further information visit the following website, http://sos.nh.gov/vital_records.aspx

Pistol and Revolver Licensing

The Permits and Licensing Unit performs background checks on all individuals applying for non-resident concealed pistol licenses, armed and unarmed private investigator licenses, armed and unarmed security guard licenses, and armed and unarmed bail enforcement licenses. In addition, certificates of competency are issued for the use of explosives after successful testing. The licensing for the use, transport and storage of explosives is completed by the Permits and Licensing Unit with the inspection of explosive storage magazines performed by troopers assigned to the State Police Explosives Disposal Unit. The Permits and Licensing Unit’s Gun Line is responsible for completing background checks for all handgun purchases occurring through a Federal Firearms Licensed gun dealer.

In-State Residents

Pistol and Revolver licenses are only issued to Non-Residents by the New Hampshire State Police. Please contact your local policing agency for a Resident Pistol/Revolver License. The Application for a Resident Pistol/Revolver License  may be downloaded.

Out-of-State Residents

Please download the Application for Non-Resident Pistol/Revolver License ; fill in the necessary information according to the instructions and mail it to:

Department of Safety
Division of State Police
Permits and Licensing Unit
33 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03305

New Hampshire Pistol/Revolver Rules and RSAs

  • RSA 159 (includes self-defense weapons and martial arts weapons)
  • New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules Saf-C 2100

Reciprocity

The states listed below have indicated that they will recognize New Hampshire resident pistol revolver licenses. Anyone carrying a firearm in New Hampshire is subject to all other applicable laws including RSA 159:3.

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona *
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado *
  • Florida *
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia *
  • Wyoming

* License holders must be 21 years of age or older.

Please Note: Pistol/Revolver licenses issued by the State of New Hampshire to out-of-state residents are only valid within the State of New Hampshire or within a state that recognizes a New Hampshire non-resident pistol/revolver license.

It is extremely important that all license holders be aware of the laws and requirements of all reciprocating states when visiting/traveling. Possession of a license does not supersede any other state’s laws or license requirements. License holders are subject to the laws of the state they are visiting.

If you are a New Hampshire Pistol/Revolver License holder traveling to another state and wish to carry a concealed weapon using your New Hampshire license, contact that state directly to confirm their recognition status before carrying concealed weapons there. For example, some states only recognize a license if the person is 21 years of age or older.

The above is being provided for informational purposes only. The Department of Safety does not make any warranty, express or implied, concerning the accuracy of the information. Every attempt is made to update the information periodically; however, it is each individual’s responsibility to know the laws and requirements concerning possession of pistols/revolvers when traveling in New Hampshire or any other state.