Hamilton

Village Office & Clerk

Clerk McKenzie Bolan's office issues birth and death certificates ($10 each; records from 1909/1914 forward), handles village tax collection (June 1–Oct. 1), tax searches ($20), sound permits ($25), farmers-market vendor and mobile-food permits, and Eaton Street/Hooks Wiltse facility rentals ($35–$75 depending on residency).

Village Court

Justices Nicholas Sabino and Donald Haight preside; court convenes Monday evenings at 5 p.m. (except holidays), with District Attorney's court the first Monday of each month at 2 p.m. Shares a courtroom and some staff with the Town Court.

Code Enforcement (Village)

Code Enforcement Officer Gerard Snow (cell (315) 750-0497) requires a permit for new buildings and additions, above-ground and in-ground pools, sheds/fences/decks/porches, and any addition to electrical, plumbing, or heating systems. Inspections should be scheduled at least 24 hours ahead.

Town Clerk & Town Hall

Clerk Sue Reymers, R.M.C. Handles vital records ($10/copy, money order only; genealogy requests $22+), marriage licenses, disabled parking permits (no fee), DEC hunting/fishing licenses, dog licenses, tax bill payment (online available), landfill punch cards ($25 for a 5-punch card, effective Jan. 1, 2025), and notary services.

Town Justice Court

Town Justice Nicholas Sabino; clerks Sandra Crumb and Dorothy Janczuk. Shares the courthouse at 60 Montgomery St with the Village Court.

Code Enforcement / Building Permits (Town)

Code Enforcement Officer Chuck Ladd (after-hours emergency (315) 825-1511). Per the fee schedule effective Jan. 1, 2025: $30 admin fee, $45 per inspection, new residential construction $8/100 sq ft, commercial $10/100 sq ft, sheds/garages/decks $4/100 sq ft, demolition permit (required for any structure over 144 sq ft) $20, pools $50 (above-ground) or $100 (in-ground), and $50 flat fee each for generators, electric panel upgrades, solar, and central A/C.

Public Works / DPW (Village)

Maintains village roads, parks and trails, and village-owned property, and runs residential garbage collection. First two dumpsters per property per year are free; each additional dumpster is $20 (contact crew chief Derek Buschor).

Trash Collection (Village)

DPW collects residential garbage on set Wednesday or Thursday routes; when a holiday falls on a pickup day, that day's route shifts to the next day. Yard waste, grass clippings, brush, and tree stumps may not be mixed in with garbage or recyclables at the curb. Call the village office at (315) 824-1111 with route questions.

Municipal Electric (Village)

The village owns and operates its own electric distribution utility, one of roughly 35 municipally owned electric systems in New York State, serving village residences, businesses, Colgate University, and Community Memorial Hospital.

Municipal Natural Gas (Village)

Foreman Chris Carhart leads the village's natural gas crew. Gas emergency line: (844) 824-1100.

Municipal Water (Village)

Village-run system treats and pressurizes water drawn from a nearby aquifer; state-certified operators, overseen by the NYS Health Department. Rates differ for in-village and out-of-village customers.

Dog Licensing

Licensing for both town and village dogs is handled at the Town Clerk's office: $15 for an unaltered dog, $7 for an altered dog (spay/neuter proof required), plus rabies certificate and application; tags are not reissued annually, and a renewal reminder is mailed each year. Separately, the village contracts stray/nuisance dog control to Carol Lawrence, (607) 226-1858.

Highway Department (Town)

Town Highway Garage, led by Highway Superintendent Mike Doyle and Deputy Superintendent Erick Wilcox; maintains the town road system. Same number serves as the emergency contact.

Hamilton Transfer Station

Operated by Madison County Solid Waste for county residents' household garbage and recycling. A punch card is required for yard waste and antifreeze (4-gallon limit); the Town Clerk sells landfill punch cards for $25 (5 punches). See an attendant before unloading.

Police (Village of Hamilton PD)

Full-service village department led by Chief Matt Janczuk; dispatch line (315) 366-2311. Covers calls originating within the Village of Hamilton only.

Fire Department

All-volunteer, ISO Class 3 department with about 50 active firefighters (roughly 30% Colgate students). Under contract it also covers portions of the towns of Hamilton, Lebanon, and Madison, an estimated 27-square-mile response area.

Hamilton Public Library

Parks & Trails (Village)

The Village Green hosts the Saturday farmers market May–October, and Triangle Park sits between Milford, Montgomery and Lebanon streets. No online reservation system — call the village office at (315) 824-1111. Fields and the tow-path trail are under Parks & courts.

Hamilton Central School District

Trash & Recycling Drop-off (county transfer stations)

Madison County runs four transfer stations, all 7:10 a.m.–3 p.m.: Buyea Road, Canastota (Tue–Sat); Hamilton, 7638 Cranston Rd (Wed and Sat); Cazenovia, 3422 Constine Bridge Rd (Fri and Sat); and Sullivan, 7480 Bolivar Rd, Chittenango (Fri and Sat). Day-use permits and punch cards are sold at the landfill Scale House, Mon–Fri until 2:45 p.m. and Sat until 2:15 p.m.

DMV

Madison County's only DMV office is at 138 N Court St, Building 4, Wampsville, NY 13163 (Mon 7:45 a.m.–4 p.m.; Tue–Thu 7:45 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fri 7:45 a.m.–3 p.m.). Walk-in service; no satellite offices in Oneida or Canastota. REAL ID upgrade appointments are booked separately at mv.ny.gov/proveid, and a drop box in the parking lot accepts mail-in registration and renewal transactions.

Voting

Madison County Board of Elections, 138 N Court St, Wampsville, NY 13163 (mailing: PO Box 666, Wampsville, NY 13163). Handles voter registration and absentee ballots for the county; poll-site assignments and registration status are looked up statewide at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.

Senior Services

Madison County Office for the Aging, 138 Dominick Bruno Blvd., Canastota, NY 13032. NY Connects, the county's point of entry for long-term-care information and assistance, is reached at (315) 697-3092.

Public Transit

The Madison Transit System, operated by Birnie Bus under Madison County Planning Department oversight, runs fixed routes with route deviation Monday–Friday: City of Oneida, an Oneida–Canastota extension, Hamilton/Morrisville/Nelson/Cazenovia, and Heritage Farms. One-way fares run $1.50–$3.00, half-fare for seniors and youth through age 16; schedule PDFs are posted on the county's transportation page. Madison County Planning Department: (315) 366-2376.

Electric & Gas (National Grid)

National Grid serves Madison County for both electric and gas. Customer service (800) 642-4272, Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Power outages: (800) 867-5222, 24/7. Gas emergencies (e.g., smell of gas): (800) 892-2345, 24/7.

Boat Launches (DEC)

State launch sites on Cazenovia Lake, Eaton Brook and Lebanon reservoirs, Lake Moraine, Upper Leland Pond, Stoney Pond and Oneida Lake at Sullivan — the largest, with parking for 100 cars and trailers and accessible features. Three things to know before you drive out: the hard-surface Cazenovia Lake ramp needs a launch permit (315-655-3041), Stoney Pond is electric motors only, and access at Lake Moraine is disrupted through 2027 while the dam is rehabilitated.

Fishing Access

DEC publishes a county fishing access map covering Madison Reservoir, Cazenovia Lake, Chittenango Creek, Oriskany Creek, the Chenango River and Oneida Lake. Public fishing rights are permanent easements DEC bought from landowners — usually a 33-foot strip along one or both banks — so the right is to fish and walk the bank, not to cross the land to reach it.

Hiking & Riding Trails — Brookfield Trail System

Over 100 miles of connected trail across three state forests in the south-east of the county — Charles E. Baker (9,000 acres, the core), Brookfield Railroad and Beaver Creek. Carriage roads, truck trails and wooded track over hilly, rocky ground, open to hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The assembly area on Moscow Road has a pavilion, picnic area, camping, and covered tie stalls for about 150 horses. Riding season runs May 1 to October 31; hiking is open all year.

Hiking & Ski Trails — Stoney Pond State Forest

1,469 acres with a 13-mile Nordic ski trail network, most of it graded for beginner and intermediate skiers, that doubles as hiking trail from spring through autumn. The trail winds around the 44-acre pond, reached from a trailhead off Jones Road. Camping is free, but a reservation is required from May 1 to September 30, and a permit for stays of four nights or more.

Seven Oaks Golf Club

Hooks Wiltse Field

Chenango Canal Tow Path