Utica

City Clerk

Issues marriage licenses, dog licenses, peddler permits, special event permits, and handles FOIL requests.

Utica City Court

Separate lines for civil (266-4603), criminal (266-4602), traffic (266-4601), and cashier (266-4604).

Codes Enforcement / Building Permits

A permit is required for any construction costing $1,000 or more; projects in the Scenic & Historic District need one regardless of cost. Call (315) 792-0157 to request a Building Inspector appointment before starting work.

Building Permit Fees

Repairs/alterations $1,000–$10,000: $150 flat, then $7 per additional $1,000. New 1–3 family homes: $250 (up to 1,000 sq ft), $350 (1,001–2,000 sq ft), $450 (over 2,000 sq ft). Demolition (residential): $35 up to 500 sq ft, $50 for 501–1,500 sq ft, $100 over 1,500 sq ft. Certificate of Occupancy starts at $125 for single-family.

Taxes / Assessment

Department of Assessment and Taxation; property tax bills can be paid online at selfservice.cityofutica.com.

Public Works (DPW)

Maintains city streets, snow and ice removal, and houses the city's Sewer Department and Sign Shop.

Trash & Recycling

Weekly curbside collection: garbage goes out in City of Utica Blue Bags, recyclables in an Orange Container or RecycleOne-decaled container, set out between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. the night before pickup. Single-family homes may set out up to 10 blue bags/week; multi-family homes (2+ units) and businesses up to 20/week. Collection day varies by address — see the route map linked from this page.

Dog Licensing

Dog licenses are issued through the City Clerk's Office.

Parking Violations / Overnight Parking Permits

Handles parking tickets and All Night Parking Permit applications; after hours, unpaid tickets can be dropped in an exterior box by check or money order only (no cash).

Police (non-emergency)

Fire Department

Utica Public Library

Parks & Recreation

The department manages 677 acres of city parkland, including Roscoe Conkling Park (Utica Zoo, Valley View Golf Course, Val Bialas Ski Area), Thomas R. Proctor Park, Frederick T. Proctor Park, and Memorial Parkway.

Utica City School District

Superintendent's office: (315) 792-2222.

Trash & Recycling Drop-off (OHSWA)

The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority runs two drop-off sites serving both counties: EcoDrop Utica, 824 Sewage Plant Rd (weekdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 7 a.m.–2 p.m.) and EcoDrop Rome, 575 Perimeter Rd (weekdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–noon); both closed Sunday. Recyclables, electronics, batteries, propane tanks and appliances without CFCs are free; household garbage is $2 per 35-gallon bag. Utica also takes household hazardous waste April through September.

DMV

Two county offices: Boehlert Center at Union Station, 321 Main St, Utica (Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., 315-798-5749) and 301 W. Dominick St, Rome (appointment only, 315-336-6790).

Voting

Poll sites are assigned by address — look yours up at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov. Registration and absentee ballots go through the Board of Elections: Union Station, 321 Main St, third floor, Utica.

Senior Services

Office for Aging and Continuing Care, 800 Park Ave, Utica. NY Connects helpline for aging and disability services: 1-800-342-9871.

Public Transit

Centro runs the Utica–Rome bus routes. Bus information and lost & found: Mon–Fri 6:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Electric & Gas (National Grid)

Customer service 1-800-642-4272 (Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–7 p.m.). Power outages: 1-800-867-5222. Gas emergency: 1-800-892-2345 or 911.

Boat Launches (DEC)

Fourteen state launch sites, none charging a fee. Delta Lake is the big one, with parking for 70 cars and trailers; the Oneida Lake sites at Vienna and Verona have accessible features. Along the Mohawk there are hand launches at Utica, Marcy and Whitestown and both hard-surface and hand launches at Rome.

Fishing Access — West Canada Creek

About 26 miles of accessible stream frontage and 11 parking lots along the creek, which runs down through Herkimer and Oneida to the Mohawk. Brown trout from Hinckley Dam to Herkimer; smallmouth and fallfish lower down. Trenton Falls is no-kill, artificial lures only, with an extended season. Below Trenton Falls and Hinckley Dam the creek surges without warning when the power dam releases — DEC advises watching for rising water, moving to shore, and wearing a flotation device.

Bike & Walking Trails — Empire State Trail

Two sections cross the county. Rome to Utica is 16 miles, starting at Fort Stanwix and running three quarters of a mile along James St before the off-road trail begins beside the canal, ending at the trailhead car park off North Genesee St in north Utica; surface alternates paved and older stonedust, with three stretches of about half a mile each signed along public road shoulders. Utica to Frankfort is 11 miles, and only the first 3.5 are off-road — the remaining 7.5 follow the shoulder of Southside Road and are meant for cyclists comfortable riding in traffic. Services exist in Rome, Oriskany and Utica and nowhere in between.

Hiking & Ski Trails (State Forests)

The Jackson Hill Trail System in Jackson Hill State Forest is the marked one. Hogsback State Forest permits mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and horseback riding but maintains no trails for any of them — go expecting unmarked ground. Every trail on DEC land is open to cross-country skiing in winter, whether or not it is groomed or signed as a ski trail.

Valley View Municipal Golf Course

T.R. Proctor Park

Addison Miller Park

Seymour Park

Chancellor Park

Wankel Playground

Roscoe Conkling Park