Welcome – New Resident Guide

Common questions

The Town Clerk’s office fields many questions from new residents. Below are some of the most common, with the first probably the most important and confusing for a lot of new residents….

Do I Live in the Town of Ithaca? 

Ithaca has a Hub Post Office.  This means your mailing address and physical address can be associated with different municipalities.  For example, your mailing address might be 8 Grandview Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850 but that physical address is actually in the Town of Lansing.  There are 12 towns, villages, and of course the city of Ithaca, that have an “Ithaca 14850” mailing address.   

Wait, there is a City AND a Town of Ithaca? 

Yes!  The Town of Ithaca is a separate municipality and government than the City of Ithaca.  The Town surrounds the City.  Think of a donut – the city is the center hole, and the Town is the donut.  To find out which municipality you actually live in, you can go Address Verification page and enter your street address.

Common Service Questions 

Who picks up trash?

The Town does not provide trash services. You need to contract with one of the area trash haulers for pick-up service.  A list of licensed haulers can be found on the Tompkins County Solid Waste site here  https://recycletompkins.org/

Who picks up recycling?

Tompkins County Solid Waste provides recycling pick-up throughout the County.  Here is a link (https://recycletompkins.org ) to determine your pick-up day and frequency, generally, it is every other week. 

Where do I pay……

Water and Sewer

The Town is a partner in both the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission, commonly called Bolton Point, and the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant.  

Billing is quarterly and collected by each municipality.  Bills are sent out on the first day of January, April, July and September and are due on the 30th of the month without penalty.  

Payments –

Automatic Withdrawal Payments – You can sign up for ACH payments HERE

Pay online HERE – you will need to know your account number and there are fees from the 3rd party vendor; or you can set up a recurring Bill Pay payment from your banking institute by estimating your bill each quarter (any overage will be credited to your account.) 

In-Person/Mailed to Town Hall – 215 N. Tioga St. and there is a Drop box at the Buffalo St. entrance. (postmark counts as payment date) 

For more information or to set up or disconnect water services, here is the link.   https://www.boltonpoint.org/

Taxes

There are up to three tax bills you may receive. 

School tax bills come out on October 1st for the coming year.  Example, School year 2021-2022 School taxes are collected by Tompkins County Trust Bank locations, not by the municipality. 

Town and County taxes are combined on one bill which comes out on January 1st.  You can choose to pay in one lump sum or split the payment in two with the first installment due in January and the second in July.  This choice must be made in January. Full payments and 1st installments are paid to the Town, second installments are paid in July to Tompkins County Finance. 

If you live within the Village of Cayuga Heights, taxes bills are sent first week of June and due by June 30th without penalty.   

How do I get a….

Certificate of Residency – are processed at Tompkins County Finance

Birth Certificate – filed at Tompkins County Health, Department of Vital Records 

Passport – Tompkins County Clerk’s office processes passports and can take the necessary photo

DBA’s (Doing Business As) – Tompkins County Clerk’s office

Deeds and Easements – Although the Town has many easements on our digital repository, all deeds and easements are filed with the Tompkins County Clerk’s office

Peddlers License – The Town of Ithaca does not have a special license or process for door-to-door or “Peddlers” All organizations/businesses/people must follow the Tompkins County Sheriff’s guidelines and rules.

*It is important to note that the City of Ithaca (the most commonly requested area) does have a permitting process. https://www.cityofithaca.org/170/City-ClerkPublic-Information-Technology

The Town of Ithaca has 14 neighboring municipalities, with many of those residents having an “Ithaca” address or who work or recreate in the Town or travel through the Town on their way to work in the City of Ithaca and/or the college campus’. Below are some useful links to the other municipalities that surround the Town of Ithaca.

Useful Links if you discover you find you live here:

Town of Danby: https://danby.ny.gov/
Includes the hamlet of West Danby

Town of Enfield: https://townofenfield.org/

Town of Lansing: https://www.lansingtown.com/
Includes the Village of Lansing: https://vlansing.org/

Town of Groton: https://www.townofgrotonny.org/
Includes the Village of Groton: https://www.grotonny.org/

Town of Dryden: https://dryden.ny.us/
Includes the Village of Dryden     https://www.dryden-ny.org/
Includes the Village of Freeville http://www.freevilleny.org/

Town of Ulysses: https://townofulyssesny.gov/
Includes the Village of Trumansburg: https://trumansburg-ny.gov/

Town of Newfield: https://newfieldny.org/

Town of Caroline: http://www.townofcaroline.org/
Includes the hamlet of Brooktondale and Besemer

City of Ithaca: https://www.cityofithaca.org/