The patriotic song America was written in 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith while attending the Andover Theological Seminary. Andover is often referred to as the "Home of America".
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Town Clerk's Office

Town Clerk - Lawrence Murphy (978) 623-8255

Town Offices - 36 Bartlet Street
Phone: (978) 623-8255
Fax: (978) 623-8260
E-mail: townclerk@andoverma.gov
Office Hours: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Monday to Friday

WELCOME to the Town Clerk's Office web site! We hope that you find the following information helpful and informative concerning the services that we provide to the residents of Andover.

The Town Clerk is responsible for voter registrations, elections, town meeting, vital records and licensing. For detailed information, please clink a link below.

How to make a request for information

Requests for information is an important service that we provide to the public. In most cases, a request for information such as research, vital records and other public documents require a payment before we can provide the service. The fees for Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates are provided below.  The Public Records Law allows ten (10) days to fulfill a request for a public record. However, in most cases we are able to accommodate your request within a day.

To request copies of records or any research of documents you may write to us at the address above. We have provided the cost for most documents within this web site. Please make your check payable to the Town of Andover and include it with your request.

If you plan to pick up your request, please call us a day ahead and make arrangements for the pick up of your documents. There is a one day turn around time for certified copies of birth, death and marriage records on file in the office.

How to obtain a Marriage License

Persons wishing to obtain a license must be eighteen years old and file their intentions to marry with a City or Town Clerk in person (except in cases where one person is in the military or incarcerated) at least three days before the ceremony.

In Andover, the cost of filing for a marriage license is $25.00 and $10.00 for a certified copy. The license is valid for sixty days, and may be used for a ceremony conducted in any Massachusetts city or town. The member of the clergy or Justice of the Peace who performs the ceremony must sign the license and return it to the city or town where it was issued.

For further information contact the Andover Town Clerk's Office at (978) 623-8255, or the Secretary of State's Commissions Section at (617) 727-2836.

How To Obtain A Copy Of A Birth, Death Or Marriage Certificate

Certified copies of birth, death and marriage records are available from the Town Clerk's Office in Andover Town Hall and the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Copies of vital records may be obtained in person or by mail. Please call and order at least one day ahead. Cash and checks are accepted for payment.

Marriage Certificates

The Clerk's Office will also have marriage records of any couple who filed their marriage intentions in Andover. A certified copy of a marriage certificate is available for $10.00. The marriage certificate contains the couple's parent's names and is required for most legal purposes.

Death Certificates

The Clerk's Office will have death records of any death that occurred in Andover and copies of records of Andover residents whose death has occurred within the State of Massachusetts.  The fee for a certified copy of a death certificate is $10.00.

Birth Certificates

The Andover Town Clerk will have birth records of anyone whose parents lived in Andover at the time of the birth or who were born in the Town. A long form birth certificate is available for $10.00. The long form is required for passports, immigration and other legal purposes and includes the parents names and their place of birth.

Creating Out of Commonwealth Birth Certificates / Adoptions

The Clerk's Office in conjunction with the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics can issue Out of Commonwealth Birth Certificates for adopted children born abroad. Parents who wish to create such a record must have been Andover residents at the time of the adoption.

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call the Assistant Town Clerk at 978-623-8258 for specific information.

The State Registry of Vital Records and Statistics

If you are not sure where the record you seek is filed locally, you may contact the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The Registry maintains a central index and has copies of records for all births, deaths and marriages which occurred in the state.

Certified copies may be obtained through the Registry in person, by mail or by phone. You should be prepared to provide the name of the subject(s) of the record, the date of the event and, if known, the city or town where the event occurred.

For further information please call (617) 740-2600. Their mailing address is:

Registry of Vital Records
150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125-3105

Early Vital Records

There are several internet sites that feature early Andover vital records--records from the 1700 and 1800's. Three good resources are RootsWeb, GenWeb Project and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Passport Applications

As of May 1, 2011, the Town Clerk's Office is NO LONGER a passport acceptance facility.
Please visit the U.S. State Department's website at at http://travel.state.gov/passport/ for local acceptance facilities.

Notary Services

The Town Clerk's Office has notaries public who are available to notarize certain documents for $1.25 per seal.

The Town Clerk's Office does not notarize wills or testaments. Individuals seeking notarization of a will or testament must consult another notary, paralegal or attorney who is also a notary.

Further, the Town Clerk's Office notaries will not attest to a Principal's (signer's) state of mind. For example, documents with notarial language that states "I believe the principal to be of sound mind…" etc., will not be notarized.

Please also be aware that some documents require witnesses as well as a notary. If your document requires witnesses, you must bring the required number of witnesses with you when you appear at our office.

Town Meeting

The Town Clerk is the chief election official, custodian of the Town's records, and recording secretary of the meeting.  Click on any of the underlined items for Town Meeting related information including:

Conflict of Interest Law for Municipal Employees

Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2009, the ethics reform law, imposed new mandatory education and training requirements on all public employers and public employees. The law authorized the State Ethics Commission to establish procedures to implement and ensure compliance with these requirements. The new requirements can be summarized as follows: Every state, county, and municipal employee must be given a summary of the conflict of interest law prepared by the Ethics Commission and must complete an online training program prepared by the Commission. Every municipality must designate a liaison to the Commission. All records of compliance with these requirements must be retained for 6 years.

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Town Offices - 36 Bartlet Street   (978) 623-8200
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