Frequently Asked Questions

The state offers a number of resources to help residents with their income taxes. Please take a look!

• Opportunity to use FreeFile for filing your taxes
• Various tax credits available to Vermonters
• Free assistance for the tax filing process

Visit Calais's Zoning Regulations page for more information.

Registration:

When do I license my dog?

Per state law, it is every dog owner’s responsibility to register your dog(s) in the town in which
they live, no later than April 1st each year.

 

To license your dog(s), mail or drop into the secure dropbox:

(1) your dog’s current rabies certificate,

(2) payment to the Calais Town Office, 3120 Pekin Brook Rd, East Calais, VT, 05650.

 

You may also drop by the Town Office during business hours to pay. Please note that we are a
cash-free office. Bring a check or exact change if you have not already paid online. 

PLEASE NOTE: The state has increased its portion of the dog fees by $2, so all registration fees have increased by $2 from 2024 to 2025. 

Fees are: $11 for each spayed/neutered dog; $15 for each intact dog. After April 1st, an additional late
fee of $4 will be applied to each dog. Licenses and dog tags will be mailed to you.

 

Licensing a dog:

 helps identify your dog if lost,

 provides proof your dog is protected from rabies in the event your dog is bitten by a rabid
animal, or in the event your dog bites an animal or person – which could result in
quarantine or possible euthanasia, and

 helps pay for VSNIP (see below), addressing canine overpopulation in Vermont.

 

Every dog in town needs to be licensed annually and needs to wear a current tag. If your dog
needs updated rabies shots, you have until April 1, 2025 to submit payment and proof of
vaccine for the license.

 

You can ask your veterinarian to email a copy of the rabies certificate to

AssistantTownClerk@calaisvermont.gov.

 

Please register your dogs. It is the State law, it helps keeps everyone safe, it makes it easier to
return lost dogs, and it saves Calais Animal Control Officers a lot of time and worry.

Reporting a Complaint about a Dog

If you have experienced an incident with a dog here in Calais and would like to report a complaint, please fill out the Calais Animal Complaint form and submit it to the Town Clerk, who will forward it to the Animal Control Officer and Health Officer.

 

Animal Control Officer
Buffy Langlois, 802-279-5552
animalcontrol@calaisvermont.gov
1-year term, 2025

Assistant Animal Control Officer
VACANT

Health Officer
Jay Copping, 1-year term, 2025
(802) 839-6509

Tax bills will be mailed in late summer of 2025. The first due date for your 2025 taxes will be 30 days after tax bills are mailed, and the second will be Monday, November 17, 2025. 

There is no grace period for property tax payments.

TAX PAYMENTS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED BY CHECK, ACH PAYMENT, MONEY ORDER, OR CREDIT CARD.

Checks may be dropped off in person, mailed, or deposited in the secure dropbox in the vestibule of the Town Office.

The ACH payment option is new in 2025. When you enroll in our direct debit program, your tax payments are automatically transferred securely, accurately, and on time from your bank account using the Automated Clearing House system. You can sign up by completing the Direct Debit Authorization Form and returning it to the Town Office along with a voided check, deposit slip, or screen shot for the account you wish to have debited. The Town will draw your property tax payments from your account on the tax due dates. Your bank statement will serve as your receipt.

The credit card link is on the homepage of this website on the left hand menu, or you can click here for the Online Payment Portal. If you choose to pay with a credit card, processing fees apply. All transactions will be charged an additional 3% processing fee, with a $1.50 fee minimum.

If you buy or sell a Calais property between the closing of the Grand List in April and the due date of the second tax payment, you will need to make arrangements for the tax payments during your closing, as the tax bills will be mailed to the property owner as of April 1.

Please direct questions concerning your tax bill to Kari Bradley, Treasurer, at treasurer@calaisvermont.gov.

The state of Vermont offers a couple of different ways to post your land.

• You can post a "Safety Zone" that creates a 500-ft no hunting buffer around all of the buildings on your property. Signs are available at no charge from the Town Office.
• If you would like to extend the posting beyond the space around your buildings, you'll want to register at the Town Office annually. The process involves a brief form and a $5 fee and provides you with the backing of law enforcement in the event of unwanted hunting, trapping, and fishing. You'll need to purchase or make your own signs; they are available from most hardware stores. These signs need to be posted every 400 ft or less along your property lines (or along the lines within which you are forbidding people from hunting, trapping, or fishing).

See "What Posting Means" from the VT Department of Fish & Wildlife for more information. 

How do I report a road problem?

If the road problem is an emergency that is dangerous and life-threatening, call 9-1-1.
Please visit the Highway Department page for more information on how to reach the Road Commissioner, Operations Manager, and Town Garage.

How do I get certified copies of birth, marriage, or death certificates?

You can find information on requesting certified copies of birth and death certificates on our Birth, Marriage, and Death Records page. There you'll find a "fillable" application form that you can return to us. Instructions are posted there as well. There is a $10 fee for a certified copy. Birth and death certificates are generated from the Vermont Vital Statistics Department at the Department of Health. 
Certified marriage certificates are still issued from the town and town clerk where the marriage occurred. 

How do I apply for a marriage license?

The marriage license application is available by clicking here. You can fill out the form ahead of time, but at least one of the applicants must complete their signature in the presence of the Town Clerk or Assistant Town Clerk. The fee is $90.00, which includes receiving a certified copy of the license after your marriage.

How do I register to vote and vote at an election?

Elections in Calais take place either at the Town Office 3120 Pekin Brook Rd, Town Hall at 1662 Kent Hill Rd, or at the Calais Elementary School on 321 Lightening Ridge Rd. The website will announce dates and details.

To register to vote go to the Secretary of State website and register online.

Update your My Voter Page on Secretary of State website here.

You can also come to the Town Office and register to vote with a paper form. You must be 18, or turning 18 by the election date. You must be a Calais resident.

Click the title "VOTING" to see an Absentee Ballot Request form.

For more information about our Swim Committee or about annual summer swim lessons held at Curtis Pond, please see our Calais Swim Committee page. 

In case of fire call 9-1-1. Calais is serviced by East Montpelier and Woodbury Fire Departments.

Do I need a permit to use fireworks, burn brush, or have a bonfire?

Yes, in most situations you will need a permit to use fireworks or to burn brush on your property.

For a burn permit, contact Calais Fire Warden, Greg Pelchuck, at (802) 454-7377.
The town has a fireworks ordinance based on state statute that mandates a fireworks permit for any use and discharge of fireworks with Calais. Calais is part of the East Montpelier Fire Department District (EMFD). Fire Chief Ty Rolland is in charge of the permitting process. An application for a permit must be submitted at least 15 days in advance of the planned fireworks use date. Please start this process by calling the EMFD at 225-6245 or 225-6247.

When do Calais committees & boards regularly meet?

Meeting schedules are posted on the Home Page website calendar, and on bulletin boards at the Town Office, Maple Corner Store, and East Calais Store. Meetings are generally held at the Town Office, the Town Hall, or the Calais Recreational Hall. Check notices for locations.

The regular schedule of board & committee meetings, unless posted otherwise, is as follows:

Selectboard: 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, 6 pm
Planning Commission: 1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month, 7 pm
Development Review Board: As needed (Check home page calendar.)
Conservation Commission: 1st Wednesday of the month
Cemetery Commission: 4th Wednesday of the month, every other month October through May -- check calendar
Calais Historic Preservation Commission: As needed (Check home page calendar.)
All meetings are open to the public. Contact the chair (listed on website) if you have an issue for the commission or board to review.

Visit the Calais Cemetery Commission's page to learn more about cemetery plot prices, Cemetery Sexton contact information, Commission meetings, list of cemeteries in Calais, and green burials.