Lewis County Clerk Jake Moser

10/06/2023

The Lewis County Clerk’s Office and DMV will be closed Monday October 9, 2023 in observance of Columbus Day.
We will be open Tuesday October 10, 2023 at regular scheduled hours.

09/26/2023

Just wanted to let everyone know that the DMV move and parking lot paving went as expected. We officially re-opened to the public on Monday September 25, 2023. Our regularly scheduled business hours are M-F 8:30-3:30.
Here are just a couple of pictures I was able to snap as we were staging the office last Friday.

09/12/2023

In case you have missed the media releases Lewis County DMV will be moving to our new space from September 18-22,2023.
We will be temporarily suspending all public transactions during our move.

09/11/2023

08/01/2023

Good afternoon all. In case you didn't see it, this was my press release to the local and surrounding media yesterday pertaining to our early closure on Thursday August 3, 2023 for an Employee Appreciation event.
For any structure to stay standing there always has to be a solid foundation, and that is also the case for for my two departments. The staff work tirelessly to assist all customers with their needs, and it feels right to give them the opportunity to show them a fraction of the gratitude that they deserve.
I am sorry if this causes any inconvenience, but we will be returning on Friday August 4, 2023 to assist you with all your needs.

06/27/2023

It’s Primary Day!! If you like the way things are or if you want to see change today is the day where you can help decide.
Many people have given their lives to protect our freedom and right to vote. Get out and let your voices to be heard and support democracy.
Polls are open from 6am-9pm.

01/13/2023

The Lewis County Clerk's Office and Lewis County DMV will be closed Monday January 16th, 2023 for the observance of Martin Luther Kind Day.
We will re-open to regular business hours on Tuesday January 17th, 2023.

12/30/2022

Just a Friendly reminder the Lewis County Clerk's Office and Lewis County DMV will be closed Monday, January 2, 2023 in observance of the New Years Holiday.

We will be back to normal business hours on January 3, 2023.

12/23/2022

Please stay safe and let emergency personnel and road crews do what they need to do.
Also if you didn’t already know Walmart will be closing at 5pm tonight and will not be reopening until after the Christmas Holiday.
Merry Christmas and take advantage of this weather to spend some quality time inside with your families.

❄️TRAVEL BAN FOR ALL OF LEWIS COUNTY STARTING AT 1800 TONIGHT UFN❄️

The Sheriff has issued a TRAVEL BAN for ALL of Lewis County beginning at 1800 until further notice and is subject to change.

Travel Ban:
As very hazardous driving conditions exists, limit travel that is essential for protection and preservation of life, and/or property.
-Medical Personal
- Fire, Law enforcement services personnel
- Government officers and personnel rendering services connected with an emergency such as Highway Department & Road Personnel.
- Any vehicle or person on their way to or from performing an immediately essential act associated w/ the preservation of life or property.

12/20/2022

Good day everyone. I just wanted to give a quick update for office hours over the Holidays.
On Friday December 23rd County Employees are only in the offices until 12pm. For the DMV this will mean that we will accept customers only until 11am so staff have enough time to do their end of the day tallies, and reports.
At the Clerk's Office we will be ending Pistols hours at 11:30 to make sure staff have enough time to do end of day tasks.
County Offices are CLOSED Monday December 26th and will reopen to normal business on December 27th.
County Offices will once again be CLOSED on January 2nd and will reopen on January 3rd.
Please take note if you are coming to the DMV we do have a construction project going on and there is limited parking at this time. We are working to alleviate this issue, and trying to open up more parking for those bringing their snowmobiles on trailers to register.
Thank you and have a blessed Holiday season.

11/18/2022

Lewis County Offices closing at 3:30 today due to weather coming into the area. This includes the County Clerks Office and DMV.
DMV will not allow customers in before the closing time to give the staff enough time to balance and cash up for the end of the day.
See link below for cancellations.

*Jefferson Community College: CLOSED today, due to inclement weather; All classes are cancelled; Faculty and staff do not report

11/08/2022

It’s Election Day!!! Get out and vote and let your voices be heard!!
You can’t complain about Election outcomes if you don’t exercise your constitutional right to cast your vote!!

10/01/2022

Our software is finally updated and we can now offer the permanent pistol card with a semi-automatic rifle endorsement and the semi-automatic rifle license only card.
If you currently have a Lewis County pistol license then you can simply come into the office and do the semi-automatic rifle amendment and receive a new card that has your concealed carry and semi-automatic rifle on the front of the card. You will need the semi-automatic rifle on your card to purchase or taken possession of one of these long guns. The cost for the new card will be $16.

If you are looking for just the semi-automatic rifle card you will need to pick up an application in our office, schedule a finger print appointment and go through a similar process as it takes for a pistol license. You DO NOT have to take the 16 hour classroom training or the 2 hour live fire which is now a requirement for any fi****ms class taken after September 1st.

If you have any questions on this process please contact our office. 315 376-5333.

09/23/2022

09/23/2022

09/14/2022

Good evening everyone. I want to give a quick update on the new fire arms laws since we have been receiving numerous calls daily asking. You will also be hearing an update on The Moose in the upcoming days since many of you are also listeners.

In Lewis County if you have a pistol license you automatically qualify for the semi-automatic rifle endorsement. At this time we can ONLY do a temp card and amendment. Our software company, which is the same used by 30ish other counties is in the process of updating our software. I would like to urge all to please be patient for the update so we can issue the permanent cards for you.

Reason I mention this is because we have issued some of these temp fixes, which by the way was approved by our software company, and State police has been deemed as incorrectly done by some store policies. The main store in question is Basspro in Utica. I have had numerous conversations with the store and they are unwilling to budge on their policy until the finalized cards are ready. I came by this information after hearing residents that came to my office, did a legal amendment, and received an approved temp updated card were turned away from a purchase. This to say the least was very disappointing news and the store’s stance was even more disappointing.
The reason for the delay is do to the fact of many changes made within the state police form, the many interpretations of how this new law reads, and the coding within the system.

Next I would like to confirm is that if you already have a pistol license you WILL NOT have to do any shooting proficiencies to keep your license. Only change for current holders is you will have to recertify with the state police every 3 years instead of every 5 years.
Only ones that need to worry about live fires are applicants wishing to obtain a fi****ms license after September 1st and those that are in pipeline under the old regulations.

Anyone wishing to obtain a semi-auto license that currently does not have a pistol license will be required complete the background check and application. You do not need to do the 16 hour fi****ms training class.

I have and will continue to work closely with Judge King’s chambers, and the Sheriff’s Office to work within the confines of the law, but to make this process as easy as possible for our residents.

I truly wish I had better news, but I have made it my priority to continue to fight and educate myself on these new regulations for all of you.

07/28/2022

My apologies for not posting sooner, but things have been busy in the office.
On July 15th I had the privilege of swearing in Walters (JoAnn Benson) as our new Deputy County Clerk because of an unexpected departure of the former Deputy.
JoAnn was the first person I hired when I took office and is a perfect fit for the position.
I have no doubt she will excel at the job.
Congratulations JoAnn and looking forward to what you will bring to the office and residents!!
Let’s give JoAnn a well deserved congratulations!!

07/21/2022

We have a job opening at the Clerk's Office. Please follow the link below to get more details.

https://www.lewiscounty.org/jobs/1497/

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:       The work involves responsibility for independently performing complex clerical operations and administrative support tasks for a Director of a program or a unit in a division.  Incumbents spend a substantial amount of time operating a personal compu...

07/21/2022

UPDATE: WE ARE ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO PROCESS TRANSACTIONS.

Issue: Resolved

ETA: Resolved

Customer Impact: Resolved

Updates: We have confirmed with ITS and on-site staff that services have been restored and staff are able to process transactions. Any further issues will be reported to IOS.

DMV processing network is done Statewide. We are unable to process any transactions at this time, and we have no ETA from State DMV when the network will be restored. Please plan your trip to the DMV accordingly.
Below is the information that State DMV has provided to us.

DMV processing network is done statewide.
Error/Outage: WISE processing error

ETA: No ETA as to when service will be fully restored.

Customer Impact: high, unable to process WISE transactions for customers.

Updates: We will send periodic updates until service is restored.

06/30/2022

PSA and please share!!!

On July 8, 2022 Lewis County DMV will be getting a new and improved camera station.

We will not be able to process any licensing or permitting that requires new photos on this day while the techs set up and adjust the new camera station for our building.

Please plan your licensing and permitting visit appropriately.

We apologize for the inconvenience on the temporary suspension of these transactions, but we plan to be fully operational once again on July 11, 2022.

06/28/2022

Today is Primary Day!!! Your vote truly counts in a primary election.

06/03/2022

NYS rescinded the surcharge for boat registrations.
Thousands of boaters will be receiving a check for a $12.50 refund., but there was an internal NYS DMV error and many checks went out incorrectly for $1,250.00.
If you received one of these checks PLEASE DO NOT CASH IT!!
PLEASE call DMV Refund department at 1-518-474-0904 for further instructions.
If you received an incorrect check and already cashed it, then PLEASE call the same number. Nothing comes for free in life and you will be responsible for the extra $1237.50 that was not due to you.
Please share this with every boat owner you know.

04/19/2022

I have received word from NYS DMV that CDL Road Tests are cancelled for 4/19/2022 at the Lowville testing location. Anybody who was scheduled for a test today has been rescheduled for the same time and location on 4/25/2022.

As of right now Class D road tests that are given at the Lewis County Fairgrounds have NOT been cancelled. If you have an appointment continue to make plans to take your road test.

Again CDL Road tests that are located at the Lewis JCC building are cancelled for toady 4/19/2022.

Class D Road Tests that are located at the Lewis County Fairgrounds are NOT cancelled.

03/04/2022

Here's some tips to completing your online Lewis County ATV Permit Submission. I hope this is a help to customers that may have questions.

02/23/2022

Every once and a while I get to place my hands on some Lewis County History.

This is the 1825 Lewis County Census. I currently have it in my office to repair some of the pages during slack times and to preserve our history.

The photos I’ve included are some stats from Lewis County industry from 1825.

01/31/2022

Good day everyone. As you may already know the County has updated the mask policy for entering County Buildings and this would include the County Clerk's Office or DMV. Both offices are excited to once again to be able to see everyone's faces. I just want to take a minute of your time to just address a few points the public may or may not be aware of.

When visiting the County Clerk's office. Please continue to bring a mask to enter through security. Although the County is no longer requiring masks, and my office is following County policy, the NYS Unified Courts still requires the wearing of masks. I have spoken with Courthouse security and we all realize this is a gray area when entering the Courthouse complex, and a matter of 25 steps to enter the County side of the Courthouse complex. If you forget a mask you may be offered to take one of the complimentary masks at security, but most likely they will just wave you on through with no mask required so you can conduct your business with us. If you have business with the Courts you will still be required to wear a mask because this is an Administrated Order given to the Unified Courts to follow.

When visiting the DMV NO masks will be required. Again I am following the new County Mask Policy. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask still, then please continue to do so. We do have complimentary masks at the DMV and if you require one they are there for the taking. I will continue to still have a reduced seating in the waiting room at the DMV, but in the upcoming days/weeks I will once again be adding more indoor seating for customers as we get acclimated to each other once again.
If you do not feel comfortable being in an indoor setting for periods of time, then please just let our security officer know so we can respect your wishes. You will be asked to still pull a number, but utilizing our outdoor PA system we will be able to call you in once we reach your number for a shorter indoor visit.
I hope this latest policy change is an indication that we are moving forward from the past two years. We are excited to return to normal, but not forgetting the valuable knowledge we gained to be able to accommodate all customers with different needs.
I can't wait to see your faces!!!

01/25/2022

Another job opportunity for a newly created position.
If you think this is something for you but you are afraid you don’t have the right requirements, apply anyways. Give yourself a chance to make good changes for yourself.

11/19/2021

Job opportunity at the Lewis County Courthouse.

www.lewiscounty.org
Apply on or before: 12/02/2021

11/19/2021

Job opportunity at Lewis County Public Health

https://www.lewiscounty.org/jobs
Administrative Assistant (Lewis County Public Health)
Apply by: December 3, 2021

10/12/2021

DMV scam/misinformation alert.

If you receive a message or see a message similar to the attached being circulated please be advised that this message is completely false in regards of your NYS drivers license or registration.

I have been in contact with my NYS DMV resources and they have confirmed that no vaccination, or vaccination status is required when renewing your NYS drivers license or registration. They also confirmed that this message has been circulating in Social Media, and digital messaging/mail, and want to reiterated that this message is misinformation.

09/24/2021

Good evening everyone. I just wanted to give everybody a few updates on the Clerk’s Office and the DMV.

We’ll start with the Clerk’s Office. We are still riding the wave of increased home and land sales with the amount of deeds and mortgages we have been receiving. In the next week or so I’ll be completing my semi-annual mortgage report and I’ll finally get a good grasp of how much our mortgage tax revenue has increased.

Secondly I must thank everyone that have purchased and enjoyed our ATV permit system. We have exceeded sales from last year by over $60,000.00 at this point. It is trending that since the Clerk’s Office has taken over the permit system we have increased revenue by a significant amount which gets directly reinvested into improving the trails. I cannot thank the staff and you enough for enabling Lewis County to create a great trail system.

Now lastly for the Clerk’s Office we are witnessing a large increase in pistol licensing and amendments. Noon hour seems to be the busiest time of the day, so please just plan accordingly that there could be a slight wait time as we are serving other customers during this busy time. Pistol hours are Monday-Friday 9:00-3:30.

Ok now for our DMV. The DMV is still open to first come first serve by a numbering system. No appointments needed and I do not foresee going back to appointments in the near future.

I have limited the waiting room to 6-8 seats. The reasoning behind this change is due to distancing and quarantine guidelines. By spacing out the seating area I can all but guarantee that no customers will be subject to a quarantine in case we have a COVID-19 positive case in the office. The DMV can be frustrating enough, the last thing I want is any customers to worry about a potential quarantine. If the waiting area is full, then we’ll ask you to either wait outside or in your vehicle and we’ll utilize our outdoor speaker system to call you in.

Secondly we have now entered Fall. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to register your ATV for hunting season. On those same lines, just around the corner is going to be snowmobile season. Now is also a great time to register those sleds so when the snow flies and trails open you can get on them right away. I’ll be covering this more in the up coming weeks.

And lastly. We have been working with a few schools to get people tested to drive buses for our children. If you are apart of school system that is need of drivers and haven’t reached out to me yet, then please reach out. You can also reach out to your school district and find out if they are in need of drivers. The staff and myself are here to help you with your testing, and manual needs to get drivers in those buses.

As always both department staff and myself want to thank everybody for your continued support, patience, and business.

09/11/2021

Like myself, many of you will never forget where you were 20 years ago today.
For me I was putting a smoke grey vinyl siding on a ranch style house. We were in the back corner and the home owner appeared out of the sliding glass door and explained a plane had hit the trade center. My boss at the time haulted all work and in to the residence we all went. We (the owner, my boss and myself)huddled around this little tv that was in the owners breakfast nook for the next 2 hours in disbelief.
I remember the confusion of the first plane, the seeing and knowing what was happening after the second plane strike, the news jumping to pentagon footage, and wondering why a plane crashed in PA.
My point, I have and will never forget where I was and what happened on this day. I feel by never forgetting where I was, what I was doing, and how I felt, I’m carrying on the sacrifices so many made on that day and after for us to live on.
So… Where were you today 20 years ago?? Honor their sacrifice by sharing your memory.

09/03/2021

To all of our outdoor sports persons In case you may have missed this announcement here’s a link to the new DEC regulations.

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2021/09/dec-announces-new-deer-bear-hunting-rules-including-longer-hunting-hours-new-dress-code.html

Key takeaways for our area are….

Legal shooting hours are 1/2 before sunrise until 1/2 after sun set.

A minimum of a blaze orange or hot pink hat or vest must be worn in all zones.

12-13 year olds can use a firearm or crossbow as long as they are accompanied by an adult in the counties that opted in. (Lewis county legislature voted earlier this year to allow this and I completely support this as a key to teaching our youth vital fi****ms responsibility)

WMU 6A, 6F, and 6J can once again can take antlerless deer with a muzzleloader.

Anyone hunting big game with a firearm must wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat, vest, or jacket.

08/18/2021

Just a friendly reminder the Lewis County DMV is servicing all residents from all counties. No appointments needed.
We have been receiving many calls lately trying to make an appointment.
We do require all customers to wear masks, and the waiting room has reduced capacity.
Upon arrival you will be asked to pull a number from outside and if we are at capacity inside you will be asked to wait outside or in your vehicle and your number will be called over our outdoor PA System.
Friday afternoons have been busy so please plan your trip accordingly.

08/07/2021

Here’s a Job opening to become the next Deputy Clerk of the Board of Legislators.
You would be directly working with the Clerk of the Board of Legislators and the County Manager. You still have time to submit your resume if interested. NYS retirement and county insurance.