Milford City Clerk Office
The Milford City Clerk is the municipal clerk channel, not the Superior Court clerk. The official City Clerk page describes the office as the city's information center and the conduit between residents and local or state government. The current City Clerk is Pete C. Smith. The office is empowered by Connecticut state law and the City Charter, and it handles records that are local to the City of Milford rather than court case files.
The City Clerk's record work is broad. It includes registrar of vital statistics, repository for births and deaths, real estate and property documents, marriage licenses, dog licenses, fishing and sporting licenses, election materials, absentee ballots, party enrollment lists, Board of Aldermen clerk duties, legal notices, meeting records, agendas, minutes, survey maps, oaths, and preservation of city records. The office is also described as Milford's Keeper of the Seal.
Milford City Clerk's Office
City Clerk: Pete C. Smith
70 West River Street
Milford, CT 06460
203-783-3210
Office hours: 8:30 - 4:00
Milford Land Records
Land records are one of the strongest City Clerk record categories for Milford. The official land records page says volumes from 1639 through today are housed in the City Clerk vault. That local history makes the City Clerk office useful for current title work as well as older property research. Online land and indexed records are available through IQS, while e-recording uses Simplifile and CSC. In-person recordings must be submitted by 3:30 p.m.
The Milford land records page is the source for recording fee rules, copy fees, certification fees, e-recording partners, and the IQS land records route.
Those land-record details belong on the City Clerk page because real estate and property documents are city records, not Superior Court case files.
| Land Record Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Standard recording, first page | $70 effective July 1, 2025, excluding nominee documents |
| Each additional standard page | $5 |
| Nominee assignment or release of mortgage where nominee is grantor | $160 flat fee |
| Other nominee documents | $160 first page and $5 each additional page |
| Land record copy | $1 per page |
| Certification | $2 for complete document |
| Computer-generated map | $3 |
Milford FOIA Records
Non-police public records requests for Milford city agencies use the city's FOIA request process. The research states that Milford's FOIA page tells requesters to send requests directly to the department that maintains the record. It also provides a web form that routes requests by department. Police records use a separate police records path and GovQA portal, so the City Clerk page should not present the city FOIA form as the only route for every public record.
The Milford FOIA request page provides the local non-police request form and explanatory material for city records.
The form is useful when the desired city record is not already posted through a city department, meeting archive, clerk counter, or land records tool.
Connecticut public-record law also matters. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 1-210 and Sec. 1-212 generally address prompt access and copies, while Milford's own FOIA material notes that failure to comply within four business days may be treated as a denial for appeal purposes.
State FOIA sets the access framework, but the City Clerk and the responsible city department still control routing for specific Milford municipal records.
Milford FOIA Form Fields
The Milford non-police FOIA form uses contact fields, a department selector, and a request description. The department list matters because the city asks requesters to direct the request to the office that maintains the record. Choosing City Clerk fits clerk-held records such as meeting materials, legal notices, land-record related questions, and records the clerk preserves; other city departments should be selected when they hold the responsive files.
| Field Label | Required | Options or Format Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First & Last Name | Yes | Contact field in Step One. |
| Email Address | Yes | Used for response and copy option. |
| Address, City, State, Zip Code | Yes | Requester mailing address details. |
| Phone Number | Yes | Requester phone contact. |
| Department selection | Yes | Includes City Clerk plus many other city departments. |
| Describe your request in detail | Yes | Free-text description of the record sought. |
| Receive an email copy of this form | Optional | Separate email field says it is not part of form submission. |
Milford Vital Records
The City Clerk is the local vital-record and marriage-license office for Milford. The official marriage page states that a Milford marriage license is issued only for ceremonies taking place in the City of Milford. Appointments must be scheduled in advance, and the page states there are no same-day appointments. The license is valid for 65 days from issuance. Applicants should arrange the ceremony date with a Justice of the Peace, clergy member, or another person authorized to perform a Connecticut marriage before completing the application.
Milford's marriage license process uses an IQS application link. The captured instructions say applicants must provide full names, including middle names and no initials, for both applicants and parents if applicable. Certified marriage records are also a City Clerk channel. Divorce is different: Milford divorce papers are Superior Court family records, so the city FAQ points users to the Milford Superior Court at 14 West River Street. A natural split is to use the City Clerk for marriage and certified vital records, then use the Clerk of the Superior Court for divorce case files.
| Vital or Marriage Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license package | $70 total, described as $50 license plus $20 certified copy |
| Marriage credit card fee | $1.75 additional card fee |
| Certified full-size birth certificate with parents' names | $20 |
| Wallet-size registration of birth without parents' names | $15 |
| General City Clerk credit card convenience fee | $1.50 |
Request Milford Certified Copies
Certified city records are requested through the City Clerk when the record is one the office holds, such as a certified marriage certificate or a certified land-record document. The office accepts cash, checks, credit or debit cards, and money orders for City Clerk services. Because some fees vary by document type and card fee, requesters should identify the exact record first and then match it to the fee schedule on the official clerk or land-record page.
- Identify whether the record is a city record or a court case file. Marriage, land, meeting, license, and vital records fit the City Clerk; divorce case files fit Superior Court.
- For land records, search the IQS route or use the City Clerk vault if the document must be checked in person.
- For marriage records, use the City Clerk vital-record channel and ask for the certified certificate needed.
- For non-police city records, file the FOIA form with the department that keeps the record and include enough detail to identify it.
- Pay the listed fee by an accepted method, including any card convenience fee if paying by card.
Note: City Clerk certified copies are not a substitute for certified Superior Court divorce decrees or criminal court records.
Milford Clerk Duties
The City Clerk office is also a civic record office. It serves as clerk to the Board of Aldermen, administers oaths to elected and appointed officials, preserves city records, publishes legal notices, maintains city meeting agendas and minutes, maintains the land-record recording system, keeps survey maps as state law prescribes, and supports election administration. It also handles trade name certificates, notary services, veteran information and DD-214 categories, dog licenses, fishing and hunting licenses, and liquor or cigarette license categories listed in the research.
These duties explain why many Milford public record questions do not belong at the courthouse. A public meeting agenda, legal notice, property recording, or local license record is a city record. A criminal docket, civil lawsuit, motor vehicle case, or divorce file is a Superior Court record. Keeping that split clear is the best way to route a request without delay.