Welcome to The Lynn City Clerk's Office
The City Clerk is the historian of the community, for the entire recorded history of the City and its people is in his or her care.
The eminent political scientist, Professor William Bennett Munro, writing in one of the first textbooks on municipal administration (1934), stated:
"No other office in municipal service has so many contacts. It serves the mayor, the city council, the city manager (when there is one), and all administrative departments without exception. All of them call upon it, almost daily, for some service or information. Its work is not spectacular, but it demands versatility, alertness, accuracy, and no end of patience. The public does not realize how many loose ends of city administration this office pulls together."
What is a City Clerk?
The City Clerk functions much like the Secretary of State. The City Clerk is a Department Head responsible for the legislative operations of the City and directly accountable to the City Council. The City Clerk has direct signature authority and his/her signature is required on all Ordinances, Resolutions, and other official documents of the City. The City Clerk's office is a citywide information and document resource, and is the official records management office for the City. Every municipality in the United States has a City Clerk or someone who functions as one.
*We are pleased to have over thirty applications for Licenses and Permits available on this website to assist the public. Each link provides the application, instructions and the Ordinance or Massachusetts General Law that applies to the permit or license. Please click on Forms and Documents to choose a permit or license application. If you need further assistance, our staff is always available to answer any of your questions and concerns.
* Please note the Forms and Documents pages are currently being updated.
