Frequently Asked Questions

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Please contact the Town of Winchendon Assessor's Office for abatement information.

Please contact our Deputy Collector, Kelley and Ryan 1-508-473-9660. You must make payment directly to their office. Once they have received payment, they will contact the Registry of Motor Vehicles to release your account so that you can renew.

The town collects Real Estate Tax on a fiscal quarterly schedule. See the Real Estate Tax Billing Schedule (PDF).

Property taxes are billed with the information as of January 1st preceding the beginning of the current Fiscal Year. If you purchased the property any time after January 1st, you may not appear on the tax bill as the assessed owner until the next fiscal year. This rule is mandated by Massachusetts Law. However, if the Assessor's Office is notified that there is a new owner, the next bill can be sent as "Care Of".

If for some reason you are unable to pay your tax bill, Massachusetts Law mandates that interest at 14% be added to the tax from the due date through the payment date.

The fiscal year's taxes must be paid in full by the May 1st due date to avoid any further action taken by the town.

If you find that you are unable to pay a tax bill, please contact the Collector as soon as possible.

Income eligibility is determined by the number of members living in your household and the total income. Income can be defined by

1. Gross wages from an employer
2. SSAN benefits
3. Retirement benefits

This total is then compared to the HUD income limits which can be found on page 5 of Income Limits (PDF).

Unfortunately, there are no housing rehabilitation funds available at this time. View other funding sources.

The CDBG program is a competitive grant program that runs on an annual application basis. The Town with the assistance of Breezeway Farm Consulting can apply and must show need, impact, community involvement, and feasibility. If the Town is fortunate enough to be awarded a grant, it usually is notified in the month of July. It then takes several months for the program to start.

Unfortunately, there are no housing rehabilitation funds available at this time.

Contact the Department of Planning and Development staff to express your interest in the grant program. The Department has the applications available and we would be happy to send you one or better yet, stop by our office so that we can better assist you.

Once you have filled out an application staff through the town's consultant, Breezeway Farm Consulting will contact you to set up a meeting to go over your application with you and assess how the program can best meet your needs.

Simply fill out an application and drop it off or mail it to the Department of Planning and Development, 109 Front Street, Department 10, Winchendon, MA 01475. The applications are date-stamped and filed in that order. It is a first come, first served process, unless there is an emergency which will be determined by our Rehabilitation Inspector.

The improvements are mostly to satisfy Sanitary Code violations. These can range from a new roof, septic system, furnace, hot water heater, insulation, windows, doors, egress, electrical and plumbing. Lead paint and asbestos must be dealt with if present in the home.

In the past, (including the FY16 grant round) the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has required the town to target the area or areas of town that the funding will be applied if successful to better realize maximum impact. This means that the housing rehabilitation or infrastructure projects must be located in a predetermined "Target Area." There is a provision that up to 20% of the funds can be expended outside of the target area for emergency purposes. However, for the FY17 grant round DHCD has eliminated the "Target Area" requirement.

Yes there are several other avenues that a resident can take to find assistance.  Attached is a listing of agencies and contact numbers that are available.

View the Housing Repair Assistance in the Montachusett Region (PDF).

The maximum dollar amount for a single family residence is $30,000 unless lead paint is present, then it increases to $35,000. A two family home (owner/occupied) is eligible for $60,000 unless lead paint is present, then it increases to $70,000.

All voting in Winchendon takes place at Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Avenue. Your Precinct is listed in the Town Street List, or you may call the Town Clerk's Office.

$10 each. Additional fees may apply if ordering online.

If you were born in Winchendon or your parents lived in Winchendon when you were born, we would have your record unless certain restrictions exist.

Your mail-in request should include this information:

• Vital name and date of occurrence.
• $10 check or money order per vital record
• Return address or a self-addressed envelope

You may also order Certificates online at the Town Clerk's main page.

State Elections: 7 am to 8 pm

Town Elections: 8 am to 8 pm

A form is available on the Town Clerk's site. To apply by mail, be sure to follow directions and have all signatures notarized. You are also welcome to come to the Town Clerk's Office and apply in person.

For more information, please see the Business Certificates page.

$25 (4 years). For more information, please see the Business Certificates page.

Yes, at the Department of State website.

Fill out all information, but do not sign until you are in front of an agent who will assist you.

No, we do not process Passports. However the Winchendon Post Office does.

Phone: 978-297-2766
Fax: 978-297-2769

109 Front Street, Department 3
Winchendon, MA 01475

Monday 
8 am to 6 pm

Tuesday through Thursday 
8 am to 5 pm

Closed Fridays

A Business Certificate is a registration of a business that is being conducted within the Town of Winchendon. It is commonly referred to as a "d/b/a form" or "Doing Business As". Its purpose is primarily for consumer protection and public information purposes. Essentially, the public has a right to know who "is" a particular business, since a customer will not know who "owns" the business simply by the name of that business.

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 110, Section 5, states that any person conducting business under any title (business name) other than the real name of the person conducting the business must file a certificate. A person is defined as an individual, a partnership, or a corporation.

Exemptions to filing are allowed under section 6 if the corporation is doing business in its true corporate name, or if a partnership is doing business under any title, which includes the true surname of any partner. Certain other exemptions exist for trusts and limited partnerships.

If solely one person owns the business, only that person needs to sign. If it is a partnership, both or all the partners must sign. If it is a corporation, an officer who has signatory authority must sign - which is usually the President, but not always. All signatures must be made in front of a notary, the Town Clerk, or the Assistant Town Clerk. Do not sign the certificate unless it is in front of one of these three individuals.

An individual must be 18 years of age or older to legally sign a Business Certificate.

Business Certificates are valid for a period of four years from the date of the original filing. They must be renewed every four years for as long as the business is "in business".

If you change your residence as listed on the certificate, or change the location of your business within town (but keep the same name) you must file either a Statement of Change of Residence or a Statement of Change of Location of Business.

If you discontinue your business, retire, or withdraw from conducting business (i.e.: go out of business or move to another town) you must file a Statement of Discontinuance.

If you wish to change the name of your business, you must file a Discontinuance and then file a new certificate for the new business name. You cannot simply change the name of the business because technically you are stopping business in one name and starting business in a new name.

In the case of the death of such a person, the executor or administrator of the estate may file a statement.

The cost to file a Business Certificate is $25.

The law states that copies of your certificate must be available at the address at which the business is conducted, and shall be furnished on request during regular business hours to any person who has purchased goods or services from such business.

The law states that violations will be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars for each month during which the violation continues.

Winchendon has a leash law - for the safety of the public, and the safety of your dog! If your dog is loose in your yard without your direct supervision and perfectly trained to follow voice commands at all times, it's only a matter of time until your dog is

1. Chasing something off your property
2. Hit by a car
3. Stolen
4. Lost
5. Bothering your neighbors, or worst case - your dog bites someone.

Dogs don't recognize property lines. Yes, they do need exercise, and it's your job as a responsible pet owner to see that they get it safely - whether that's by daily walks, or a fenced in yard and someone playing with them!

Massachusetts state law requires that all dogs have a valid license and rabies tag on their collar at all times. If you're worried about the jingling sound, call us - there's ways to fix that. It's also a good idea to have a name tag with a phone number on your dog in case he gets lost.

All dogs and cats need to have a current vaccine at all times per state law! If you can't afford the basic minimum of responsible pet care, then you can't afford a pet. It's that simple. Rabies vaccines are available at clinics for around $10.

Dogs need to be licensed by April 1st of each year.

The Municipal Small Separate Sewer System (MS4) Permit is comprised of six elements, which are anticipated to greatly contribute to reducing pollution to water resources if implemented collectively. The six minimum control measures of the MS4 Permit are:

• Public Education and Outreach: Municipalities are required to provide educational material to four audiences - residents, industry, commercial, and construction - on how their activities impact stormwater.
• Public Participation: Municipalities are required to provide an opportunity for the public to participate in the development/implementation of their Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) at least annually. Notices must comply with state public notice requirements.
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination: Municipalities are required to proactively and systematically find and eliminate sources of non-stormwater from their storm sewer system.
• Management of Construction Site Runoff: Municipalities are required to have an ordinance for management of stormwater discharges from construction sites that disturb one or more acres of land. The ordinance should include requirements for projects to implement sediment and erosion control practices as well as requirements for site plan review.
• Management of Post Construction Site Runoff: (New Development and Redevelopment): For development and redevelopment projects that disturb one or more acres of land, municipalities are required to address stormwater runoff by retaining it on site through low impact design techniques and green infrastructure practices.
• Good Housekeeping in Municipal Operations: Municipalities are required to implement good housekeeping practices in municipal operations, create pollution prevention plans for waste management facilities and maintenance garages, carry out street sweeping at least annually, and optimize catch basin cleaning.

View more information about the Winchendon Stormwater Program.

Lawncare!

• How you manage your lawn can have a huge impact on the pollution of our waterways. Research shows that most grasses require only modest levels of nitrogen for good color and controlled growth. Too much fertilizer will make your lawn grow faster, resulting in more mowing and more clippings! Apply fertilizer to your lawn in late April and again in September. If a third treatment is needed, apply in late May. Be careful not to apply fertilizer right before rain - it will wash right away, costing you money and contributing to stormwater pollution. Think of the fish!
• Watering too often / at the wrong times can be wasteful and costly. The best time to water is in the morning because less water is lost to evaporation. Be careful not to water too often - you'd be surprised how little water grass needs to be healthy. Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Light, frequent watering encourages shallow roots and may lead to increased disease and stress injury.
• Save time and money and reduce waste - don't bag your grass clippings! Leaving the grass clippings on the lawn will allow them to decompose and act as a natural, organic fertilizer.

A capital item is normally one that will cost more than $5000., will have a useful life of more than five years, and will not recur within that period. It will likely be a physical item like land, building, or equipment; but could possibly be nonrecurring services like plans or reports.

The Capital Planning Committee receives requests from departments; it determines which of the requested items are most urgent in view of the usually very limited available funds; makes recommendations to the town manager; and may put them on the warrant for the annual town meeting. The voters at town meetings make the final decisions.

Usually, town departments submit their requests as part of the annual budget process.

We are willing to hear requests at any time. However, since we have no money as such, all we can do is recommend them to a future town meeting.

Yes. No special form is needed. Just send an email or letter, identify yourself, include contact information, describe your request, and put a dollar figure with it. You may be asked to meet with the

committee or provide more information in writing.

The Housing Choice (Section 8) voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to rent decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since the rental assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find and lease privately owned housing, including single family homes, townhouses and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program. Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies. The Winchendon Housing Authority (WHA) receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer this voucher program. A family that is issued a rental voucher is responsible for finding and selecting a suitable rental unit of the family's choice. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety. The rental subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the WHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the total rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. The total rent charged by the landlord must be approved by the WHA.

The Housing Choice voucher program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual family. A very low-income family who has been selected by the WHA to participate is encouraged to consider several housing choices to secure the best rental housing for its needs. The rental unit must meet an acceptable level of health and safety before the WHA can approve payments to landlords under the voucher program. When the voucher holder finds a unit that it wishes to occupy and reaches an agreement with the landlord over the lease terms, the WHA must inspect the dwelling and review the lease for approval. A rental voucher holder is also advised of the unit size for which it is eligible, based on family size and composition, and the applicable rent levels. Payment standards are used to calculate the amount of rental assistance a family will receive, but does not affect the amount of rent a landlord may charge or the family may pay. A family which receives a rental voucher can select a unit which rents below or above the payment standard. The rental voucher family will pay more than 30% of its monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities if the unit rent is greater than the payment standard. However, for first time lease-ups or whenever the voucher family moves, the family cannot pay more than 40% of their Adjusted Gross monthly family income toward rent and utilities. The family would never pay less than 30% of its monthly adjusted gross income if the total rent was less than the payment standard.

The Winchendon Parks & Recreation Department is responsible for developing and promoting recreational opportunities that enhance the quality of life in our community. This includes managing town events, overseeing park usage and improvements, coordinating youth and adult programs, and supporting the Winchendon Community Park & Amphitheater.

We oversee the Winchendon Community Park (86 Ingleside Rd), G.A.R. Park (52 Murdock Ave), and support access to other recreational spaces and trails across town. The Community Park includes open fields, trails, a pond, and a large outdoor amphitheater.

The department is funded through a combination of town budget appropriations, program fees, event sponsorships, grants, and community donations.

There are many ways to get involved — volunteer at events, become a sponsor, donate equipment or services, or attend public planning sessions. Your support helps us grow!

We host seasonal festivals, movie nights, concerts, themed family days, and special programs for youth, adults, and seniors. Signature events include the Founders Day Festival, Food Truck Festivals, and the Summer Concert Series at the Amphitheater.

Yes!  We offer youth programming, we also offer community art classes, fitness opportunities, walking clubs, and partner with other departments like the Senior Center for multi-generational activities.

Our events are posted on the Winchendon Parks & Rec Facebook page, our Facebook Events Calendar, and through our ticketing page at Eventeny.

Yes! We welcome collaborations with local schools, churches, civic groups, nonprofits, and businesses. Reach out to explore how we can work together.

While we do not operate a full-day summer camp at this time, we provide a series of pop-up programs and specialty day events throughout the summer to keep kids engaged and active.

Yes! We encourage youth volunteerism and leadership development through event support, clean-up days, and special projects. Volunteer hours may be eligible for school credit or service requirements.

We strive to make all programs welcoming and inclusive. If your child needs accommodations or has specific needs, we’re happy to work with you to create a positive experience.

The park is open daily from dawn to dusk, year-round.

No. The park is free and open to the public.

Yes, free parking is available near the amphitheater and trail access points.

Yes! Dogs must be leashed at all times, and owners are expected to clean up after them.

Seasonal restrooms are available near the amphitheater during warmer months and events. There are no permanent year-round facilities.

View the full list of upcoming concerts, movie nights, and festivals at:

Events | Winchendon, MA

Some events are free, others may require tickets. Check the specific event listing on Events | Winchendon, MA for details.

Yes. Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed. Some events will also feature food trucks or concessions.

We recommend bringing lawn chairs, blankets, and bug spray. All seating is on grass and first-come, first-served.

Yes, the park includes several nature trails for walking, hiking, and enjoying the scenery.

Yes! Visitors enjoy snowshoeing, sledding, and peaceful winter walks. Please bring your own equipment.

The amphitheater and event lawn are ADA accessible, and we are working to improve access throughout the rest of the park.

Yes. To inquire about rentals, please fill out the Facility Use Form (PDF) and email it to scunningham@winchendon-ma.gov.

Absolutely! We offer sponsorships for concerts, movies, and other events. Email us for more info. scunningham@winchendon-ma.gov

The Community Connector is Winchendon’s local public transportation service offering both on-demand rides and a fixed-route trolley on Saturdays. It’s available to all residents, with special emphasis on serving seniors, youth, and low-income individuals.

You can book a ride using the Community Connector Transit app or by calling (978) 297-3155 during service hours.

• Call the Dispatch Line during live hours to schedule a ride

• After 3 PM and on Saturday, use the line for emergency-only service

• Microtransit

  • Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

  • Saturday: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM

• Toy Town Trolley

  • Saturday: 9:15 AM – 2:30 PM

• Dispatch Line

  • Live Dispatcher: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

  • After Hours: From 3:00 PM until ride service ends, calls are for emergencies only

Anyone can ride. While the service is open to all, scheduling priority is given to seniors, people with disabilities, and riders without access to a vehicle.

No. All Community Connector rides—including the Toy Town Trolley—are currently free to riders.

The Toy Town Trolley is a fixed-route service that operates on Saturdays with stops at key community locations, including grocery stores, parks, and shopping centers.

Yes. Children under 12 must ride with a responsible adult. Youth ages 12–17 may ride independently with a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian.

Yes. All vehicles are ADA-compliant and equipped to accommodate wheelchairs, mobility aids, and riders with disabilities. Riders can request accessible vehicles when booking.

Yes. Rides are first-come, first-served. Booking in advance is highly recommended to ensure availability, especially during peak times.

Yes. Service animals are welcome. Emotional support animals may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Please notify dispatch when booking.

Yes. As long as your ride starts or ends in Winchendon, you may travel to nearby areas such as Rindge, Gardner, Leominster, or Worcester.

You can call us, email communityconnector@winchendon-cac.org, or submit a form through the Get Involved page.