We have many dogs and cats ready for adoption from The Berlin Animal Control Shelter!

Please help spread the word about our shelter to your family, friends, coworkers etc. The more people who know about our dogs the more we are able to save.

You can find all of our animals on Petfinder.com: Nearby Dogs  |  Nearby Cats 

We show animals by appointment only. Please call 860-828-7055.

• CT Dog Laws & Licensing
• Town Ordinances

If interested in donating to the Animal Shelter, the most needed items are listed below.

When making a donation, please call the Animal Shelter at 860-828-7055 to make an appointment for drop off.

Please do not leave items unattended in front of the building. Thank you.

Items needed:

Dry cat food, Canned cat food, Regular clay litter

Dry dog food, Canned dog food, Dog treats

Topical flea treatment for dogs/cats

Laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Clorox Wipes, Solid air fresheners, Bleach, Clorox Spray Cleaner

Animal Control Officers

Jan Lund - Animal Control Officer
860-828-7055 - office
860-250-5089 - cell

Kate Matson - Assistant Part Time
860-828-7055 - office
860-234-7847 - cell

This page is the home for all Boards & Commissions of the Town of Berlin.  More information on each entity can be found by clicking the title of the Board/Commission in the menu.

The Assessor's Office is responsible for the discovery, listing and equitable valuation of all real and personal property within the Town of Berlin in accordance with Connecticut State Statutes at 70% of market value for the annual production of the Grand List.  Additionally, the assessor and staff administer State and local programs of tax relief, apply exemptions as permitted by law and assist the public with a variety of inquiries.  The office provides a Grand List of all property within the Town of Berlin.

Services:

• Maintains an up-to-date inventory of all real property, which includes land and improvements, changes in ownership, new construction, alterations and subdivisions filed as of the assessment date.
• Values all permit activity within the town limits of Berlin on an annual basis.
• Conducts a revaluation of all real estate every five (5) years as defined by State Statutes - the last revaluation was done in October 2022.
• Maintains an up-to-date inventory of all business personal property within the Town of Berlin.
• Assesses motor vehicles annually, adjusts motor vehicle assessments that have been sold, stolen, salvaged or registered out of state with proper proof.
• Applies all exemption programs annually as permitted by State law, e.g., veterans, disabled, blind, elderly, etc.

Click on Useful Links below for the Programs administered to the Public. 

Berlin Visiting Nurse Association is a community-based, non-profit, home health agency established in 1926. Berlin Visiting Nurse Association is licensed by the State of Connecticut, certified by Medicare and Medicaid.

* Our Goal is to Keep you at Home *

Our Services include:

Skilled Nursing Care, Home Health Aides, Wound Care, Nutritionist, Medical Social Workers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapy.

Our Staff is:

Bi-lingual 

Towns we service are: 

Berlin, Kensington, East Berlin, and surrounding towns on a case-by-case basis. 

Accepted Insurances:

Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances are accepted.

Referrals:

Referrals can be made by Physicians, Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Rehabilitation Centers, Family Members and self.  

                                          You have a Choice:   Ask for The Berlin VNA

The Mission of the Berlin Visiting Nurse Association is to:

• Provide Quality Home Health Service to the Residents of Berlin, Connecticut.
• Provide School Health Services to Public and Private Schools under Contract.
• Promote Further Wellness in the Community.

The Berlin-Peck Memorial Library offers services to children, teens, and adults.  

Please visit our website for additional information.

Workers Compensation Act, Chapter 568 Section 31-286b

Anyone making application for permit other than the owner must provide proof of W/C Insurance,

and fill out and attach the appropriate forms with the application.

Forms can be found below and in the Online permitting system.

Online Permitting

Starting 1/18/2021, Online Permitting is now available. For best results use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Apply online at: https://www.citysquared.com/#/app/landing/. 

Follow the instructions, but if you experience difficulties, please call 845-758-0104.

Non-Digital Permit Applications

We encourage the use of the online system, however, we are still accepting applications via Dropbox and Postal Services and in person during regular business hours. For these applications, use the printable Building Permit Application.

Current Code

Current code edition is the 2022 ICC Family w/ 2020 NEC

The Building department administers the building codes as adopted by the State of Connecticut. The purpose of which is to apply the standards to establish life, health, public and building safety both residential and commercial through the permitting and inspection process. Additionally, the department assists in the permitting process with plan reviews, inspections and guidance in understanding the codes and regulations.  

Permits

Permits are required per Code Section 105.1 

Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.

Fee Schedule

The Fee Schedule for the Building Department is based upon valuation of the project to include material and labor. The material and labor format is used equally for Homeowners and contractors. View the Fee Schedule for the Building Department for more details.

Additional fees that may be required or requested are:

• Zoning Fee - $50.00
• Commercial Certificate of Occupancy - $100.00
• Residential Certificate of Occupancy - $50.00
• Certificate of Compliance - $25.00

Code books are available in the office for viewing, if desired. 

Doing Business in Berlin/ #ItsAllInBerlin

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) provides a comprehensive all-hazard emergency management program in partnership with Local, State and Federal Agencies as well as Berlin residents and businesses and organizations in order to save lives, protect property, and safeguard the environment. This is accomplished through a four-step cycle of proper mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery actions.

The four phases should be viewed not as linear, but rather circular with the last and first steps being interrelated. As commonly described they are:

(1) Mitigation: the application of measures that will either prevent the onset of a disaster or reduce the impacts should one occur. In the United States classic mitigation measures include zoning and land use controls to prevent occupation of high hazard areas (the most common example is floodplain management), barrier construction to deflect disaster forces (such as levees for flooding or snow sheds on railroads or highways), active preventive measures to control developing situations (one of the best examples is the variety of techniques used to release snow accumulations to prevent avalanches), building codes to improve disaster resistance of structures, tax incentives or disincentives, controls on rebuilding after events, and insurance to reduce the financial impact of disasters. Mitigation measures may be general or hazard specific, usually based on local vulnerabilities.

(2) Preparedness: preparedness activities prepare the community to respond when a disaster does occur. Typical preparedness measures include recruiting personnel for the emergency services and for community volunteer groups, emergency planning, development of mutual aid agreements and memorandums of understanding, training for both response personnel and concerned citizens, threat based public education, budgeting for and acquiring vehicles and equipment, maintaining emergency supplies, construction of an emergency operations center, development of communications systems, and conducting disaster exercises to train personnel and test capabilities.

(3) Response: the employment of resources and emergency procedures as guided by plans to preserve life, property, the environment, and the social, economic, and political structure of the community, during the onset, impact, and immediate restoration of critical services in the aftermath of a disaster. Response actions are typically keyed to the specific threat and may include such activities as activating the emergency operations plan, activating the emergency operations center, evacuation of threatened populations, opening of shelters and provision of mass care, emergency rescue and medical care, firefighting, urban search and rescue, emergency infrastructure protection and recovery of lifeline services (ranging from sandbagging levees to restoring electric power), and fatality management.

(4) Recovery: actions taken in the long term after the immediate impact of the disaster has passed to stabilize a community and to restore some semblance of normalcy. Although common perception in the United States is that the federal government will step in and restore everything to the way it was before the disaster, the reality is that even federal assistance is at best a measure to allow residents and the jurisdiction to establish basic functionality as the basis for life after the disaster. In developing nations it is not uncommon for recovery to include a component of redevelopment, or even development, activity. However, in the developed world, the cost of restoring the status pre-disaster as more and more events have multi-billion dollar price tags exceeds even a rich nation's capability. Typical recovery actions include disaster debris cleanup, financial assistance to individuals and governments, rebuilding of roads and bridges and key facilities, sustained mass care for displaced human and animal populations, reburial of displaced human remains, full restoration of lifeline services, and mental health and pastoral care.

Each phase should involve actions at the federal, state, and local level guided by an all hazards approach.

Sources: United States, Federal Emergency Management Agency, The Emergency Program Manager, IS-1, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1993.

The Facilities Department provides the Town with the operations, maintenance and building construction projects of all municipal building and schools.  The department employs a team of 17 staff members who preform the majority of maintenance, repairs, and improvements to ensure cost effectiveness while maintaining a safe and comfortable environment.

Services:

• Perform in-house maintenance, repairs, construction improvements and custodial services to 40 buildings with 1,000,000 sq ft. of space.
• Work with appropriate agencies to ensure that compliance with safety, security and ADA requirements are met.
• Plan, manage and work within Town Facilities and Board of Education budgets.
• Work with the Public Building Commission for construction projects and modifications of public buildings.
• Manage building infrastructure, utilities, building automation, security, and communication services.

The Finance Department is responsible for all financial activities of the Town and for managing the Town's financial resources.  The Department includes the Assessor's Office, the Revenue Collector's Office, the Purchasing Agent and the Treasurer; in addition to Accounting, Payroll, Accounts Payable and Debt Management functions.  Assessments, Purchasing and Revenue Collection are addressed under their own sections.

Finance manages the Town of Berlin annual budget development, works with the external auditors to complete the annual  comprehensive financial report ("ACFR"), and for overall financial operations and internal controls for the Town.  Finance processes all financial transactions, pays all bills and processes payroll.  Finance is also responsible for managing the Town's debt including strategy, issuance and ongoing compliance. 

The Town Treasurer is responsible for all cash management, investments, maintenance of performance bonds and cashflow of the Town-owned mobile home park.  In 2020, the Town Treasurer role was consolidated into the Finance Director role and all Town Treasurer responsibilities outlined in the Town Charter were consolidated into the Finance Office. 

Budget

FY 2025 Capital Plan (3-20-2024)

2024 Town of Berlin Fee Schedule

Annual Financial Reports

Financial Policies

Official Statements

S&P Credit Report - September 2024 GO & Refunding Bonds

Finance Forms & Training Materials

Fire Marshal/Risk Manager - Steve Waznia 860-828-7053
Deputy Fire Marshal/Civil Preparedness Director - Rich Cop 860-828-7018

The office of the Fire Marshal and Civil Preparedness is responsible for the enforcement of the Connecticut Fire Safety Code, Connecticut Fire Prevention Code, and Connecticut General Statutes relating to hazardous materials, fire prevention, explosives/pyrotechnics and the investigation of fires and explosions to determine origin and cause. 

Additional duties include emergency response, technical consulting to town residents and town departments, maintenance of the Town of Berlin Emergency Plan, architectural and site plan review, Homeland Security planning, Emergency Medical Services Committee Chair, and Homeland Security Grant Administrator.

The Fire Services in the Town of Berlin are comprised of four Fire Departments and a Fire Administrator. 

Fire protection in the Town of Berlin is provided by four independently organized volunteer fire companies: Berlin, East Berlin, Kensington, and South Kensington.

The firefighters that staff these departments are all volunteers.

The four Fire Departments strive to provide the finest emergency services possible and not only respond to fires, but are also called upon to help with automobile accidents, hazardous materials incidents, carbon monoxide alarms, propane leaks, storm damage incidents and even lost person searches.

The Town of Berlin provides tax dollars for fire equipment, training, safety and a per-call stipend for the firefighters.

Three of the four firehouses are owned by their respective memberships, and expenses to maintain these buildings and property are borne directly through fundraising efforts of each of the departments.

The Fire Administrator's presentation to Town Council on January 12, 2016 concerning an overview and concerns of the departments including apparatus replacement, SCBA replacement and needs of the facilities is available for viewing by clicking on any part of this sentence. 

Human Resources is committed to attracting, encouraging and retaining a highly qualified workforce to support the Town of Berlin's mission of excellence.  This commitment is realized through administrative collaboration and consultation in the design and implementation of policies, procedures, services and programs that facilitate the best contributions of all employees of the Town.

Human Resources strives to support the Town and its employees in partnership with departments and collective bargaining representatives by providing or facilitating leadership in the development, implementation and administration of sound human resource policies, procedures and programs to attract, develop, motivate and retain the best possible employees.

Consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, the Town does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the conduct or operation of its programs or activities (including employment therein and admission thereto).  The Town provides services and hires employees without regard to race, gender, physical ability, creed, color, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to employees of the Town.

Mission

The Department of Information Technology strives to provide the highest quality technology-based services in the most cost-effective manner.

To meet this mission, the department:

• Provides technology support for computer, voice, web based applications, and other services to all departments of the Town.
• Promotes and facilitates the integration of technology into the basic mission of the Town through planning, training, and other support activities.
• Develops, enhances, and manages the Towns Network to provide high-speed transparent and highly functional connectivity of electronic data while ensuring appropriate access.

Department Overview

The Department of Information Technology provides Town wide support for all computer systems and telephone systems, and is responsible for analyzing and implementing the electronic needs of all Town departments. The department plans, purchases, manages, and maintains the computing and telecommunications hardware, software and networking infrastructure to support the many departments of the Town in providing services to the community. Desktops connect to an extensive network that communicates with servers to provide computing needs to staff. 

The functions of the department include support for email, internet access, multimedia services, telephones, access card services, and network management.

Our goal is to provide the best possible support to all Town departments so that staff may serve the citizens of Berlin effectively and efficiently.

The Municipal Fleet Garage manages the maintenance and repair of a fleet of approximately 275 mission-critical motor vehicles and off-road equipment, including police cars, fire apparatus and vehicles that transport senior citizens to medical appointments.

The Fleet Garage also strategically plans the replacement of vehicles and equipment, creates specifications for vehicle acquisition (with stakeholder input), acquires, outfits, performs scheduled maintenance on, and disposes of all town vehicles. Mechanics maintain all on- and off-road equipment for the town and perform general repairs, oil changes, preventive maintenance, inspections, recalls, emissions, fabrication of trucks and pre- and post- storm inspections.  Using a cloud-based software system, the Fleet Garage tracks metrics related to work performed, fuel delivery and consumption, mileage, labor costs, and Federal requirements related to registration, emission and USDOT brake inspections.

The technicians at the Fleet Garage are highly trained and currently hold multiple certifications with the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) for both passenger cars and trucks, both medium and heavy duty, as well as advanced diagnostics and air conditioning.  Technicians are registered with Ford Fleet, allowing for quicker in-house diagnostic work. Additionally technicians are certified welders, allowing full fabrication capacity.

The Town of Berlin's Parks and Recreation Department has several parks and hiking trails for citizens to utilize, in addition to programs and classes for all ages and more activities for families to enjoy. 

Limited spots still remain for Boys and Girls Winter Basketball divisions. This program is for residents only. Deadline to register, if there are still openings, is Thursday, November 14, 7 p.m. 

The Parks and Recreation Department is still taking applications for referee positions for the girls and boys 3-8 grade basketball program. You must be at least 15 years old. Check under Topics/Job Opportunities for job descriptions and an application. Information is also available at the Parks and Recreation office. We will continue to take applications until all positions are filled.

Santa and His elves will be at the Community Center Monday, December 2nd and Tuesday, December 3rd from 6-6:30pm. Santa is asking everyone to bring a donation that will be used for the food pantry in Town. Click here to see the flyer!

Peggy and Dawn will be hosting two separate Holiday programs. Holidays around the World and New Years Celebration! Be sure to check out the flyer, you won't want to miss the fun!

Information for our Holiday House Decorating Contest 2024 is up. Check out the flyer for all the details. 

The Community Center, including the fitness center and game room, is open.

Parks and Recreation Department and Community Center are closed on all holidays.

Check with the Department on an updated schedule.

Click Register On-Line to get the link to WebTrac. Information on programs can be found on WebTrac and are constantly updated. If you don't see a program you are looking for, try searching by activity type, location or a key word.   

Contact the office with any questions.

The Planning and Zoning Department administers Berlin's Plan of Conservation and Development, enforces the Zoning Regulations, and provides professional support for the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Conservation Commission, and the Historic District Commission.

Berlin 2023-2033 Plan of Conservation and Development - Adopted June 15, 2023

2023 Plan of Conservation and Development Information

2022 Berlin Affordable Housing Plan- Adopted May 17, 2022

Thinking about Putting in a Fence, Shed, or Similar? Click Here

• Residential Fencing Application Package
• Accessory Structure Application Package

Complaint About a Property? Click Here

 Berlin Zoning Map (March 2016)

• Zoning Map Amendments (March 2016 to January 2021)

Berlin Zoning Regulations (September 2019)

• Berlin Zoning Regulations Amendments (September 2019 to September 2020) - please call the Planning & Zoning department for information regarding recently approved amendments.
• Subdivision Regulations (May 2016)
• Farmington Avenue Design Standards
• Berlin Turnpike Design Guidelines

ZBA APPLICATIONS (click here)

Meeting Calendars and Submission Dates:

-Planning and Zoning Commission

-Zoning Board of Appeals

-Historic District Commission

Welcome to the Berlin Police Department Website. 

Submit information for the Tip Hotline

(Please Note:  Should you wish to remain anonymous, You must put "John Doe" in the name category.  Thank you.)

Below is our agency-specific URL leading to our agency-specific public comment portal.  

Click here to access the Berlin PD CALEA Public Comment Portal

Customer Survey

Safe Connect Awareness Toolkit

 Crime Mapping