Deputy Clerk:

Description of Office

Constitutional and statutory laws give this one elective county officer five titles: Clerk of the District Court, Auditor, Recorder, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, and Chief Elections Officer of the County. The County Clerk also oversees County Assistance. There are nine deputy clerks who work under the Clerk as well as in the Board of County Commissioners office.

Officially, the Clerk of the District Court serves as ex officio Auditor and Recorder and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners.

The Auditor acts as the County Budget and Accounting Officer. Responsibilities include compiling the budget requests and submitting the budget to the Board of County Commissioners; recording appropriations made to county agencies, the outstanding liabilities against these appropriations and the expenditures made against the appropriations; keeping accounting records on the revenues, expenditures and balances in each county fund. The Auditor also prepares and remits checks to employees, vendors, and other persons entitled to payment. All moneys received by various county offices are recorded in financial records.

The Recorder is responsible to keep records of all documents recorded in Gooding County. Additionally, the Recorder’s office provides marriage licenses, processes passports and records land documents, including plat maps, surveys, easements, assertions of right-of-way, and some types of liens.

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Recordable Documents

A recordable document, pursuant to the Idaho Code, must have original signature of grantor and be notarized. If it conveys real property, it must also include the grantee’s current mailing address.

Not all recorded documents are certifiable. A certified copy from the Recorder’s Office is as good as an original document (except birth and death certificates which must be obtained from the Idaho Vital Statistics office). To request vital statistics certificates, see Idaho Vital Statistics or PO Box 83720, Boise ID 83720 or call (208) 334-5980. There is an information line available at (208) 334-5988.

According to Idaho Code, all instruments delivered to the County Recorder for record shall be recorded rather than filed with the exception of plats, surveys, cornerstone markers and instruments under the Uniform Commercial Code.

A page shall not exceed fourteen inches in length or eight and one-half inches in width (8-1/2” x 14”). The recording fee to be charged for maps, sketches, drawings or other instruments except plats larger than the size permitted above for a page shall be two cents per square inch.
 

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Recording Information and Fees

The Idaho Code states that the county recorder may receive the following fees for his/her services, to be paid by the party procuring the recording services.

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Marriage Licenses

If you will be married in Idaho, you must obtain a marriage license. Licenses are issued in the Recorder’s office. If you will be married in another state, you will need to get a marriage license from that state.

Requirements for people over 18 years of age:
1. Application forms for a marriage license must be filled out.
2. Both people need to appear at the courthouse in person.
3. Both need forms of photo identification.
4. Both need to read and sign a pamphlet on AIDS in the Recorder’s office.
5. Pay the fee of $28.

For people under 18 years of age (but over 16), a parent for each person under 18 must also appear, in addition to those requirements above.

In addition to the above requirements, and the requirement of one parent for each 16-year-old, a person under 16 years of age must have an appointment with the Magistrate Judge to obtain a court order permitting the 16-year-old to be married.

No waiting period or blood tests are required.

Two copies of the marriage license are issued. One copy is for the couple and one copy is to be sent in for recording by the person performing the ceremony.
 

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Passports

Applications for passports are available from the County Clerk’s Office in the Courthouse.

You can also go to the Department of State’s Passport Services and Information Site and print out the needed passport application. This Site also contains information on passport services and other passport-related information.

To obtain a passport, you must come into the Recorder’s office in person. You will need:
1. Completed, but unsigned, passport application (DS-11). It must be signed in the presence of an authorized clerk in the Recorder’s office. The passport application must be filled out by the applicant unless it is for a child.
2. Two 2”x2” identical passport photos. These must have been taken in the last six months and have a light background. Photos can either be black and white or in color.
3. Certified copy of your birth certificate, including a raised State Seal. Hospital certificates and birth abstracts are not acceptable.** If you are a naturalized citizen you must bring your original naturalization papers. All original documents that are sent with your application are returned to you with your passport.
4. Current driver’s license or some other form of photo ID.

FEES for routine passport applications may be paid using a money order, cashier’s check or personal check. Cash is acceptable. Fees are non-refundable.

For ages 16 and older: $67 Payable to Passport Services, plus
$30 Payable to Gooding County

For ages under 16: $52 Payable to Passport Services, plus
$30 Payable to Gooding County

**To obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate, contact the vital statistics office of the state in which you were born. To contact Idaho’s Vital Statistics office to request a birth certificate, go to the Vital Statistics. There is a recorded Information Line at (208) 334-5988. You can also contact www.vitalchek.com or call 1-800-255-2414.

Passport Renewal (Form DS-82)
You may use this form if your previous passport:
1. Was issued when you were 16 or older
2. Was issued in the last 15 years
3. Is not damaged
4. Is submitted with your application
The non-refundable total fee for this renewal is $67.

Expedited Service
For any expedited service (e.g., first-time application, renewal, additional pages, name change) there is an additional service fee of $60.

To receive your passport as soon as possible, it is strongly suggested that you arrange overnight delivery service for:
1) Sending your passport application AND
2) Returning your passport to you.
 

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Election Information

Voter registration in the State of Idaho is done at the county level. The County Clerk is the chief registration official for Gooding County.

If requested, the Clerk will furnish a list of registered voters in the county, arranged by precinct. The requestor may be assessed a charge to compensate the county for the cost of reproducing such a list. It is prohibited by law to use this list for commercial purposes.

For additional election information, see the Idaho Secretary of State Election Division website.

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Voter Registration

Registration is subject to dates on the Local Elections Calendar. Idaho does not register voters by party affiliation. You are not eligible to vote if you have been convicted of a felony and your rights have not been restored.

To register and vote, you must be:
1. a US citizen
2. a resident of Gooding County and Idaho for 30 days
3. at least 18 years of age

You need to re-register if you have:
1. changed your name
2. moved to a different address
3. not voted within the last 4 years

Same Day Registration is available in Idaho which gives you the opportunity to register on Election Day.

To register on Election Day, you must:
1. appear in person
2. present photo identification (such as an Idaho driver’s license or identification card) and
3. proof of 30-day residency (any document which contains a valid address in the precinct in which you reside)

If you have questions about registration, please call the Clerk’s Office at (208) 934-4221.
 

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Polling Places

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Absentee Voting

Because Idaho law provides for absentee voting, registered voters who wish to vote early or will be unable to vote at their precinct in the coming election may vote by mail or at the Clerk’s Office.

You may vote in person from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, at the Clerk’s Office in the Gooding County Courthouse, Gooding, ID, up to and including the day before the election.

Those who wish to cast an absentee vote by mail must first submit an Application for Absent Elector’s Ballot form or request by letter including your name, home address, and the mailing address where you want the ballot sent.

All parties requesting a ballot form must sign a letter of request. The completed application can be delivered to the Gooding County Clerk’s Office in person or by mail to P.O. Box 417, Gooding, ID  83330. It may also be faxed to (208) 934-5085

Absentee ballots must be received by the Clerk’s Office by 8:00 pm on Election Day.

The Absentee Registration and/or Application for Absentee Ballot must be applied for by the Applicant to the Gooding County Clerk.

Mail-In Voter Registration cards can be requested from the Clerk’s Office.

To request an absentee ballot, you must be registered to vote in Idaho.
1. An application can be requested from the Clerk’s Office or
2. The voter may submit a written request which includes the name of the registered voter, residence address in Idaho, and the mailing address to which such ballot is to be mailed. The request must also include the signature of the applicant.

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