City Services while City Hall is Closed to the Public

CITY SERVICES & FACILITIES

All municipal buildings and facilities, schools and the Portsmouth Public Library are closed to the public through May 4, 2020 per the Governor’s Stay-At-Home order. City services are staffed Monday through Friday, according to staggered work schedules to minimize the number of people in the same place at the same time.

Applying for Elderly/Disabled/Solar abatements? Click here for the latest update on new and renewed applications.

City Hall services are still open by phone, email and online. Many of the forms for marriage licenses, birth and death certificates are available here. https://www.portsmouthnh.gov/cityclerk/birth-marriage-death-certificates Call or email the City Clerk at 603-610-7245 or cityclerk@cityofportsmouth.com

Paying bills while City Hall is closed to the public. Residents are asked to use the City's online services to pay their water bills, taxes, fees, fines; secure permits, etc. Payments can be mailed or dropped in the drop-box in the City Hall parking lot. Call (844) 850-9185 to pay your water/sewer or property tax bills using Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Account number required. ($1.50 IVR fee, plus any credit card fees if paying by credit card.)

NH DMV has extended the expiration date for temporary motor vehicle plates and licenses. All temporary plates issued after March 1. 2020 are now valid through April 30, 2020. For information about how vehicle registration works in NH, click here. City residents can renew their registrations online here. State drivers' licenses and ID cards set to expire can be extended by phone for 6 months. Call 603-227-4020 to pay for and complete the extension.

Along with public utilities (gas, electric, cable, phone, etc.) the City Department of Public Works Water & Sewer Divisions have suspended all disconnect orders and/or late fees. Contact the City directly if you’re having difficulty meeting a bill deadline.

Fire Department has suspended scheduled fire protection inspections and the issuing of any burn permits. If you have a Class 1 or 2 permit (backyard, etc.) the permit expiration is extended to June 1, 2020.

Building Inspections continue by video for unoccupied and exteriors of buildings.

Planning Department: For information about land use applications and submission deadlines click here.

City board, commission and committees are meeting virtually. Check the Municipal calendar on the homepage.

Portsmouth Public Library: Use your library card (or get one as a Portsmouth resident!) to download ebooks, audiobooks, movies, TV, and music from Hoopla and Overdrive, take classes on arts, crafts, and computer topics with Creativebug and Lynda Learning, learn a new language with Mango, access free unlimited New York Times articles, and so much more. The library is also offering several events and programs online through the Zoom platform, including meditation, book groups, and a world affairs discussion group. Contact the library if you need help with your library account, or anything else. Visit the library website or call 603-427-1540 to learn more. Register for a Library Card Online! All Portsmouth residents are eligible for a free library card. If you’ve never signed up, don’t worry - you can get one online! Just click here and then click “Log in to your account” and then select “You may register here.” Be sure to enter your current Portsmouth address and correct contact information. A library staff member will contact you promptly to give you a library card number and verify your information. You’ll then be able to use the library’s online resources. When the library reopens, you will need to show proof of ID in order to extend your account.

Portsmouth Housing Authority Senior and Multi-Unit properties are closed to the public. Only essential caregivers, health care workers and people delivering food or medical supplies are authorized to enter, and only when absolutely necessary. PHA offices are open only via telephone 603-436-4310 and email info@nh-pha.com.

Welfare Assistance: Residents in Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, Newington or Greenland who require assistance should contact the City's Welfare Department. Call 603-610-7267 or email WFDept@CityofPortsmouth.com

Recreation/Parks: Parks & Playgrounds For a map of open and closed parks, playgrounds, ballfields, basketball courts, click here. Note that the following parks are open: Daniel Street Pocket Park, Haven Park, Langdon Park, Goodwin Park, Hanscom Park and Big Rock Park. Also Prescott Park and Peirce Island (no dogs allowed at either). For a map showing off-leash dog parks which are also great walking trails, click here. Also: Pease Tradeport and Wildlife Sanctuary are great places to walk but are not designated off-leash for dogs. The bike bridge and bike path at Pease are away from lots of people.

Portsmouth Public Schools: At-home learning is now on a 4-day instructional week. Students will be engaged with teachers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Enrichment Wednesdays for students offer opportunities in the arts, physical education and more. Wednesdays, for teachers, are devoted to online collaborations for support, planning and building consistent expectations for students in this remote environment. Meal distribution: While schools remain physically closed, our breakfast and lunch pick-up and delivery is still in service. Pickup for breakfast and lunch at the Portsmouth High School cafeteria door between 7:30 am and 12 noon, Monday through Friday. Meal distribution also takes place at these bus stop location satellite sites:
- Wamesit (11:00 - 11:25)
- Ledgewood (11:30 - 11:45)
- Gosling Recreation Center (11:00-11:45)
- Osprey Landing (at mailboxes) (11:00-11:20)
- White Cedars (11:30-11:45)
- Patriots Park (11:00-11:20)
- Beechstone (playground) (11:25 - 11:45)
DPW
#WIPESCLOGPIPES: Do not flush anything other than toilet tissue. Other paper products, including those marked “flushable,” can cause clogs and backups. The pipes leading from houses to septic systems and sewer lines are much narrower than City sewer pipes and clog more easily.
Residents should continue to use Click 'n Fix as needed so service requests can be logged and addressed.
The recycling center is open and staffed to allow just a few vehicles at a time for physical-distancing. No cash accepted. Payment for the usual special item disposal fees must be by check.
Trash pickup is on the normal schedule and yard waste pickups have also begun but may be limited by the availability of workers and trucks.
Update on Portsmouth Water Supply: In case you were wondering, the City’s Regional Water System continues normal procedures for operating, monitoring and maintaining the Portsmouth and Pease Tradeport Water Treatment systems. Our source waters are chlorinated for adequate disinfection, monitored continuously for chlorine residuals and sampled throughout the water system to assure proper treatment continues. Water & Sewer Division services are considered essential businesses and are staffed accordingly so the water supply is adequately meeting demand. For the latest comprehensive water supply update, click here.
Free Parking is extended through April 20, 2020. In addition, the City has designated a number of 15-minute curbside pickup parking zones in support of restaurants that remain open for takeout. For a list of the zones, click here. And for a map of the locations, click here. Please look for the signs and be aware that the time limits in those zones is 15 minutes. On-street and public garage parking fees are suspended. Patrons with monthly parking contracts in the garages are receiving credit to their accounts for the entire free-parking period. Adjustments will be made in the May bills for any April payments made to date.