The County Clerk is elected to a four-year term and serves the general public.  All services provided by the office are mandated by Nevada Law and the State of Nevada Constitution.

Some of the responsibilities of the office are issuing marriage licenses, licensing minister to perform marriages and the administration of the Civil Marriage Commissioner’s Office for those citizens wishing to be married but who do not personally know a Judge or Justice of the Peace, who do not belong to a church and who do not wish to use the services of a chapel for a civil ceremony.

The Clerk is further responsible for Fictitious Firm Name (FFN) filings, issuance of oaths to Notary Publics and the filing of Notary bonds. 

Another very important responsibility is the accurate accounting of the minutes for various County Board.  County Commissioners meetings, the Debt Management Commission, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Sierra Fire Protection District, South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District, and the Board of Equalization.  As the custodian of the permanent public records this office maintains and provides copies of all records on file.

Minutes of these meetings are usually available within 3 to 4 weeks and are available on the Internet after Board approval. 

The Washoe County Clerk’s office has minutes that date back to December 10, 1861 when the first meeting of the Board of County Commission convened after appointment by the Governor of the Utah Territory.

In addition to preparing the minutes and maintaining the permanent records of the Commission, the Clerk’s office maintains all county ordinances after their adoption.  The Washoe County Code is also available on the Internet.