Get your ’23 Transfer Station Stickers (Updated)

Above: The DPW has a walkup window again this year for getting permit stickers – but make sure you have the necessary papers with you. (2021 image by DPW’s Tammi Rice)

This year’s Transfer Station permit stickers expire in a few weeks. Starting September 15th, the 2022-2023 stickers must be “in place” in order to access the station.

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s changes.

The permits remain free for seniors* (whether homeowners or renters)**. Other residents with limited income/financial hardships should take a look at the  Town’s fee waiver allowances. 

For the rest of us, the annual fee went up $10 for the first permit (to $260), plus another $10 for each additional vehicle (up to 3).

There are few changes again this year related to paying for the permits.

As always, you can buy tickets online or via the mail.

If you drag your feet in making the purchase, there’s no financial penalty for buying stickers after September 15th. You’ll just need to get one before you can resume using the facility. (You can buy them in-person, but not on an evening or weekend.)

The DPW’s Transfer Station page has this year’s rules and regs, FAQs and all the necessary links.

Residents are required to provide documents when they register. Registration options are: 

• You can purchase the sticker(s) online. (That does add transactional fees to the cost and you’ll need to upload some documents.)
• You can fill out a mail-in form and send it in with a check/money order (and necessary documents).
• You can walk up to the DPW’s outdoor window again this year at 147 Cordaville Road (in the lot on the right from the driveway to the Transfer Station).
  • The hours are weekdays 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
  • You’ll need to bring a check or credit/debit card (no cash) and a copy of your current vehicle registration(s) with you.
  • See additional details below* for free senior stickers.

*The fee waiver for seniors applies to residents, who are owners of record of a Southborough residence, who will turn age 65 on or before the end of the year (born on or before 12/31/57). This year, seniors will also be asked to bring/submit a copy of their drivers license and a recent property tax bill. Renters are also eligible – but I’m not clear on what documentation they will be asked to provide.

If you are a senior who qualifies by age, but rents rather than owns your property, you can contact the DPW directly at (508) 485-1210 weekdays from 7:30 am – 4:30 pm.**

**Updated (8/11/22 4:20 pm): DPW Director Karen Galligan reached out after hearing complaints and confusion about a “change” to limit free senior permits to homeowners. I wrote that based on the DPW’s FAQs specifically refer to providing a recent property tax bill to show proof of homeownership and Transfer Station rules citing that the free permits are for seniors who are “owners of record of a Southborough residence”.

It appears the language is meant to eliminate one problem, but accidentally caused another they hadn’t thought about. Her message to me included:

Nothing has changed for seniors this year. Seniors need to prove age and, I guess the way to say it is, that they are the primary resident at the residence. So they need to own the house or they need to be the leasee of the house or apartment. This came about from seniors moving in with their children’s families and getting free transfer permits for the household. Residents took issue with this, so the town tries to ensure that residents who should be paying for permits, pay for permits.

We have always checked drivers licenses and have checked homeownership or lease agreements. We were able to check ownership in the office, and if the address is a rental development, such as Madison Place or Colonial Gardens, we would not ask for a lease agreement; however, someone renting at a house, or an entire house, would show the lease agreement. Again, nothing has changed for seniors, I just think that now that people are uploading documents with the new permit software, other people are becoming aware of the regulation.

I believe that we need to clarify the definition of a senior resident on the rules and regulations to say “…owners of record, or leases of a Southborough residence…”. No one noticed that it didn’t include renters, but that definition hasn’t changed (except for the dates) over the years, but it obviously isn’t clear and needs to be changed.