St. Lawrence County Treasurer's Department

Guidelines for Certificate of Residence

The community college program in the State of New York was intended to permit students who are state residents to pay lower tuition than out-of-state residents. Each community college has a “local sponsor”, generally a county, whose mandate is to provide for a share of the costs allocable to resident students. In the case of a student who is a resident of the state but not a resident of the local sponsor jurisdiction, a mechanism is provided to permit the reimbursement of such costs to the community college by the student’s county of residence. That mechanism is the Certificate of Residence.

To obtain a Certificate of Residence please follow these guidelines. If you fail to follow these steps completely, you will NOT be issued a Certificate, NO EXCEPTIONS. Affidavits can be mailed, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, or delivered in person to the address above: 

• Complete the affidavit in its entirety before submitting. Include your social security number, current address (NO P.O. BOXES), and all addresses where you have resided over the past year if applicable.
• All affidavits must be notarized. Most banks have a notary on duty. A notary may not be a relative or a person with the same last name as yours.
• Proof of Residence – The Law requires that all applicants must provide proof that they lived in New York State for the past twelve (12) months and in the County for the immediate past six (6) months*. This proof can be shown with a copy of one of the following in the student’s name; bank statement, car registration, income tax return (parent’s if listed as dependent), utility bill, cell phone bill, etc…
• Valid Photo I.D. must ALSO be provided along with your application; non-citizens MUST provide a copy of their Resident Alien Card. All identification must have been issued within the last two years for it to be acceptable for this purpose.
• Certificates are school specific. If you attend more than one community college, you must obtain a Certificate of Residence for each school you attend.

THE CERTIFICATE OF RESIDENCE IS VALID FOR A FULL-YEAR (12 MONTHS) FROM THE DATE IT IS ISSUED. HOWEVER, IT MUST BE USED FOR REGISTRATION WITHIN 60-DAYS OF THE CERTIFICATE DATE OR ELSE IT BECOMES INVALID. THIS IS AS PER N.Y.S. EDUCATION LAW 6301. Please contact the St. Lawrence County Treasurer’s Office with any questions at 315-379-2234.

* Students who have moved from one county to another must file an application with both counties and submit both Certificates to the schools you are attending.