Welcome to the Town of Athens
The Athens Town Office is located in the historic Somerset Academy at 26 Academy Street in Athens, Maine.
The Town Office will be closed the week of June 8th. There will be no Town Office hours on Monday, June 9th or Thursday, June 12th, and there will be no Selectboard meeting on Tuesday , June 10th.
Regular Town Office Hours are Mondays 2-6pm and Thursdays 2-6pm. During these hours Athens residents can register vehicles, boats, and trailers, license dogs, register to vote, pay tax bills, and obtain hunting, trapping and fishing licenses. The Town Office is Closed on State Holidays.
Regular Selectboard meeting times are Tuesdays at 7pm at the Town Office.
Town Meeting Warrants, Annual Reports, Local Ordinances, Tax Maps, Selectboard Meeting Agendas, and Tax Commitment Books can be found at: www.athens.maine.gov/resources
ONLINE REGISTRATION and LICENSE OPTIONS
Vehicle and trailer registration renewals can be done online at: www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/registration/index.html
Hunting and fishing licenses can be obtained online at: apps1.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/moses_v3/index
TRANSFER STATION
The Transfer Station on Dore Hill Road is open to Athens residents with a Transfer Station sticker on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 8am and 4pm. Stickers are available at the Town Office and the Transfer Station during regular hours.
Personal Property Tax
Any assets owned or located in Athens for use in business are eligible for taxation by property tax; the tax rate is the same rate as applied to taxable real estate. For example:
Machinery & Equipment: Presses, tools, machining equipment, garage equipment, heavy-duty shelving and other machinery or manufacturing equipment, telephones, vending machines, televisions, fax machines, copiers, office equipment
Furniture & Fixture: Desks, chairs, bookcases, filing cabinets, tables
Computer Equipment: Computers, monitors, servers, printers, smartphones
Miscellaneous Personal Property: Trailers, cargo, bulk hauling, storage, office, law library, art work
Businesses are required to provide the Assessors with a true and perfect list of personal property assets located in Athens as of April 15th, 2025. If your business needs a filing extension, contact the Board of Assessors by email at townofathens@tds.net.
If your business is open as of April 1st, you are responsible for personal property taxes for the entire fiscal year.
Failure to file a true and perfect list of assets bars a taxpayer’s right to appeal his or her valuation for that year, M.R.S. Title 36 § 706-A.
Our History
Athens is located in the Wesserunsett Valley. Wesserunsett Stream is the seventh largest tributary of the Kennebec River.
Athens is part of Somerset County and was incorporated on March 7, 1804, when Maine was still part of Massachusetts. Most of the early settlers of European descent in Athens were Revolutionary War soldiers. In 1821 the town annexed land from Hartland, and later from Brighton in 1838 and 1862.
The main village in the town is north of Skowhegan following Route 150 to the junction with state routes 43 and 151. It is located at the fork of the East and West branches of Wesserunsett Stream, which joins the Kennebec River just below Skowhegan. The historic Fairgrounds and Exhibition Hall are located on Route 150 coming into the center of town and the Grange Hall is in the middle of the village. The Town Office is located in the Somerset Academy, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
