Town hall

The town hall is a location in, , and , serving as the building where most of the town's civic duties are carried out.

In and
In and, the town hall is the place that players can deliver letters and recycle unwanted items - as well as where Tortimer (the town mayor) can be found during certain events, usually standing outside of the structure. The town hall replaces the wishing well, dump, and post office from. It supersedes the wishing well by acting as the venue for the town's many affairs, including most, if not all, festivities. In addition, outside of and directly to the left of the structure is a bulletin board on which players can post messages and read those written by the various businesses in the town, special characters, and other villagers; at the beginning of, when driven to their new place of residence by Kapp'n in his black cab, the player is dropped off just outside the town hall - at the plaza in front of the structure.

The main area of the town hall has a counter that divides the building into two parts. Anywhere behind the counter is inaccessible to the player, and contains bookcases, mail sacks, and the mayor's desk, where Tortimer can be found sleeping. Pelly and Phyllis also work behind the counter.

Civic Center Mat CF Sprite.png Civic center

 * Environment – The player can hear the opinions of the townsfolk in regard to the environment of the town. If the town remains perfect for 15 days, Pelly or Phyllis will hand the player a Golden Watering Can.
 * Town Tune – The town tune can be edited from here.
 * Town Fund – Bells can be donated to aid the town. This can result in an extra bridge, a fountain, and a choice of a windmill or lighthouse being built.
 * Donation – Bells can be donated to the town of Boondox in exchange for feathers.
 * Problem – The player can report villagers here. Doing so will cause the villager in question to reset their clothing, reset their catchphrase, or forget about the letters that players have sent them. Also, the player can ask the town hall's staff to clear their house if they are 'locked out'.
 * Moving – Players can be transferred from one town to another.

Post Office Mat CF Sprite.png Post office

 * Pay mortgage – The player can pay in Bells towards their mortgage. Paying off the current mortgage enables the player to expand their house.
 * Withdraw – A player can withdraw money from their account.
 * Deposit – A player can deposit money into their account.
 * Save mail – Saves selected letters, which can be accessed at any time.
 * Save notes in bottles – Save selected notes in bottles that can be accessed at any time.
 * Send letter – Post a letter to a fellow villager or player.
 * Wii Message Board – Send a message (possibly with a screenshot) to the player's Wii Message Board, or a friend's Wii Message Board.

Recycling WW Icon.png Recycle box
The recycling bin is one of the surprisingly useful things in the town, and has the same function as the dump in. The player can leave any unwanted items here to be taken away at 6 AM every Monday and Thursday. This can be useful for any items which cannot be sold to Tom Nook. Alternatively, the player can just choose to sell them for no extra Bells.

The most useful thing the recycling bin can be used for is collecting rare pieces of furniture, or other items. Sometimes, a rare item may appear, which is likely being disposed of by another villager. These items are usually ones that do not appear in the store often, and can be taken by the player to use at no charge whatsoever. Beware though, as if these items are left past 6 AM on the collection days, they will disappear forever.

It is also amusing to note that if the player sends another villager an item through mail, it may appear in the recycling bin later, or another item may disappear from their house to replace said item and appear in the recycling bin. This usually happens if the item is one a villager cannot have more than one of, like wallpaper or a stereo.

The recycling bin was removed in. If the player installs a trash bin as a public works project or places a similar piece of furniture in their house, they can dispose of trash that way. Otherwise, they will have to pay a disposal fee at Re-Tail.

Savings WW Icon.png Automatic Bell Dispenser
The Automatic Bell Dispenser allows players to deposit or withdraw Bells, and to pay their mortgage. The player can also ask the machine to issue them a new Shopping Card. The bell dispenser was absent in, and was moved to the post office in.

Bulletin Board NL.png Bulletin board
The bulletin board is a message board outside of the hall, where messages can appear every day. The player can also post their own messages, and is where Tom Nook sends the player to post how "cool" his store is as a job at the start of the game. In, a small yellow bird appears on top of the board if there are unread messages, but will fly away when the player approaches. In, the Bulletin Board is located outside the train station instead.

In
In, the town hall serves a somewhat different role from previous games. Isabelle mans the desk and conducts civic functions, with banking and postal services having moved to the post office on Main Street. The bulletin board is situated outside the train station, the recycle bin is no longer present and events are now held at the event plaza in front of the Town Tree.

The town hall is the mayor's office, and this player can sit at their desk at the back of the building to begin the process of constructing public works projects and setting ordinances for the town.

The town hall is closed during events where Isabelle is in the town's plaza. During certain other events (such as the Fishing Tourney), the town hall will remain open but the mayor is not allowed to begin any new projects or change ordinances. If Isabelle is camping, Wisp will take over her role for the day but no services will be available as he does not know how to perform her job.

Renovation
Once the town has achieved perfect town status, the mayor will unlock the option of renovating the exterior design of the town hall. There are three unique designs, and once altered, the building can be reverted to the default appearance if desired. The interior of the building remains identical no matter which design is chosen.

CAT Machine
In, the CAT Machine is added outside the town hall and rewards the player with MEOW Coupons when they complete town initiatives. The machine will audibly chime and flash its screen when the player has completed initiatives to indicate that there are coupons that can be claimed. Isabelle will give an overview of the CAT Machine to the player during the tutorial when they begin for the first time.

In
In, Ai enters the town hall shortly after arriving in Animal Village and meets Pelly and Tortimer. The building later appears in the background of several scenes, including during the Fireworks Festival and when Tortimer announces the winner of the Winter Festival.

Music
The music in the town hall will change depending on who is serving the player. Pelly's theme is a cheery, bouncy song with a fast whistling melody. Phyllis' contains a very droll, onbeat chord sequence with a very pitchy guitar melody. Both songs give a good idea of each clerk's personality. Smashville in the hit game Super Smash Bros Brawl has the town hall's music (along with Tom Nook's theme) play in the background. In, Isabelle's theme played when loading the game is remixed for town hall.

Trivia

 * In if a player is imported from, Tortimer will remember meeting them outside the town hall rather than in it, as occurs in . Pelly or Phyllis will mention the player is in fact a new resident, and Tortimer will dismiss it as déjà vu instead.
 * A cranky villager will talk about donating Bells and hearing Tortimer say that he is going out tonight.
 * In, Isabelle uses the town hall as her final smash which is similar to the one that the Villager (Super Smash Bros. series) uses. She also uses it in her on-screen appearance.