Cattaraugus County Property Records Search
Cattaraugus County property records are maintained by the County Clerk's Office and the Real Property Tax Department in Little Valley, the county seat. Located in the Southern Tier of New York State, Cattaraugus County has land records going back to 1817. The County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments for all 50 municipalities in the county. The Real Property Tax Department maintains tax maps, assessment rolls, and provides oversight to local assessors across the county's towns and villages.
Cattaraugus County Property Records Overview
Cattaraugus County Clerk Property Records
The Cattaraugus County Clerk's Office is located at 303 Court Street, Little Valley, NY 14755. The phone number is (716) 938-2610. The office records all deeds, mortgages, liens, and other land documents affecting real property in Cattaraugus County. Public access computers are available for searching land records free of charge during business hours. Historical land records in the office date back to 1817, covering the entire history of the county.
eRecording is accepted through authorized vendors including Simplifile and eRecording Partners Network, which allows electronic submission of documents at any time. Copy fees are $1.00 per page for regular copies, with certified copies available for an additional $5.00 per document. The Clerk's Office maintains grantor and grantee index books for locating recorded instruments by party name. All documents submitted for recording must be properly executed, acknowledged, and meet New York State formatting standards. The office does not provide title searches or legal advice.
Residential deed recordings carry an additional $10 notice fee. This fee was mandated by New York State Real Property Law Section 291 and funds a program that notifies property owners of record when documents are recorded against residential property. The notice program serves as a safeguard against fraudulent recordings.
How to Search Cattaraugus County Property Records
The Cattaraugus County online property search system provides access to assessment data for all properties in the county. You can search by owner name, property address, or parcel identification number. Property details include assessed value, property class, acreage, and building details. Exemption information is displayed for eligible properties. Tax bill information is available by tax district. The system is available around the clock at no cost, and data is updated each year after the final assessment roll is filed.
Aerial photography is integrated with property searches, allowing you to view the property location on a map. Properties can also be located on interactive tax maps. Results can be printed for personal records. For recorded land documents like deeds and mortgages, the County Clerk's Office provides in-person access through public access computers. The grantor and grantee index books allow searches by party name to trace the chain of title for any property in Cattaraugus County.
The Statewide Parcel Map Program provides parcel centroid data for Cattaraugus County, giving a point location for each tax parcel. This data is useful for property research involving boundary identification, zoning analysis, and neighboring property inquiries. The Real Property Tax Department also offers tax maps for purchase at $5 per sheet for researchers and professionals who need detailed parcel boundary information.
Property Records Filing Fees
Recording a property document in Cattaraugus County requires a base fee of $45.00 plus $5.00 per page, with additional fees for cross-references and required forms. The TP-584 Combined Real Estate Transfer Tax Return costs $5.00, and the RP-5217 Real Property Transfer Report fee is $125 for qualifying residential or farm property and $250 for all other property types. New York State transfer tax at $4 per $1,000 of consideration is due on deed conveyances at the time of filing.
All documents must meet New York State formatting requirements. Pages need to be 8.5 by 11 inches or 8.5 by 14 inches with legible text and proper margins. Original signatures with notary acknowledgments are required, and the acknowledgment must include the notary's registration number. Under Real Property Law Section 294, instruments must be duly acknowledged before a notary public or other authorized officer to be eligible for recording. The County Clerk endorses each recorded document with the date and time received, the book and page where filed, and references to prior related instruments as required by Section 319.
Mortgage recording tax at the state rate of $0.50 per $100 of mortgage debt applies when filing a mortgage in Cattaraugus County. Form MT-15, the Mortgage Recording Tax Return, must accompany the recorded mortgage showing the calculation of tax due. Failure to properly pay mortgage recording tax can result in rejection of the mortgage for recording.
Property Records and Tax Assessment
The Cattaraugus County Real Property Tax Department is located at 303 Court Street, Little Valley, NY 14755. The phone number is (716) 938-2221. This department maintains tax maps for all 50 municipalities in the county, which are updated each year to reflect new subdivisions and corrections. Assessment rolls are available for public inspection showing assessed values and exemptions for every property in the county.
The department provides technical assistance to local assessors in each town and village. Equalization rates are calculated each year for state reporting as required by Real Property Tax Law Article 8. Sales data is collected and analyzed for assessment and equalization purposes, helping to ensure that assessments reflect current market values across all jurisdictions. Property owners who disagree with their assessment may file grievances with their local Board of Assessment Review during the annual grievance period.
Property tax exemptions available in Cattaraugus County include STAR, veterans, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and agricultural exemptions. The STAR program provides school tax relief to eligible homeowners. Basic STAR applies to primary residences with combined owner income of $500,000 or less. Enhanced STAR serves homeowners age 65 and older with income below $92,000. Exemption applications for most types must be filed with the local assessor by March 1st each year, as set by Real Property Tax Law Article 4.
Legal Framework for Property Records
Property records in Cattaraugus County are governed by the Real Property Tax Law and the Real Property Law. Under Section 292, conveyances of real property not recorded are void against subsequent good faith purchasers for value who record first. Section 293 provides that recording an instrument gives constructive notice to all persons of its contents. The County Clerk must maintain alphabetical indexes of grantors and grantees for all recorded instruments under Section 291.
The Freedom of Information Law guarantees public access to Cattaraugus County property records. Written FOIL requests must be answered within five business days. Copy fees under FOIL cannot exceed 25 cents per page. Property assessment records, tax maps, and recorded land documents maintained by the County Clerk and Real Property Tax Department are all subject to FOIL. Under Real Property Tax Law Article 5, the tentative assessment roll is published each year and property owners may file complaints with their local Board of Assessment Review. Article 7 provides for judicial review of assessments through proceedings in Supreme Court.
Communities in Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County has no cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. The county seat is Little Valley, and the City of Olean is the largest municipality. The City of Olean Assessment Department determines property values for city tax purposes, publishing a tentative assessment roll each year with a grievance period. Other communities include Salamanca, Ellicottville, Franklinville, and Allegany. Each town and village has its own assessor who maintains the local assessment roll under oversight from the county Real Property Tax Department.