Erie County Property Records

Erie County property records are managed by the County Clerk and the Real Property Tax Services department in Buffalo. As the second most populous county in New York, Erie County handles a high volume of deed recordings, mortgage filings, and assessment updates across 28 assessing units. The County Clerk's office records all land documents while Real Property Tax Services maintains assessment rolls, tax maps, and parcel data. Online search tools let you look up property records by address, owner name, or SBL number at no cost. The City of Buffalo also maintains its own assessment division for properties within city limits.

Erie County Clerk Land Records and Recording Fees

The Erie County Clerk's Office records deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, assignments, and other land documents for the entire county. Recording fees follow a detailed schedule. The statutory base fee is $45 plus $5 per written side of page.

Filing the TP-584 (NYS Transfer Tax form) costs $10 in Erie County. The RP-5217 fee is $125 for residential or farm property and $250 for all others. As an example, recording a three-page deed for a residential property costs $195 total. Effective March 11, 2020, each residential deed filed carries an additional $10 fee that funds a notification program alerting owners when documents are recorded against their property.

Recording a mortgage involves several charges. The statutory recording fee of $45 applies, plus $5 per page, plus $0.50 for cross-referencing each mortgage, plus $5 for the Mortgage Tax Affidavit, plus the NYS mortgage recording tax. Discharging a mortgage costs $45 base plus $5 per page plus $0.50 for each cross reference. Assignments of mortgage carry the base fee plus page charges plus $0.50 for cross-referencing the first mortgage and $3.50 for each additional mortgage. Index numbers for civil actions cost $210 per number assigned.

All instruments filed must bear original signatures. Documents need to be properly acknowledged before a notary or authorized officer under Real Property Law Section 294. The Clerk maintains grantor and grantee indexes as required by Section 291. Recording provides constructive notice under Section 293, making it essential for protecting property interests.

Erie County Property Records and Tax Assessment

Erie County Real Property Tax Services is at 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. Phone: (716) 858-8383. The department maintains tax maps for all municipalities in the county and provides support to 28 assessing units.

Assessment rolls are open to the public. Each roll shows assessed values, property class codes, and exemptions for every parcel. Tax maps are updated each year as new subdivisions get filed and boundaries change. Equalization rates are calculated annually. Sales data from recorded deeds is collected and analyzed to support accurate assessments across the county.

The City of Buffalo Assessment and Taxation department handles property assessment within city limits. The City Assessor determines property values and publishes a tentative roll each year. A Board of Assessment Review meets to hear grievances. The RPS system is used for managing assessment data. Online access to property information is available through the city's website.

Under Real Property Tax Law Article 5, tentative rolls are published with a grievance period. Property owners can challenge assessments before Boards of Assessment Review. Judicial review through Article 7 proceedings in Supreme Court is available if the grievance is not resolved. The STAR program provides school tax relief for homeowners in Erie County. Basic STAR covers primary residences. Enhanced STAR serves seniors 65 and older with qualifying income levels.

How to Search Erie County Property Records Online

The Erie County online property search lets you look up parcels by address, owner name, or SBL number. Assessment data and exemptions are displayed. Tax bill information, tax maps, and aerial photography are all available through the system. It runs 24/7 and costs nothing to use.

Historical assessment data is viewable in the system. You can compare values from year to year. Printable reports can be generated for any parcel. The system gets updated annually with new assessment data.

The NYS GIS Clearinghouse includes Erie County parcel data in its statewide dataset. Parcel boundaries, centroids, and assessment information can be downloaded for GIS projects. The Office of Real Property Tax Services publishes municipal profiles for Erie County municipalities with data on property values and tax rates.

Court records for property-related cases in Erie County are available through the eCourts system. Erie County is in the Eighth Judicial District. Foreclosures, partition actions, and judgment liens are handled in Supreme Court. The court records page explains how to request copies of documents from court files.

Property Records Access in Erie County

Erie County property records are public under the Freedom of Information Law. FOIL covers recorded land documents, assessment rolls, and tax maps. Requests must be answered within five business days. Copy fees are capped at 25 cents per page for photocopies.

The real estate transfer tax rate is $2 per $500 of consideration on sales over $500. The Mansion Tax adds 1% on residential sales at or above $1 million. The mortgage recording tax base rate is $0.50 per $100 of mortgage debt. Erie County is outside the MCTD, so the additional MCTD surcharge does not apply here. Form TP-584 and Form RP-5217 must be filed with every conveyance.

Under Real Property Law Section 292, unrecorded conveyances are void against later good faith purchasers who record first. The Division of Corporations handles UCC filings that may affect Erie County property, including fixture filings. UCC search certificates cost $25 per debtor search.

Major Cities in Erie County

Erie County includes several major population centers. Property records for all of these cities are recorded with the Erie County Clerk. Assessment may be handled at the city or town level depending on the municipality.

Nearby Counties

Erie County is bordered by several western New York counties. Each has its own County Clerk and Real Property Tax office for property records.