Erie County, New York Public Records

Erie County records by custodian and document type

Find the reference before ordering a copy

The County Clerk request instructions distinguish a search result from the underlying document image. They describe public terminals in the office and an online search that supplies document information. The ordinary online copy-request channel excludes divorce and criminal files; follow the record-specific mail or counter process and eligibility rules. For a copy request, collect the document type, parties, filing or recording date, and the index or book-and-page reference.

The clerk says its records are not indexed by street address. Start an address-only property inquiry with the Real Property Parcel Search to identify the owner and deed reference, then use those references in the clerk system. A parcel screen can be a finding aid without becoming a substitute for the recorded conveyance.

Do not treat the absence of a displayed image as proof that a record was never filed. An older paper file, restricted case or differently indexed spelling can require a separate inquiry. Tell the clerk what was searched and what information is missing.

Order the correct copy product

The clerk fee schedule lists a $1.30 minimum for an ordinary document of up to 2 pages, then $0.65 for each later page. Preparing and certifying a copy costs at least $5 for up to 4 pages, then $1.25 per later page, with a $40 document maximum. Certifying a copy already prepared by the requester has a different formula. These are not court filing fees.

The land recording schedule gives a $45 statutory recording component plus $5 for each written side, with transfer forms, transfer taxes and other applicable items separate. A quote for recording a deed should identify all those components. Copying an existing deed does not require paying the tax associated with recording a new transaction.

Separate court administration from file copying

The Supreme Court directory lists 25 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14202 and 716-845-9300 for the court. A courtroom or chambers address can differ from the clerk copy counter. Identify the proceeding and the filed document before choosing which office to call.

The County Clerk contact directory identifies its office at 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 and the Record Room number, 716-858-8785. Confirm the service counter and ordering method for the record sought before visiting.

Estates and certificates are different records

The Surrogate's Court lists 92 Franklin Street, second floor, Buffalo, New York 14202 and 716-845-2560. For an estate search, provide the decedent and filing period and identify the will, appointment or order requested. Adoption and guardianship records can have different disclosure rules from an ordinary estate docket.

For a birth, death or marriage certificate, the New York vital-record service explains state and local registrar routes. Establish the municipality and event before ordering. A death certificate does not replace the probate appointment authorizing someone to administer an estate, and a marriage certificate does not replace the court judgment ending the marriage.

County detention and state custody

The sheriff's Jail Management Division operates the Erie County Holding Center at 40 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo and the county Correctional Facility at 11581 Walden Avenue in Alden. A county detention inquiry belongs to that system. The Collins Correctional Facility listing belongs to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and should not be labeled as the county jail.

Use the sheriff contact directory to identify the records unit or facility. A police report belongs to the agency that created it; county detention does not move a municipal report into the sheriff's file. Record custody status separately from the criminal court disposition and avoid treating a booking as an adjudicated outcome.

Medical-examiner files and death certificates

The Erie Medical Examiner treats autopsy reports as confidential medical records and describes an application and requester-eligibility process. The investigative report is a separate product from a certified death certificate. Identify the person, investigation and relationship to the deceased before seeking access.

For an investigation actually handled in another county, contact that county's office. The Dutchess Medical Examiner is a different county custodian. Its record-request page is not the Erie application, even when a directory link has placed it under an Erie heading. Preserve the jurisdiction with the document reference.

Administrative requests and record-specific services

New York's Freedom of Information Law guidance sets a 5-business-day initial response framework: an agency can grant access, deny with reasons, or acknowledge the request and give an appropriate time estimate. That first response is not necessarily the date all documents will arrive.

Describe existing administrative records and direct the request to the office holding them. A request for a named contract, inspection report or dated correspondence is different from asking staff to conduct an open-ended investigation. Court and vital-record processes have their own access requirements; the New York records guide provides additional state routes.

Investigations closed

1,540

Back wages agreed

$11,631,949

Workers due back wages

19,208

Civil money penalties

$980,904

Employers on the record

1,205

The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 1,205 on the Erie County record; 393 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 1,180 more with smaller records are on the New York wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.