New York, Chemung County
Where Elmira's records are kept. Elmira has its own city government, police department and permit and planning office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
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The cards below include Elmira's own offices, along with State of New York offices; the Chemung County offices are on our Chemung County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
City of Elmira, New York, City Hall at 317 East Church Street, with City Council and agendas, records, city services and facilities, employment, press releases and the Thrive Elmira plan.
Open official site City of ElmiraPolice & jail
Elmira Police Department at 317 E Church Street states its mission of exemplary law enforcement and its values of honesty, integrity, honor, fairness and respect through community based policing.
Open official site Elmira Police DepartmentPolice & jail
The Elmira Police Records Bureau keeps all department reports, processes city and county court warrants, stores evidence and property, runs background checks and handles FOIL requests for police reports.
Open official site Records BureauCity records
Elmira's Records Management Officer accepts Freedom of Information Law requests for existing city records through the NextRequest public records site or at the City Clerk's Office, with a five business day response window.
Open official site FOIL RequestsCity records
Elmira Code Enforcement at 101 W 2nd Street enforces state codes, city ordinances and zoning, covering property maintenance, open burning, pools and home businesses, with set permit office hours.
Open official site Code EnforcementPolice & jail
FBI wanted posters, from the Ten Most Wanted list to fugitives, terrorism suspects, kidnapped and missing persons, bank robbers and seeking information cases; tips go to tips.fbi.gov.
Open official site FBI Most WantedPolice & jail
Run by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, the clearinghouse aids police with missing children, college students and vulnerable adults, posts active alerts and unsolved cases, and takes tips by form or hotline.
Open official site DCJS Missing Persons ClearinghouseVital records
USAGov explains how to get certified copies of birth and death certificates, copies of marriage and divorce records, and replacements for lost or stolen government ID cards.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Copies of Vital Records and IDsCounty court
The federal judiciary's national index of district, bankruptcy and appellate court cases. Searching needs a free PACER account; pages cost $0.10, capped at $3 per document, with quarterly charges of $30 or less waived.
Open official site PACER Case LocatorFederal
USAGov sends you to your state's unclaimed property office, which holds most unclaimed money, and to federal searches for back wages, pensions, IRS refunds, savings bonds and deposits from failed banks.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Unclaimed MoneyVital records
The Social Security Administration explains survivor benefits, monthly payments to eligible relatives of workers who paid Social Security taxes before death, including who qualifies, possible amounts and when to report a death.
Open official site Social Security Survivor BenefitsPolice & jail
U.S. Department of Justice search of public sex offender registries from every state, territory and many tribes by name or ZIP code; address radius searches cover only states that send coordinates.
Open official site Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteFederal
USAGov explains checking your registration through Can I Vote, which opens your state's election website, and advises doing it before the state deadline, which can be up to 30 days before an election.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Confirming Voter RegistrationCounty court
Federal judiciary guide to finding a case in PACER: search the court where it was filed for current data, or the nationwide PACER Case Locator, updated daily. A PACER account is required.
Open official site PACER Find a CaseProperty records
The state Tax Department's real property pages cover STAR credits with a property tax credit lookup, help for assessors, the RP-5217 transfer report and Sales Web, a searchable database of property sales.
Open official site New York State Tax Department Real PropertyCity records
The State Archives keeps executive, legislative and judicial records of New York government, with online finding aids, name indexes and digital collections, and provides copies to researchers who cannot visit in person.
Open official site New York State ArchivesCounty court
Serves 17 western New York counties, from Erie and Monroe to Chautauqua and Yates, through offices in Buffalo and Rochester; it publishes calendars, opinions, monthly caseload data and unclaimed funds information.
Open official site U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New YorkEverything else, organized
17 more Elmira sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Elmira, a place of 26,523 people, is the seat of Chemung County. Court and property records sit with Chemung County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of New York. Elmira's own offices are in the cards above, and our Chemung County page lists each county office.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in New York is run by the New York State Board of Elections and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online voter registration, polling places and the local election office for Elmira.
Deeds for property in Elmira are recorded by the Chemung County Clerk, and the city or town assessor keeps the tax values. Our Chemung County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in New York come from the state vital records office, New York State Vital Records. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.