New York, county records

Otsego County, New York Public Records

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Find the right office in Otsego County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Otsego County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

Otsego County Most Wanted

The Otsego County Sheriff's Office publishes the people it is looking for and the warrants out for them, with the charge and the date each warrant was issued.

otsegocounty.com
Open official site Otsego County Most Wanted
Official

Court records

Otsego County Family Court

The Otsego County Family Court hears custody, support, neglect, paternity and juvenile delinquency cases, and the court clerk keeps its case files.

ww2.nycourts.gov
Open official site Otsego County Family Court
Official

City records

Otsego County Clerk Records Search

The Otsego County Clerk offers online searches of real property and civil documents such as deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, judgments, easements and business filings.

otsegocountyny.gov
Open official site Otsego County Clerk Records Search

Everything else, organized

More official Otsego County record sources

33 more Otsego County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in Otsego County

County profile

Otsego County at a glance

State
New York
County seat
Cooperstown
Population
58,524
Area
1,015 sq mi
Founded
1791
Cities and towns
30

Otsego County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Otsego County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order across Otsego County, particularly in unincorporated areas.

Police Departments. Otsego County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Otsego County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Otsego County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 172 County Highway 33W in Cooperstown, NY 13326 (phone: 607-547-4271), provides primary law enforcement services throughout Otsego County's unincorporated areas and towns without dedicated police departments. Otsego County Correctional Facility, operated by the Sheriff's Office at the same Cooperstown location, houses pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates. Inmate lookup and current custody information can be obtained by calling the facility directly at 607-547-4271 or visiting the Sheriff's Office in person during business hours; no dedicated online inmate roster is currently publicly available. Municipal law enforcement in Otsego County includes the Oneonta Police Department serving the City of Oneonta (population approximately 13,000), and the Village of Cooperstown Police Department. Arrest records and booking information in Otsego County are subject to New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), codified in Public Officers Law Article 6, Sections 84-90. To request arrest records, citizens must submit a written FOIL request to the custodian agency (Sheriff's Office or municipal police department), which has five business days to acknowledge and provide a timeline for response.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Otsego County are maintained by Otsego County Sheriff's Office, which documents all arrests made within its jurisdiction. Under the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), residents and attorneys can request access to arrest records by submitting a formal request to the Sheriff's Office.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Otsego County are taken and retained by Otsego County Sheriff's Office as part of the booking process. These booking photos are stored in the Sheriff's Office database and may be accessed by the public through official channels.

Otsego County Planning Department at 242 Main Street, Suite 5, Oneonta, NY 13820 (phone: 607-432-5624) conducts full plan reviews for projects with county-wide impact. Otsego County is served by multiple court levels within New York's unified court system. Otsego County Supreme Court, located at Otsego County Court Complex, 197 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 (phone: 607-547-4364), handles felony criminal cases, major civil actions exceeding $25,000, and appeals from lower courts. Otsego County Real Property Tax Services office, Suite 300, Cooperstown, NY 13326 (phone: 607-547-4389), maintains property assessment records, tax maps, and parcel data. For vital records older than those held by Otsego County or for statewide searches, the New York State Department of Health Vital Records Section in Albany maintains records from 1880 forward and can be reached at health.ny.gov/vital_records or 855-322-1022.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Otsego County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Otsego County

Old mine sites
2
Still producing
7
Worked underground, in the mine records
1
Main minerals
crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
170
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
open pit mine or quarry, gravel pit, shale pit, sand and gravel pit
Maps surveyed
1943 to 1994
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 9 named mine sites inside the county, 2 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 170 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The mineral the records name is crushed stone.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. New York has no coal AML program; the DEC database covers permitted mines, not historic underground workings.

Otsego County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
New York mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Otsego County (9 shown, 170 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Otsego County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Otsego County, New York?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Otsego County Sheriff or a city police department in Otsego County. Ask that agency for its record. Under New York Public Officers Law 89(2)(b)(viii), releasing law enforcement arrest or booking photographs is an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy unless public release will serve a specific law enforcement purpose and no state or federal law bars it.

How do I get a criminal background check in Otsego County, New York?

The New York criminal history record comes from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Fingerprint based Record Review only: book an IdentoGO fingerprint appointment online or at 877-472-6915 with service code 15464Z (suppressed record) or 15465F (unsuppressed record); DCJS mails the rap sheet or a no record response. Fee: $17.50 (as of 2/2/2026) for New York residents fingerprinted at IdentoGO; $57.45 for those living outside New York State.

How can I look up sex offenders in Otsego County, New York?

Search the New York State Sex Offender Registry (DCJS), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Otsego County, New York?

Register with the county board of elections (Board of Elections in the City of New York) or through the New York State Board of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. For the November 3, 2026 general election, registration applications must be received by October 24, 2026.

How do I look up property records in Otsego County, New York?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Otsego County are kept by the Otsego County clerk. Property values are set by the city, town or village assessor, and tax bills come from the town or city tax collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Otsego County, New York?

Certified birth and death certificates for New York come from the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records (all of the state except New York City). Birth and death records are also available from the local Registrar of Vital Statistics where the event occurred; New York City births and deaths come from the New York City Department of Health. By mail to New York State Department of Health, Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602, or online or by phone through VitalChek Network, the independent company the Department has partnered with. Fee: $30 per copy by mail; $45 per copy online or by phone, plus a vendor processing fee per order.

How do I find business license records in Otsego County, New York?

Business entity filings are searched with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

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.

OneontaCooperstownRichfield SpringsWorcesterUnadillaOtegoEdmestonHartwickMorrisSchenevusMilfordGilbertsvilleSpringfield CenterLaurensWells BridgeFly CreekEast WorcesterBurlington FlatsGarrattsvillePortlandvilleMount VisionWestfordSchuyler LakeColliersvilleEast SpringfieldMarylandNew LisbonRoseboomWest BurlingtonWest OneontaMadison CountyChenango CountyOneida CountyMontgomery CountySchoharie CountyHerkimer CountyDelaware County