New York, Monroe County
Where Rochester's records are kept. Rochester has its own city government, police department and fire department; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Rochester's own offices, along with State of New York offices; the Monroe County offices are on our Monroe County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Property 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 YorkVital records
The state health department takes orders for birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates; New York City records come from the city, except divorce certificates, which the state holds for both.
Open official site New York State Department of Health Vital RecordsPolice & 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 ClearinghousePolice & jail
FBI Buffalo Field Office postings of fugitives wanted for violent and nonviolent crimes, terrorism suspects, kidnapping and missing person cases, and appeals for information from the public.
Open official site FBI Buffalo Wanted and Missing PersonsPolice & jail
Kept by the Division of Criminal Justice Services; Level 2 and Level 3 offenders appear in the online directory, and Level 1 details are given by toll free phone with a name and one identifier.
Open official site New York State DCJS Sex Offender RegistryPolice & jail
DCJS, the only source of official New York criminal history records, mails your own record in three to four weeks after fingerprinting; the fee is $17.50 in New York, and requests on others are refused.
Open official site Request Your New York State Criminal HistoryFederal
Population, race and ethnicity, housing units, home values, household income, poverty and travel time to work for Rochester city, New York, set out in a single U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts table.
Open official site U.S. Census Bureau QuickFactsCity records
City of Rochester site with City Hall at 30 Church Street, 311 Live, council agendas and minutes, FOIL requests, property information, permits and licenses, passports, marriage and dog licenses, payments and DataROC open data.
Open official site City of RochesterPolice & jail
Rochester Police Department at the Public Safety Building, 185 Exchange Blvd., 585-428-7033, with 850 sworn and civilian employees, a contact directory, safety statistics, an interactive beat map and recruitment details.
Open official site Rochester Police DepartmentPolice & jail
Rochester New York Fire Department: 30 Church St. Rochester NY 14614 (585) 428-7037 fireweb@cityofrochester.gov.
Open official site Rochester New York Fire DepartmentEverything else, organized
13 more Rochester sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Rochester, a place of 211,328 people, is the seat of Monroe County. Court and property records sit with Monroe County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of New York. Rochester's own offices are in the cards above, and our Monroe County page lists each county office.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 2 named mine sites inside the city or town limits, 0 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 1 hole drawn inside the city or town limits, 0 of them shafts or tunnels.
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.
New York abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
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
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 Rochester.
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.
Businesses that operate in Rochester register with the New York Division of Corporations, which runs the state business entity search. A local business license, where Rochester requires one, comes from the town or Monroe County.
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.