New York, county records

Tompkins County, New York Public Records

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Find the right office in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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

City records

Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency

Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, a public authority created by the County Legislature. It offers economic incentives for business, housing and renewable energy projects; contact 607-273-0005.

tompkinsida.org
Open official site Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency
Official

City records

Tompkins County Library

The Tompkins County public library gives readers its catalogue, its online databases and the local history and genealogy collections it holds for the county.

tcpl.org
Open official site Tompkins County Library

Everything else, organized

More official Tompkins County record sources

29 more Tompkins County sources not listed above.

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Local record guide

About public records in Tompkins County

County profile

Tompkins County at a glance

State
New York
County seat
Ithaca
Population
105,740
Area
476 sq mi
Founded
1817
Cities and towns
12

Tompkins County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Tompkins County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in Tompkins County's unincorporated areas.

Police Departments. In addition to Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, several municipal police departments serve Tompkins County, including the Ithaca Police Department, the Cayuga Heights Police Department, and the Dryden Village Police Department.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 779 Warren Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (phone: 607-257-1345), provides law enforcement services throughout Tompkins County and operates Tompkins County Jail. Inmates housed at Tompkins County Jail can be located through the facility's inmate lookup system, which is accessible through the Sheriff's Office website or by calling the jail directly at 607-257-1345. Municipal police departments operating within Tompkins County include the Ithaca Police Department (120 East Clinton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850), which serves the City of Ithaca, and several village police departments including Cayuga Heights Police Department, Dryden Village Police Department, Groton Village Police Department, and Trumansburg Police Department. Arrest records in Tompkins County are public documents subject to New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), codified in Public Officers Law Article 6, Sections 84-90.

Criminal Records. Residents can conduct background checks through the New York State Office of Court Administration, which provides statewide criminal history searches.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Tompkins County are maintained by Tompkins County Sheriff's Office and local police departments.

Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office, allowing the public to find information about current detainees.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Tompkins County are taken and retained by Tompkins County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office or third-party websites that aggregate such data. The availability of mugshots online varies, and the Sheriff's Office may provide guidance on accessing these images.

Tompkins County Family Court, also at 320 North Tioga Street (phone: 607-272-0347), handles matters including child custody, support, abuse and neglect, family offenses, paternity, and juvenile delinquency cases. Tompkins County's court system consists of several levels handling different jurisdictions. Tompkins County Supreme Court, located at 320 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 (phone: 607-272-0466), handles major civil cases and felony criminal matters. These include the Ithaca City Court at 118 East Clinton Street (phone: 607-273-2263) and justice courts in towns such as Dryden, Ulysses, Caroline, Danby, Enfield, Groton, Ithaca (town), Lansing, and Newfield. Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, located at 904 East Shore Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850 (phone: 607-273-7080, website: www.tompkinschamber.org), provides business networking, advocacy, and resources for local businesses. Tompkins County Planning Department at 121 East Court Street (phone: 607-274-5560) handles county-level planning matters and reviews projects of intercommunity and countywide significance.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Tompkins County

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

From the old mine records

What is on record in Tompkins County

Old mine sites
16
Sites with no status in the records
1
Still producing
11
Worked underground, in the mine records
1
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; Salt; Limestone, General; Stone, Crushed/Broken
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
88
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, open pit mine or quarry, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, quarry
Maps surveyed
1942 to 1978
Records behind them
122 records for 116 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 28 named mine sites inside the county, 16 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 88 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Salt; Limestone, General; Stone, Crushed/Broken.

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.

1 mile
Tompkins 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 Tompkins County (28 shown, 88 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

Tompkins County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

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

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Tompkins County Sheriff or a city police department in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins County, New York?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Tompkins County are kept by the Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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.

IthacaIthacaLansingGrotonDrydenTrumansburgJacksonvilleFreevilleBrooktondaleSlaterville SpringsEtnaNewfieldChemung CountyCayuga CountySchuyler CountyTioga CountyCortland CountySeneca County