Buffalo Deed Records

Deed records for Buffalo are maintained by the Erie County Clerk, not by the City of Buffalo. As the largest city in Western New York, Buffalo sits within Erie County, and all property recordings go through the county clerk's office at 92 Franklin Street. The city clerk at Buffalo City Hall deals with council minutes, local permits, and marriage licenses, but has no role in deed records. If you need to search for, record, or get a copy of a deed in Buffalo, the Erie County Clerk is who you contact.

Erie County Clerk Records Buffalo Deeds

The Erie County Clerk's Office is the sole recording office for deeds in Buffalo. Michael P. Kearns has served as county clerk since December 2017. His office records deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, judgments, and liens for all properties in Erie County, including the City of Buffalo and every town in the county.

The office is at 92 Franklin Street in downtown Buffalo. Phone number is (716) 858-8785. You can visit in person during regular business hours to record documents, search records, or request certified copies. The location is convenient for Buffalo residents since the county seat is right in the city.

New York law requires that deeds be recorded in the county where the property is located. For Buffalo, that is Erie County. Recording puts the world on notice that ownership has changed. An unrecorded deed leaves the buyer vulnerable to claims from anyone who might buy the same property and record their deed first.

Erie County Clerk Office Details

How to Search Deed Records in Buffalo

Erie County provides online access to land records through its public records search portal. You can search for deeds, mortgages, and other recorded documents by name, date, or document type. The system is free to use and available around the clock.

A name search is the simplest way to start. Enter the buyer or seller's name to see all documents filed by or against them in Erie County. You can also search by property address or by the Section, Block, and Lot number if you have it. For a complete title history, title companies will usually search the grantor and grantee indexes going back many years.

For records that are not available online, go to the clerk's office at 92 Franklin Street. Older records may exist only in bound books or on microfilm. Staff can assist you with locating specific documents. Bring as much identifying information as you can to speed up the process.

Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes

The fee to record a deed in Erie County is $45 for the first page and $5 per additional page. You must also pay the New York State real estate transfer tax of $2 per $500 of consideration at the time of recording. Residential sales of $1 million or more trigger the additional mansion tax.

The mortgage recording tax is collected when a new mortgage is filed. Erie County is not within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, so the MCTD surcharge does not apply here. This makes the total mortgage tax rate lower than in the NYC metro area counties. For one- and two-family homes, the first $10,000 of mortgage debt is exempt from the additional tax.

Form RP-5217 is required with every deed recording. It must be completed using Adobe Acrobat because of the 2D barcode requirement. Handwritten forms are rejected.

Buffalo City Clerk Does Not Handle Deeds

The Buffalo City Clerk's Office is in City Hall at 65 Niagara Square, Room 1310. This office keeps City Council minutes, resolutions, and ordinances. It issues city permits and licenses. It handles marriage license applications for ceremonies in the city.

The city clerk does not maintain deed records or property transfer documents. If you contact them about a deed, they will point you to the Erie County Clerk at 92 Franklin Street. This is standard across New York State. Only county clerks (or the NYC City Register) record deeds.

Legal Framework for Deed Records

Under New York Real Property Law Section 291, every deed should be recorded in the county where the land is located to protect the buyer's ownership rights. RPL Section 333 sets out the elements a valid deed must have, including proper party names, a legal property description, and acknowledgment. You can read these statutes at the New York State Senate website or through the Cornell Legal Information Institute.

Buffalo property owners may also want to look into Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL), which covers issues like adverse possession, partition actions, and foreclosure proceedings. These laws work alongside Real Property Law to form the full legal framework for property ownership in Erie County.

Additional Resources

The NYS Municipal Data Portal shows property sales data and equalization rates for Buffalo and other Erie County communities. The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance homeowner page covers STAR exemptions and property tax relief programs. For historical research, the New York State Archives holds older government records that may include early Erie County land documents.

E-Recording and Online Filing

Erie County offers e-recording for land documents. Title companies and attorneys can submit deeds and mortgages through approved online vendors. This cuts down on trips to the office and speeds up the filing process. Once a document is accepted, the clerk sends back a stamped copy with the recording number. Most real estate closings in Buffalo now use e-recording as the default method.

If you are filing a deed on your own, the in-person option at 92 Franklin Street still works. Bring the original deed, Form RP-5217, the TP-584, and payment for all fees and taxes. The clerk will review your documents at the counter. If anything is missing or filled out wrong, they will tell you what to fix. You get a receipt once the deed is accepted for recording.

Nearby Cities

Other nearby communities with deed records pages:

• Amherst
• Cheektowaga
• Tonawanda
• Hamburg