Access Huntington Deed Records
Deed records for Huntington are maintained by the Suffolk County Clerk's Office in Riverhead. The Huntington Town Clerk does not record or keep deed records of any kind. Huntington is a town on the North Shore of Long Island that includes the villages of Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor, and Northport. All property recordings for these villages and the rest of the town go through the same county office. If you need to find, file, or copy a deed for property in Huntington, the Suffolk County Clerk is who you contact.
Huntington Quick Facts
Suffolk County Clerk Handles Huntington Deed Records
The Suffolk County Clerk's Office serves as the official registrar of deeds for all of Suffolk County, including the Town of Huntington. County Clerk Vincent Puleo oversees the recording of deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, liens, and judgments. The office is at 310 Center Drive in Riverhead.
New York State law requires deeds to be recorded at the county level. Town and village clerks do not have this responsibility. When you buy or sell property in Huntington, the deed must go to the Suffolk County Clerk for recording. This puts the public on notice that ownership has changed and protects the new owner from claims by later purchasers.
Suffolk County Clerk Office Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Suffolk County Clerk |
| Address | 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901 |
| County Clerk | Vincent Puleo |
| Services | Deed recording, mortgage recording, certified copies, land records search |
| Filing Hours | Monday - Friday, standard business hours |
How to Search Deed Records for Huntington
The Suffolk County Clerk provides online access to recorded documents at sccrecords.suffolkcountyny.gov. This free system lets you search by party name, document type, date range, or instrument number. It covers records for all towns in Suffolk County, including Huntington.
The most precise search uses the Section, Block, and Lot (SBL) number for the property. Every parcel in Suffolk County has one. Entering the SBL returns all documents ever recorded against that parcel. Check your tax bill for your SBL or contact the Huntington assessor's office.
Older records may require an in-person visit to Riverhead. Not everything has been digitized. The drive from Huntington to the clerk's office in Riverhead takes about 40 minutes. Staff at the counter can help you locate records in older deed books and indexes.
Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes
Recording a deed in Suffolk County costs $45 for the first page and $5 per additional page. The New York State real estate transfer tax is $2 per $500 of consideration. The mansion tax applies on residential sales at $1 million or above.
The mortgage recording tax includes the MCTD surcharge since Suffolk County is in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. The surcharge is 30 cents per $100 of mortgage debt. For one- and two-family homes, the first $10,000 of the mortgage is exempt from the additional tax.
Every deed must be accompanied by Form RP-5217. This state-required transfer report must be completed in Adobe Acrobat. The county clerk will not accept handwritten versions of the form.
Huntington Town Clerk Does Not Record Deeds
The Huntington Town Clerk's Office keeps town records and serves as secretary to the Town Board. It maintains meeting minutes, issues beach permits and dog licenses, and serves as the local registrar for vital statistics. The office also handles FOIL requests for town records.
None of those duties involve deed records. The Huntington Town Clerk does not record deeds, mortgages, or property transfer documents. That function belongs to the Suffolk County Clerk. This is the standard arrangement in every town across New York State.
Legal Framework
New York Real Property Law Section 291 establishes that deeds must be recorded in the county of the property. For Huntington, that is Suffolk County. RPL Section 333 describes what makes a deed valid. The New York State Senate website and the Cornell Legal Information Institute provide free access to these statutes.
Huntington property owners should also understand Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL), which covers matters like adverse possession and foreclosure. These laws work together with Real Property Law to govern property ownership in Suffolk County.
Additional Resources
The NYS Municipal Data Portal offers sales data and equalization rates for Huntington. The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance has information about STAR exemptions and property tax programs. For historical property research, check the New York State Archives for older government records.
Villages and Hamlets in Huntington
Huntington has four incorporated villages: Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor, and Northport. Each village has its own clerk. None of them record deeds. The village clerks handle local permits, meeting minutes, and village board records. For any deed question, they will send you to the Suffolk County Clerk in Riverhead.
The town also includes many hamlets. Cold Spring Harbor, Commack, Dix Hills, East Northport, Elwood, Greenlawn, Halesite, Huntington Station, Melville, and South Huntington are all part of the town. A hamlet is not incorporated. It has no separate government. So there is no hamlet clerk to call. All deed records for these areas go through the county office at 310 Center Drive in Riverhead.
Suffolk County holds one of the largest deed record collections in the state. The online system covers records from 1987 on. Older documents require a trip to Riverhead. For title work on a Huntington home, most attorneys search by the property's Section, Block, and Lot number. This gives a full chain of title going back as far as records allow. The SBL is on your tax bill. You can also call the Huntington Town Assessor to get it.
Nearby Cities
Other communities nearby with deed records pages: