Search North Hempstead Deed Records

Deed records for North Hempstead properties are kept by the Nassau County Clerk in Mineola. The town clerk in North Hempstead handles local government records, permits, and vital statistics but plays no part in property deed recordings. North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, situated on the North Shore of Long Island. The town split from Hempstead back in 1784, but both towns share the same county clerk for all land record functions. Every deed, mortgage, and lien affecting property here must go through the county office.

Nassau County Clerk Handles North Hempstead Deed Records

The Nassau County Clerk's Office is the official registrar of deeds for all Nassau County property. This covers the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay, along with the cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach. The office is at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola, and you can call them at (516) 571-2664.

Every property sale in North Hempstead requires the deed to be recorded at this office. The county clerk indexes each document by grantor and grantee name, making it possible to trace ownership back through the years. Recording also provides legal protection under New York's race-notice recording statute. A buyer who records first gets priority over a later claimant.

Nassau County Clerk Office Details

How to Search North Hempstead Deed Records

The Nassau County Clerk provides online access to land records through the county website. You can search by owner name, property address, or Section/Block/Lot number. The online system covers records going back several decades, though the exact range depends on the document type.

Start with a name search if you know who owns the property. Enter the last name first and the system returns all recorded documents tied to that person in Nassau County. You can filter by date range and document type to narrow results. A SBL search gives the most targeted results for a single parcel.

For very old records, plan to visit the Mineola office. Some historical deed books and indexes may only be available in person. Staff members are available to help you locate what you need. Bring the property address and any reference numbers you have.

Recording Fees and Costs

Recording a deed in Nassau County costs $45 for the first page and $5 for each additional page. The New York State real estate transfer tax is $2 per $500 of the sale price. If the property sells for $1 million or more, the state mansion tax also applies.

Nassau County falls within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. The mortgage recording tax includes the MCTD surcharge of 30 cents per $100 of mortgage debt. For one- and two-family homes, the first $10,000 of principal is exempt from the additional tax portion. These costs add up quickly on large transactions, so buyers should plan ahead.

Every deed filing requires Form RP-5217. This transfer report must be generated using Adobe Acrobat because it contains a scannable barcode. The county clerk rejects handwritten versions.

North Hempstead Town Clerk Does Not Record Deeds

The North Hempstead Town Clerk's Office is at 200 Plandome Road in Manhasset. This office serves as secretary to the Town Board. It keeps meeting minutes, resolutions, and local laws. The town clerk issues permits and licenses and serves as the local registrar for births and deaths.

The town clerk also maintains the Town Archives and manages the records retention schedule. But none of that work involves deed records. Property deeds, mortgages, and other land records are handled only by the Nassau County Clerk in Mineola. This is the standard arrangement across all of New York State.

Legal Framework

New York Real Property Law Section 291 establishes the requirement that deeds be recorded at the county level. RPL Section 333 defines what makes a deed valid. You can read these statutes through the New York State Senate or the Cornell Legal Information Institute.

North Hempstead was historically part of Queens County before Nassau County was formed in 1899. Property records from the period before 1899 may need to be searched through both Nassau and Queens County archives depending on the exact dates involved.

Additional Resources

The NYS Municipal Data Portal offers property sales data and equalization rates for North Hempstead. The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance homeowner page has STAR information and other property tax resources. For historical property research, the New York State Archives is worth checking for older land documents.

History of North Hempstead Land Records

North Hempstead split from the Town of Hempstead in 1784. Before that, all property records were under Hempstead. And before 1899, both towns were part of Queens County. When Nassau County was created in 1899, the land records for North Hempstead moved to the new county's clerk. This history matters for title research. If you are tracing ownership back to the 1800s, you may need to check records in both Nassau and Queens counties.

The Nassau County Clerk at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola holds the current records. The online system covers several decades. For older deeds, an in-person visit is needed. The county clerk processes hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate transactions each year. North Hempstead has roughly 237,000 residents and includes many communities on Long Island's North Shore. Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington, and Roslyn are all part of the town. All property recordings for these areas go through the county clerk in Mineola.

Nearby Cities

Other communities nearby with deed records pages:

• Hempstead
• Oyster Bay