Search Ramapo Deed Records

Deed records for Ramapo properties are kept by the Rockland County Clerk in New City. The Ramapo Town Clerk does not record or store deeds. Ramapo is one of the largest towns in Rockland County, located in the southern part of the county near the New Jersey border. The town includes the villages of Airmont, Chestnut Ridge, Hillburn, Kaser, Montebello, New Hempstead, New Square, Sloatsburg, Spring Valley, Suffern, and Wesley Hills, plus the hamlets of Monsey and Viola. All property recordings for every one of these communities go through the county clerk.

Rockland County Clerk Handles Ramapo Deed Records

The Rockland County Clerk's Office is the official registrar of deeds for all property in Rockland County. This includes the Town of Ramapo and every village and hamlet within it. The office is located in New City, the county seat.

Rockland County has been proactive about digitizing its land records. Deed transcriptions are indexed and searchable on the county clerk's website going back to 1798. That is more than 225 years of property records available for research. This depth of historical data is unusual and makes Rockland County a standout for title research and genealogy work.

Every property sale in Ramapo must be recorded at the county clerk's office. New York Real Property Law requires this. Recording creates constructive notice that the transfer happened. It protects the buyer against competing claims from anyone who might try to claim the same property.

Rockland County Clerk Office Details

How to Search Ramapo Deed Records

Rockland County provides an online records search portal at cotthosting.com/NYRocklandExternal. You can search for deeds, mortgages, and other recorded documents by name, date, or document type. The system is available from any computer with internet access.

The online system includes deed transcriptions going back to 1798. This is a significant resource. You can trace property ownership in Ramapo across more than two centuries without leaving your home. The search results include document details and, for more recent records, digital images of the actual filed documents.

For a property-specific search, use the parcel identifier if you have it. You can also search by grantor or grantee name. Date range filters help narrow a broad name search. If you need help, the clerk's office staff can assist with both online and in-person research.

Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes

The standard recording fee for a deed in Rockland County is $45 for the first page and $5 for each additional page. The New York State real estate transfer tax of $2 per $500 applies to all property sales. The mansion tax applies to residential sales of $1 million or more.

Rockland 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.

Form RP-5217 is required with every deed. The form must be completed using Adobe Acrobat because of the scannable barcode. Handwritten forms will be rejected at the counter.

Ramapo Town Clerk Does Not Record Deeds

The Ramapo Town Clerk's Office serves as the keeper of town records and secretary to the Town Board. The office maintains meeting minutes, resolutions, and local laws. It issues dog licenses, certain business permits, and handles FOIL requests. The town clerk also serves as the local registrar for vital statistics.

But the town clerk does not record or maintain deed records. Property deeds, mortgages, and other land documents are handled only by the Rockland County Clerk. This is how it works in every town across New York State. If you contact the Ramapo Town Clerk about a deed, they will direct you to the county office in New City.

Legal Framework

Under New York Real Property Law Section 291, deeds must be recorded in the county where the property is located. For Ramapo, that is Rockland County. RPL Section 333 lists the requirements for a valid deed including party names, a property description, and proper acknowledgment. The New York State Senate website has the full text of these statutes, and the Cornell Legal Information Institute is another free resource.

Additional Resources

The NYS Municipal Data Portal provides sales data and equalization rates for Ramapo and other Rockland County communities. The NYS Department of Taxation and Finance offers STAR exemption details and other homeowner resources. For very old records, the New York State Archives may hold additional historical land documents beyond what the county has digitized.

Rockland County Archives for Older Records

The Rockland County Archives at Building S, 50 Sanatorium Road in Pomona holds historical land records. This collection includes deeds from 1798 to 1921, though the original books are stored at the County Clerk's Office in New City. Mortgages from 1798 to 1931 are also part of the archive. You can reach the Archives at (845) 364-3670.

Ramapo has 11 villages and 2 hamlets. That is a lot of communities. The villages of Airmont, Chestnut Ridge, Hillburn, Kaser, Montebello, New Hempstead, New Square, Sloatsburg, Spring Valley, Suffern, and Wesley Hills each have their own village clerks. None of them record deeds. The hamlets of Monsey and Viola have no separate government at all. Every property transfer in Ramapo goes to one place: the Rockland County Clerk. The online system has deed transcriptions indexed back to 1798. That is more than 225 years of records you can search from home.

Nearby Cities

Other communities nearby with deed records pages:

• Clarkstown
• Orangetown