Search Onondaga County Deed Records
Onondaga County deed records go back to 1794, making this one of the longest-running land record systems in central New York. The County Clerk's Office at 401 Montgomery Street in Syracuse handles all deed recordings, mortgage filings, and related property documents. County Clerk Emily E. Bersani oversees operations across multiple divisions. Whether you need to record a new deed or trace the chain of title on a property, this office is where you start.
Onondaga County Quick Facts
Onondaga County Clerk's Office
The Onondaga County Clerk's Office is one of the oldest offices in local government. It maintains responsibility for recording, filing, and preserving legal documents tied to real property, New York State Supreme Court matters, and Onondaga County Criminal Court. The office is at 401 Montgomery Street, Room 200, in Syracuse. Phone: (315) 435-2227.
Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Note that the office closes on the first Tuesday of every month from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM for a staff meeting. After-hours appointments are offered every other Wednesday. Call to ask about specific availability. The office mission is to provide efficient and respectful service to every resident who needs access to public records.
Mortgages and Deeds Department
The Mortgages and Deeds Department is the specific division within the Clerk's Office that handles land records. This department maintains records dating back to 1794. That means you can trace property ownership for more than two centuries, as long as an owner of the land is known. Title researchers, genealogists, and property buyers all use this archive.
A mortgage, in general terms, is a written instrument that puts a lien on real property used as security for paying money or performing an obligation. This includes certain deeds of trust and executory contracts for the sale of real property. The department handles all types of mortgage recordings, from standard residential loans to complex commercial financing documents.
Deed Recording Fees in Onondaga County
Onondaga County has a detailed fee schedule for recording deeds. The base fee is $45.50. Each page costs $5.00. The cover page is generated by the office and included in the total. The transfer tax is $4.00 per thousand dollars of consideration. Documents that affect a deed carry an additional $0.50 fee for each cross-reference.
For mortgage recordings, the base fee is also $45.50 plus $5.00 for the cover page. Additional pages cost $5.00 each. The mortgage tax rate is 1%, less $25.00 if the property is improved by a one- or two-family dwelling and the mortgage is over $10,000. Mortgage-related documents like discharges and assignments have a $0.50 cross-reference fee as well.
Always bring the exact amount or confirm payment methods with the office before your visit. Having the wrong fee will slow down your recording.
How to Search Onondaga County Deed Records
In-person searches at the Clerk's Office give you access to the full archive going back to 1794. The office maintains grantor and grantee indexes organized by name and date. You can search by party name, tax map number, or document type. Staff in Room 200 can point you to the right record books and help with the indexing system.
For online access, the New York State Municipal Data Portal provides Sales Web data for Onondaga County. This covers 10 years of property sales from RP-5217 filings. You can search by town, school district, or date range. New transfers may take several weeks to appear in the system after recording.
The Onondaga County Real Property Tax Service at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 421 Montgomery Street, 15th Floor, Syracuse, NY 13202, phone (315) 435-2426, maintains assessment records and tax maps. These complement the ownership records at the Clerk's Office. Tax maps are particularly helpful when you need to identify the exact location and boundaries of a parcel.
Recording Deed Documents
To record a deed in Onondaga County, present the original signed and notarized document along with the required forms. Under New York Real Property Law, the deed must include the grantor's signature, the grantee's name and address, a complete legal description, and the tax map parcel number.
Form RP-5217 must accompany every deed. This barcoded form captures sale price, assessed value, and property use data. It must be completed in Adobe Acrobat. Handwritten versions are rejected. The TP-584 transfer tax affidavit is also required.
Mortgage Recording Tax
Mortgage recording tax is due when a mortgage is filed in Onondaga County. The rate is 1% of the mortgage amount. For one- or two-family dwellings, you can deduct $25.00 from the tax if the mortgage is over $10,000. The basic state tax of 50 cents per $100 is part of the total, along with additional state and county components.
Onondaga County is not in the MCTD, so the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District surcharge does not apply. Form MT-15 has the full rate breakdown. All tax must be paid at the time of recording.
Legal Framework
New York Real Property Law governs how deeds are prepared and recorded in Onondaga County. Recording with the county clerk gives constructive notice. An unrecorded deed is valid between the parties but vulnerable to a later buyer who records first. This is why title companies and attorneys insist on same-day recording after closing.
The Cornell Legal Information Institute provides free access to New York's Real Property Law and Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law. The New York State Senate tracks proposed changes. The New York State Archives holds historical records that can help with research on older properties.
Cities and Towns in Onondaga County
Onondaga County includes the City of Syracuse and several surrounding towns. Syracuse is the county seat and the largest city in central New York. All deed records for every community in the county go through the Clerk's Office at 401 Montgomery Street.
Other towns in the county include Camillus, Cicero, DeWitt, Elbridge, Fabius, Geddes, LaFayette, Lysander, Manlius, Marcellus, Onondaga, Otisco, Pompey, Salina, Skaneateles, Spafford, Tully, and Van Buren. Their deed records are all filed at the same office.
Nearby Counties
Deed records for neighboring counties are handled by their own Clerk's offices: