Access Putnam County Deed Records
Putnam County deed records are filed and kept by the County Clerk's Office in Carmel. The office records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other land documents for every property in the county. One key thing to know: the Putnam County Clerk's Office currently operates by appointment only. You must schedule a visit before showing up. A dropbox outside the County Office Building accepts land recordings, and e-recording is available through authorized partners.
Putnam County Quick Facts
Putnam County Clerk's Office
The Putnam County Clerk's Office is led by Michael C. Bartolotti. The office is at 40 Gleneida Avenue in Carmel, New York. You can call (845) 808-1142 for questions about deed filings, record searches, or appointment scheduling. The Clerk also serves as County Registrar and Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts.
Regular hours run Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Summer hours (mid-June through mid-September) shift to 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Right now, the office is open by appointment only. All forms must be completed before your appointment. This rule speeds up service but means you cannot just walk in.
There is a dropbox outside the County Office Building. You can use it to submit land recordings, though the office encourages e-recording through its authorized partners instead. Court filings for paper cases can also go in the dropbox. Pistol permit amendments are accepted there too.
How to Search Putnam County Deed Records
Putnam County provides access to land records through its Land Records Search portal. The system lets you look up deeds, mortgages, and other recorded documents by party name, date, or document type. Title searchers and attorneys use this tool regularly to run title chains and check for liens or open mortgages on a property.
The county has also set up an Electronic Endorsement Page system and makes a fillable RP-5217 form available on its website. These tools help streamline the filing process, especially for people who file documents often. If you cannot find what you need online, call the Clerk's Office to ask about in-person research options.
Fraud Alert Service
Putnam County offers a free Fraud Alert service. When you sign up, you get email alerts any time a document is recorded in your name at the County Clerk's Office. This is a useful tool for property owners who want to guard against deed fraud, which has become a growing concern across the state.
To sign up, click the Fraud Alert link on the Putnam County Clerk's website. The service is free. It does not prevent fraud from happening, but it gives you an early warning so you can act fast if someone tries to file a document against your property without your knowledge.
Deed Recording Requirements
New York Real Property Law governs what a deed must contain. Every deed filed in Putnam County needs the grantor's notarized signature, names of all parties, a legal description of the property, and the tax map parcel number. Documents must be on white paper, 8.5 by 11 inches, in clear black ink.
Form RP-5217 must be filed with every deed. This barcoded form captures the sale price, assessed value, and property use code. It has to be completed in Adobe Acrobat. The TP-584 form is also required and costs $5.00 to file. Both forms must go to the Clerk with the deed itself.
The real estate transfer tax is $2 per $500 of consideration. Residential properties that sell for $1 million or more are also subject to the 1% mansion tax. All tax payments are due at the time of recording. Without them, the Clerk's Office will not accept your deed for filing.
Mortgage Recording Tax in Putnam County
Mortgage recordings in Putnam County are subject to the state mortgage recording tax. The base rate is 50 cents per $100 of mortgage debt. An additional tax also applies, though the first $10,000 of a residential mortgage is exempt from the extra portion.
Putnam County falls within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, so the MCTD surcharge applies to mortgages here. Check Form MT-15 for the exact rates. The total tax must be paid to the County Clerk at the time you present the mortgage for recording.
Property Assessment Records
Real property assessment data and tax maps are kept by the Putnam County Real Property Tax Service. Assessment rolls show the assessed value, property class, and owner of record. This data can help you identify a parcel when you search for its deed at the Clerk's Office.
The Municipal Data Portal from the state Department of Taxation and Finance shows 10 years of property sales for Putnam County. The data comes from RP-5217 forms filed with each deed. You can search by town, date range, or property type to find recent sales.
MCTD Surcharge and Closing Costs
Putnam County is inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. That means an extra MCTD surcharge applies to mortgage recordings here. Not all New York counties have this charge. It adds to the total mortgage recording tax you pay at closing. Your attorney or title company will calculate the full amount. Check Form MT-15 for the exact rate. The surcharge funds commuter transit in the greater New York metro area. Budget for it when you estimate your closing costs on a Putnam County purchase. It can add up on large loan amounts.
Cities and Towns in Putnam County
Putnam County is made up of six towns: Carmel, Kent, Patterson, Philipstown, Putnam Valley, and Southeast. There are also several villages. All deed records for properties in these communities are filed with the Putnam County Clerk's Office at 40 Gleneida Avenue in Carmel. The Clerk is the sole recording office for the whole county.
Nearby Counties
If you need deed records from a county next to Putnam, these offices are nearby: