Sullivan County Deed Records
Sullivan County deed records are filed and stored at the County Clerk's Office in Monticello. The office records deeds, mortgages, maps, assignments, powers of attorney, and many other document types for the county's 15 towns and six villages. Online access through the IQS system goes back to April 1970. The median home value in Sullivan County is about $223,850, and the median property tax rate sits around 2.28%. Whether you are a buyer, seller, attorney, or just checking on a property, the clerk's office is where all land records start and end.
Sullivan County Quick Facts
Sullivan County Clerk's Office
The Sullivan County Clerk's Office handles all land record filings for the county. It is at the Government Center, 100 North Street in Monticello. Call 845-807-0411 with questions. The fax number is 845-807-0434. Office hours are 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM, Monday through Friday. The Land Records Room is where you go for in-person deed searches and recordings.
The clerk also serves as Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts. That dual role means the same office manages both property filings and court documents. Staff can help you search for a deed by name, book and page number, or instrument number. If you know the date range, that helps narrow things down. Documents recorded before 2010 have a book and page number, while newer filings use an instrument number instead.
Online Records Through IQS
Sullivan County gives you online access to land records through the Search IQS system. Records go back to April 1970. You can search by name, date, or document type. The system shows deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, and other recorded documents. It is a good starting point for a title search or ownership check.
Keep in mind that very old records may not be in the online system. For anything before April 1970, you will need to visit the clerk's office and use their physical indexes and deed books. The IQS system is updated as new recordings come in, so recent filings should appear fairly quickly.
Recording a Deed
Deeds must be recorded in the county where the property sits. For Sullivan County, you bring the deed to the clerk's office in Monticello. The document needs original signatures and must be acknowledged under New York State Real Property Law. You also need a completed RP-5217 form (done online using Adobe Acrobat) and a signed TP-584 transfer tax affidavit.
The recording fee is $45. Each page costs $5 on top of that. There is also a $10 notice fee added to all residential deed recordings. This notice fee took effect and applies to every residential transfer. The clerk's office generates the cover sheet for you, so you do not need to bring one.
Transfer tax runs $4 per $1,000 of the sale price. If you are buying a residential property for $1 million or more, the mansion tax adds another 1% of the full price. These taxes are paid at recording. No deed gets accepted without them.
Copy and Search Fees
Getting copies of recorded documents in Sullivan County costs $0.50 per page when you are in the office. If you need copies by mail, the price goes up to $1.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.20. There is a $20 search fee if you need the clerk's staff to look up records that have not been scanned into the system yet. This usually applies to older filings that exist only on paper or microfilm.
For most recent records, you can pull them up in the IQS system and print what you need. The $20 search fee only applies when the clerk has to dig through physical files. If you know the book and page number or the instrument number, that usually avoids the search fee since staff can go right to the document.
Mortgage Recording in Sullivan County
Mortgages follow the same recording process. The base fee is $45 plus $5 per page. The mortgage recording tax must also be paid at the time of filing. New York's mortgage tax has several parts. The basic rate is 50 cents per $100 of the mortgage debt. County and special taxes add to this amount. For one- and two-family homes, the first $10,000 of the mortgage is exempt from the additional tax portion.
The exact rate depends on the jurisdiction. Form MT-15 has a complete list of rates. Make sure you have the right amount calculated before you go to the clerk's office, since they will not accept a mortgage filing without full payment of the tax.
Property Research Resources
Beyond the clerk's office, the state offers tools that help with property research in Sullivan County. The Municipal Data Portal from the Department of Taxation and Finance shows property sales data for the past 10 years. You can search by municipality, date range, or property type. The data comes from RP-5217 forms, so there may be a short delay before new sales appear.
The New York State Archives can be useful for historical property research. Their collections include older documents and maps from across the state. For genealogy work tied to land ownership, the archives may have records that supplement what the county clerk has on file.
Document Numbering in Sullivan County
Keep in mind that Sullivan County changed its numbering system in 2010. Documents recorded before that year have a book and page number. Filings from 2010 onward use an instrument number instead. When you search in IQS, the system handles both formats. But if you are requesting copies by phone or mail, make sure you tell the clerk which type of reference number you have. Using the wrong format can slow down your request. The book and page system is still used in many other New York counties, so it is not unusual to see both formats in a single title chain if the property changed hands around 2010.
Nearby Counties
Property searches sometimes cross county lines. These neighboring offices are close to Sullivan County: