Ulster County Deed Records

Ulster County deed records are filed with the County Clerk's Office in Kingston. The office records deeds, mortgages, maps, assignments, and many other land documents. Online access to recorded documents is available through the IQS search system. One thing that sets Ulster County apart from many others in the state is that several local towns impose their own transfer taxes on top of the state tax. This adds a layer of complexity to property closings in parts of the county. The clerk also serves as Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts, handling both land records and court filings from the same office.

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Ulster County Clerk's Office

The Ulster County Clerk's Office is at 244 Fair Street in Kingston. The phone number is (845) 340-3288, and the fax is (845) 340-3299. You can also reach them by email at countyclerk@co.ulster.ny.us. Office hours run from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM on weekdays.

The clerk's staff can help you search for deeds, file new documents, or get copies of recorded instruments. If you call with a question about a specific recording, they can look up information from 1984 to the present by phone. For anything older, you will need to visit in person or submit a written request. Staff cannot give legal advice, but they can explain the filing process and tell you what forms are needed.

Searching Records Online

Ulster County uses the Search IQS system for online access to land records. You can search by name, date, or document type. The system covers deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, and other recorded documents. This is a useful tool for title searches and ownership verification without driving to Kingston.

Telephone requests for recording information are accepted for records from 1984 to the present. A search fee of $5 applies for every two years searched. Copy fees are $0.65 per page. Certified copies cost an extra $1.25 per page, with a minimum charge of $5. If you know the book and page number, that cuts down on the search time and cost.

Recording a Deed in Ulster County

Deeds filed with the Ulster County Clerk must have original signatures and proper acknowledgment under New York Real Property Law. You need to include a completed RP-5217 form and a signed TP-584 transfer tax affidavit. The RP-5217 must be done using Adobe Acrobat. No handwritten versions are accepted.

The recording fee is $45, which includes the cover sheet. Each additional page costs $5. A $10 fee is added to all residential deed recordings. This residential notice fee went into effect on March 11, 2020. You also need to pay the TP-584 filing fee of $5, and the RP-5217 fee of $125 for residential and farm properties or $250 for other property types.

Local Transfer Taxes

Ulster County stands out because several of its towns charge their own transfer taxes. This is on top of the standard state transfer tax of $4 per $1,000. If your property is in one of these municipalities, you will owe an additional local tax at closing:

City of Kingston (effective December 15, 2024)
Town of Gardiner (effective February 1, 2023)
Town of Marbletown (effective January 1, 2023)
Town/Village of New Paltz (effective February 1, 2021)
Town of Rochester (effective February 1, 2026)

Check with the clerk's office or your attorney to find out the exact rate for each municipality. These local taxes can add a meaningful amount to the cost of a property transfer. Not every town in Ulster County has one, so it depends entirely on where the property sits.

Ulster County Fee Schedule

The full fee schedule is posted on the clerk's website. Some key fees include the recording charge of $45, plus $5 per page. Lis pendens filings cost $35. The mark-off fee is $0.50. The mansion tax of 1% applies to residential sales of $1 million or more. The mortgage tax rate is $0.75 per $100 of the mortgage amount.

Copies cost $0.65 per page. To get a copy certified, it is $5.20 for the first eight pages. If the clerk has to prepare and certify a copy, the charge is $5 for the first four pages. These fees apply whether you are in the office or requesting copies by mail. For mail requests, include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check made payable to the Ulster County Clerk.

Mortgage Recording

Mortgages in Ulster County are recorded at the same clerk's office. The base fee is $45 plus $5 per page, same as deeds. The mortgage recording tax must be paid at the time of filing. The rate in Ulster County is $0.75 per $100 of the mortgage amount. For residential properties, the first $10,000 of the mortgage is exempt from part of the tax.

The exact total depends on the loan amount and whether additional state components apply. Form MT-15 has the full breakdown of rates by jurisdiction. Your closing attorney or title company will typically calculate this amount as part of the settlement statement.

Property Research in Ulster County

For property sales data beyond what the clerk's office has, the state's Municipal Data Portal is a good resource. It shows 10 years of property transfers for Ulster County and every other county in the state (except New York City, which uses ACRIS). You can search by municipality, date, or property type. The data comes from RP-5217 forms filed with each deed.

The New York State Archives can help with older research. Their holdings include historical records and maps that go back centuries. Researchers working on genealogy or tracing old property lines may find useful material there that supplements the county deed records.

Nearby Counties

Several counties border Ulster County. Each maintains its own deed records through their county clerk: