Wyoming County Deed Records
Wyoming County deed records are filed with County Clerk Rhonda Pierce in Warsaw, New York. The clerk's office serves as the official registrar for all real property documents in the county. This includes deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, maps, and other land-related filings. The office also handles Uniform Commercial Code filings, business certificates, mechanic's liens, and federal and state tax liens. Wyoming County is a rural county in western New York between Buffalo and the Finger Lakes. Property here tends to be a mix of farmland, small-town lots, and wooded parcels.
Wyoming County Quick Facts
Wyoming County Clerk's Office
Clerk Rhonda Pierce runs the Wyoming County Clerk's Office in Warsaw. The phone number is 585-786-8810. The fax line is 585-786-3703. You can email county.clerk@wyomingcountyny.gov for general questions. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Recording is accepted until 4:40 PM, so if you plan to file a deed late in the day, make sure you get there before that cutoff.
As Registrar, the clerk is responsible for filing, recording, and maintaining all documents and maps related to real property in Wyoming County. The clerk also serves as Clerk to the Courts, handling records of all court proceedings. This dual role is standard in New York counties. The office offers pistol permit processing until 4:30 PM, passport processing, notary services, and motor vehicle services in addition to land records.
Services Provided
The clerk's office handles a broad range of filings beyond deeds. Here is what the office covers:
- Real estate transfers (deeds, mortgages, and related documents)
- Uniform Commercial Code filings
- Business certificate filings (DBAs)
- Discharge of mortgages
- Federal and state tax liens
- Map filings and mechanic's liens
Each of these document types has its own fee and filing requirements. Contact the office for specifics on any particular filing you need to make. Payment methods and fee amounts can change, so confirm before your visit.
Recording a Deed
Filing a deed in Wyoming County follows the same rules as everywhere else in New York. You need the original document with the grantor's signature and proper notarization. A full legal description of the property must be included. You must also submit Form RP-5217 completed using Adobe Acrobat, along with a signed TP-584 transfer tax affidavit.
The state charges a transfer tax of $4 per $1,000 of the sale price. Residential sales of $1 million or more also trigger the 1% mansion tax. These payments are due at the time of recording. The clerk will not accept a deed without all required forms and payments.
Remember the 4:40 PM recording cutoff. If you arrive after that, you will need to come back the next business day. The office opens at 9:00 AM. Getting there early gives you time to sort out any issues with your paperwork before the end of the day.
Mortgage Recording
Mortgages are filed at the same clerk's office. The mortgage recording tax must be paid at filing. The basic state rate is 50 cents per $100 of the mortgage debt. Additional components include a special tax and a county portion. For one- and two-family residences, the first $10,000 of the mortgage is exempt from part of the calculation.
Form MT-15 has the current rates for Wyoming County. The total tax depends on the loan amount and the exact location of the property. Your closing attorney will handle the calculation. The tax is paid directly to the clerk when the mortgage document is presented for recording.
Property Research
For property sales data, the state's Municipal Data Portal includes Sales Web, which covers 10 years of transfers in Wyoming County and across the state. The data comes from RP-5217 forms filed with each deed. Local officials review the data for accuracy, so new sales may take a few weeks to show up.
Historical property research can be aided by the New York State Archives, which holds older documents, maps, and records from across the state. For Wyoming County specifically, the clerk's office has the deed books and indexes going back through the county's history. Visit the office in Warsaw to access these physical records.
Wyoming County is a smaller county, so the volume of recordings is more manageable than in metro areas. Staff at the clerk's office can usually help you locate a specific deed fairly quickly if you have the names of the parties or an approximate date for the transaction.
New York Recording Law
New York Real Property Law requires deeds to be in writing, signed by the grantor, and acknowledged before a notary. Recording with the county clerk provides constructive notice to the public. This means that once the deed is on file, everyone is considered to know about the ownership change. An unrecorded deed is valid between the buyer and seller, but a subsequent buyer who records first could claim priority.
This race-notice system makes prompt recording important. In rural counties like Wyoming, property disputes may be less common than in cities, but the same legal principles apply. Record your deed soon after closing. If there is a gap, you risk someone else filing a conflicting claim against the same property.
Additional Filing Services
The clerk also processes passport applications, handles notary services, and runs motor vehicle transactions. Pistol permits are processed until 4:30 PM. If you are making a trip to Warsaw for a deed filing, you can take care of other county business at the same stop. The office is small compared to metro-area counties, so wait times tend to be short. Call 585-786-8810 ahead of time if you want to confirm that staff can help with your specific need on the day you plan to visit.
Nearby Counties
Wyoming County borders these counties in western New York: