Yates County Deed Records Search
Yates County deed records are kept at the County Clerk's Office in Penn Yan. The office records and maintains deeds, mortgages, assignments, mortgage satisfactions, and other land-related documents for all properties in the county. Yates County is one of the smaller counties in New York, sitting in the heart of the Finger Lakes region between Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake. The area draws wine enthusiasts, retirees, and people looking for lakefront property. All real estate transfers in the county must be recorded with the clerk's office at 417 Liberty Street.
Yates County Quick Facts
Yates County Clerk's Office
The Yates County Clerk's Office sits at 417 Liberty Street in Penn Yan. Call 315-536-5120 for questions about deed filings, searches, or copies. You can also email countyclerk@yatescounty.org. Office hours are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The office closes at 4:00 PM, which is earlier than some other counties, so plan your visit with that in mind.
The clerk records and maintains all types of land documents. This includes deeds, mortgages, assignments of mortgage, mortgage satisfactions, and other instruments that affect real property in Yates County. The clerk also serves as Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts. Staff can help you find a particular deed or explain the filing requirements for new recordings.
Recording a Deed in Yates County
To record a deed in Yates County, bring the original signed and notarized document to the clerk's office. You also need the completed RP-5217 form and a signed TP-584 transfer tax affidavit. The RP-5217 must be filled out using Adobe Acrobat. The state does not accept handwritten versions of this form because of the barcode scanning system.
The deed must contain all the standard elements required by New York Real Property Law. It needs to be in writing and signed by the grantor. A legal description of the property is required. The document must be acknowledged before a notary public. Include the names and addresses of all parties and the tax map parcel number.
Yates County charges a $10 residential deed notice fee per document. This fee applies to all residential deed documents recorded on or after March 11, 2020. It was established under Real Property Law Section 291 and pays for the state's deed fraud notification system. The complete fee schedule is available on the county website.
Recording Fees and Taxes
Standard recording fees in Yates County cover the base filing charge plus additional per-page fees. The New York State transfer tax is $4 per $1,000 of the sale price. The mansion tax adds 1% for residential properties selling at $1 million or more. The RP-5217 fee is $125 for residential and farm properties, or $250 for other types. All of these charges are paid at the time of recording.
For mortgages, the mortgage recording tax must also be paid. The basic state rate is 50 cents per $100 of the mortgage amount, with additional components that vary by jurisdiction. Form MT-15 has the full rate table. For residential properties, the first $10,000 of the loan is exempt from part of the tax. Your closing attorney will calculate the exact amount owed.
Searching Deed Records
To search for a deed in Yates County, you can visit the clerk's office in Penn Yan. Staff can help you look up records by name, book and page number, or other identifying information. Bring as much detail as you can. The names of the parties, the approximate date of the transaction, or the parcel number will all help narrow the search.
For statewide property sales data, the Municipal Data Portal from the Department of Taxation and Finance shows 10 years of transfers. You can filter by municipality, date range, and property type. The information comes from RP-5217 forms filed with each deed. New sales may take a few weeks to appear while local officials review and verify the data.
Yates County is small enough that the volume of recordings is relatively low compared to metro areas. This often means shorter wait times at the clerk's office and faster turnaround on search requests. If you call ahead with details about the property, staff may be able to pull up the information before you arrive.
New York Recording Law
Under New York law, recording a deed with the county clerk gives constructive notice to the public. Once the deed is on file, everyone is treated as though they know about the ownership change. An unrecorded deed is valid between the buyer and seller, but if a later buyer records first and had no knowledge of the earlier transfer, they could take priority. This makes prompt recording important.
There is no strict deadline for recording a deed in New York. But the risk goes up every day you wait. In the Finger Lakes area, where lakefront properties can have complex ownership histories with multiple parcels and easements, a clean and timely recording protects your interest. Get your deed to the clerk's office in Penn Yan as soon as possible after closing.
Historical Records
The clerk's office in Penn Yan holds deed books and indexes going back through the county's history. For older property research, you will need to visit in person and work through the physical records. The New York State Archives also has historical documents and maps that can supplement local records. Their collections cover the colonial era through the modern day.
Genealogists researching Finger Lakes families often use deed records to trace property ownership across generations. Land transfers can reveal family connections, property divisions among heirs, and migration patterns. The Yates County clerk's office is a good starting point for this kind of work, especially when combined with state-level archival resources.
Nearby Counties
Yates County is surrounded by other Finger Lakes counties. Each has its own clerk's office for deed records: