The County Clerk is an independently elected official responsible for recording, filing and maintaining a central repository of legal documents and records affecting property titles, including land and real estate transactions, those documents related to corporate filings, assumed names, and, as Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts, all court pleadings and papers. Because the majority of records maintained by the Clerk’s Office are already public records and easily accessible either through the Public Search Site or at the public computers in the Clerk’s Office, there is no need to resort to New York State’s Freedom of Information (“FOIL”), codified as the Public Officers Law, Article 6, §§84-90, to obtain copies of particular documents.
You may visit our Record Request page to request copies of records by clicking here.
However, for additional records as defined in the FOIL statute, or records that may not be maintained or produced in an easily accessible format, a request may be made to the Clerk’s Office pursuant to FOIL. Based upon the legislative intent to promote open government and public accountability for governmental actions, Freedom of Information Law provides a means of access to the records of government, with certain Exceptions that are enumerated in Public Officers Law §87(2) . The full text of FOIL and other information about the law is available at the New York State Committee on Open Government’s website.
Forms & Resources
- FOIL Request Form (for Erie County Clerk's Office only)
- FOIL Request Appeal Form (for Erie County Clerk's Office only)