Official Records & Electronic Records Availability
The Erie County Clerk’s Office maintains a wide variety of official records, including deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, judgments, liens, court records, business filings, and other recorded documents.
Purpose of This Guide
This page helps users determine:
- If a record exists in our office
- If it's searchable online
- If document images are available electronically
- If older records require staff assistance or book/page searches
Official Records Maintained by the Office
Property Ownership Records
Records in this category include deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, and related land documents recorded in Erie County.
Important Notice: Address Searching
The Clerk’s Office does not index or allow public searches of official records by property address within the Official Records Search system. Records are indexed by party name, document type, and recording information.
If you need to locate a deed or land record but do not know the property owner’s name, you may use the Real Property Parcel Search system to search by address.
After locating the property, use the “Details” section to obtain the Deed Book and Page or File Number, then return to the Official Records Search system to locate the document.
| Record Type | Records Maintained | Online Index Availability | Online Image Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deeds | 1808–present | 1/1/1986–present | 1/1/1960–present |
| Mortgages | 1840–present | 1/1/1986–present | 1/1/1980–present |
| Powers of Attorney | 1860–present | 1/1/1986–present | 1/1/1986–present |
| Building Loans | Current 6 years | Limited | Limited |
| Redemption Certificates -- Recorded with Deeds | 1947–present | Limited | Limited |
| Release of Estate Tax Liens | 1904–present | Limited | Limited |
| Demolitions | 1965–present | Limited | Limited |
| Tax Delinquency - In Rem Proceedings | 1943–present | Limited | Limited |
| Lien for Common Charge | 1977–present | Current records available | Current records available |
Liens, Judgments & Financial Records
| Record Type | Records Maintained | Online Index Availability | Online Image Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judgments | 1952–present | 7/15/1991–present | 2/1/1994–present |
| Mechanic Liens | Current 6 years | 7/15/1991–present | 2/1/1994–present |
| Notice of Pendency (Lis Pendens) | 1829–present | 7/15/1991–present | 2/1/1994–present |
| Hospital Liens | Current 12 years | Current records available | Current records available |
| State Tax Warrants | Current 20 years | Current records available | Current records available |
| Uniform Commercial Codes (UCC) | Current 5 years | All active records | All active records |
| Wage Assignments | Current 6 years | Limited | Limited |
| Welfare Liens | Current 6 years | Limited | Limited |
Court & Legal Records
| Record Type | Records Maintained | Online Index Availability | Online Image Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court Records | 1957–present (Records dating back to 1830 are retrievable upon request. Please allow 5–7 business days for processing.) | 1/1/1993–present (Index Numbers) | Limited |
| Divorces (Erie County, NY) | 1957–present (Records dating back to 1830 are retrievable upon request. Please allow 5–7 business days for processing.) | Limited | Not available |
| Felony Convictions | 1922–present | Limited | Limited |
| Military Discharges (filed in Erie County) | 1919–present | Not available | Not available |
Business & Commercial Records
| Record Type | Records Maintained | Online Index Availability | Online Image Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Assumed Business Names (DBA) | 1900–present | 2/21/1994–present | 2/21/1994–present |
| Certificates of Partnership | 1821–present | 2/21/1994–present | 2/21/1994–present |
| Corporations | 1809–present | 2/21/1994–present | 2/21/1994–present |
| Miscellaneous Records | 1808–present | 2/21/1994–present | 2/21/1994–present |
Vital & Historical Records
| Record Type | Records Maintained | Online Index Availability | Online Image Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth Records – City of Buffalo | 1881–1913 | Not available online | Not available online |
| Marriage Records | 1878 to April 29, 1935 | Not available online | Not available online |
| Naturalization Records | 1827–1929 | Not available online | Not available online |
| Index to Incompetents | 1840–1947 | Not available online | Not available online |
Electronic Records Search Availability
| Record Category | Availability |
|---|---|
| Land Records | 1/1/1986–present |
| Judgments, Mechanic Liens, Lis Pendens | 7/15/1991–present |
| DBA, Corporations & Miscellaneous | 2/21/1994–present |
| Court Index Numbers | 1/1/1993–present |
| UCCs & Federal Tax Liens | All active records |
Available Image Dates For Subscription Users
Please note: Document images for Mortgages recorded January 1980 through December 1985 and Deeds recorded January 1960 through December 1985 require searching by Liber/Book and Page.
The Book and Page information can be found by viewing the alphabetical sections of the Graves Index within the system.
This lookup method is required because these records are not fully searchable through standard online index fields for this time period.
Online Image Availability
| Record Category | Availability |
|---|---|
| Deeds | 1/1/1960–present |
| Mortgages | 1/1/1980–present |
| Other Land Records | 2/21/1994–present |
| Judgments & Liens | 2/1/1994–present |
| Business Records | 2/21/1994–present |
| UCCs & Federal Tax Liens | All active records |
| Court Documents | Not available online |
Tax Lien Documents
Erie County has six large tax lien documents on record. Due to the way these records are indexed in the system, multiple entries may appear under the same book and page. These are duplicate index references to the same underlying document.
Because of restrictions in the Clerk’s online system, these documents should be searched using the File Number listed below:
| Document ID | Search Information |
|---|---|
| D110885266 | County Tax Lien – File No. 200412290915 |
| D110657894 | County Tax Lien – File No. 200312300836 |
| D110620913 | County Tax Lien – File No. 200311061594 |
| D110580001 | City Tax Lien – File No. 200310010366 |
| D110580092 | City Tax Lien – File No. 200310010391 |
| D111073917 | County Tax Lien – Filed 12/2005 Search by owner name OR book/page. When using name search, select “Show only Direct Names.” |