Population
951K
County Seat
Buffalo
Libraries
38
Schools
212
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by Sam Rokni — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all Erie County record-source URLs verified against the official local and New York state publishers on the review date. 5 primary .gov / official sources cited below.
Erie County — Key Numbers (2026)
Population, demographics, and county-seat data for Erie County, New York — verified against U.S. Census 2024 estimates.
950,602
Population
Census estimate
406,547
Households
Census estimate
$68,014
Median income
Annual household
$197,400
Median home value
Census ACS
Buffalo
County seat
In New York
Criminal records
1 source
Court records
2 sources
Wants & warrants
see state portal
Property records
28 sources
Vital records
1 source
Voter records
see state portal
Professional licenses
see state portal
Recorded documents
see state portal
Count of verified official sources per record type. Multiple sources One source Use state portal
Erie County Records at a Glance
| Record type | Erie County verified sources |
|---|---|
| Court records | NY Courts / eCourts NY Courts / eCourts |
| Criminal records | Erie County Sheriff's Office |
| Wants & warrants | No verified source — see Erie County state portal below |
| Property records | ArcGIS Web Application Real Property Information |
| Vital records | Property Alert Service - Erie County |
| Voter records | No verified source — see Erie County state portal below |
| Professional licenses | No verified source — see Erie County state portal below |
| Recorded documents | No verified source — see Erie County state portal below |
Count of officially verified .gov / .us record sources cataloged for Erie County. Data verified June 04, 2026.
What Changed in 2026 — Erie County Records
2026
Erie County official government portal active
The official Erie County government website at www2.erie.gov continues to serve as the canonical local source.
2026
Erie County court records portal verified
State court system links for Erie County verified against the New York judiciary portal in 2026.
2026
Erie County criminal records access
State criminal records repository for Erie County (statewide system, not county-specific) confirmed active in 2026.
2026
Erie County property records online
Erie County property assessment and recorder office online portal active in 2026.
The 4-Step Erie County Records Pathway
1
Step 1 — Start at the Erie County clerk/courthouse
For most local records (court cases, property deeds, marriage licenses), the Erie County clerk's office is the first stop.
2
Step 2 — Use the New York statewide systems
Criminal background, court case search, voter registration, and professional licensing are all run at the New York state level — not by the county.
3
Step 3 — Federal sources for federal records
Federal court cases (PACER), federal tax liens (IRS), military records (NPRC), and immigration data (ICE) are all federal — not held by the county.
4
Step 4 — Cross-check before relying on data
Most county portals lag 24-48 hours behind the courthouse. For time-sensitive verification, call the clerk directly.
Five Things People Get Wrong About Erie County Records
❌ Myth: "Erie County maintains all criminal records."
✓ Truth: False. Criminal records for Erie County are held by the New York state repository, NOT the county. The county sheriff has only the local arrest log.
❌ Myth: "Records sealed in Erie County are gone everywhere."
✓ Truth: False. Sealing removes records from public search but they still exist at the courthouse and may appear in FBI records (Identity History Summary).
❌ Myth: "Free 'instant background' sites have Erie County data."
✓ Truth: False. Only the official New York state repository has verified, current Erie County data. Free sites often have stale data.
❌ Myth: "The Erie County assessor's value is what I'll sell my home for."
✓ Truth: False. The Erie County assessor's value is for property tax purposes only — usually below market value.
❌ Myth: "All county records older than 50 years are public."
✓ Truth: Partially false. Public-records rules vary by record type AND state. Court records and deeds are usually older-public; vital records remain restricted longer (often 75-125 years).
Primary Sources (All Verified)
- www2.erie.gov — Official Erie County government website
- iapps.courts.state.ny.us — Court records — official source
- paytax.erie.gov — Property records — official source
- ecclerk.erie.gov — Vital records — official source
- fbi.gov — FBI Identity History Summary (federal record)
Related — Erie County & New York Records
For records not specific to Erie County, use New York's statewide system or the national hub.
📍 New York statewide record systems:
- New York Court Records →
- New York Criminal Records →
- New York Property Records →
- New York Vital Records →
- New York Voter Records →
- New York Wants & Warrants →
- New York Licenses →
- New York Recorded Documents →
🇺🇸 National hubs:
Related Public Records
New York statewide records: Court records · Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Property records · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses · Recorded docs
National directories: Court records · Criminal records · Property records · Vital records · Federal databases
About Erie County, New York
Erie County is located in western New York. The county seat is Buffalo (official site: http://www2.erie.gov/).
- Households: 406,547
- Median household income: $68,014
- Median home value: $197,400
- Below poverty line: 13.8%
- Land area: 1,042.8 sq mi
- Population density: 911.6 people / sq mi
Real Property Information
Official Free
*Erie County is not responsible for clerical errors, omissions, or errors caused by taxpayers paying on the wrong property.
Tax Office – Town of Cheektowaga
Official Free
Penalties are applied based on the late fee schedule located on the front of the tax bill. Penalties are assessed on outstanding balances after the due date and in accordance with the Erie County Tax Act and New York State Real Property Tax Law, Section 925.
Town of Cheektowaga
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of Cheektowaga Online Tax Payment & Search System When searching for your parcel, use only one of the search fields above. When searching by Owner Name exclude your middle initial. When searching by Property Address, enter only the street number and name excluding the suffix ...
Town of Lancaster Assessor's Office
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Erie County $32,400 (gross) Village of Lancaster $35,400 (gross) Village of Depew $24,600 (gross) Agricultural and Clergy (renewal required) Contact assessor's office for additional information · All of the exemption forms are available under the Form Tab to your left · Any questions regarding exemptions, please contact our office. Links · https://www.tax.ny.gov/research/property/default.htm ·
Land Records | Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns
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The Erie County Clerk is the official registrar of deeds, mortgages, assignments of mortgages, satisfactions of mortgages, judgments, and liens . The Clerk is responsible for indexing, recording, and preserving these documents in accordance with New York State law.
ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SERVICES NEWS RELEASE
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Erie · County Real Property Tax Services will continue working closely with all towns to ensure proper · data collection throughout the process. Director of the Division of Budget and Management Robert Keating added, “We have also · received assurance from the New York State Comptroller’s Office that Erie County remains in ·
Town of West Seneca
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of West Seneca Online Tax Payment & Search System · Our online system is a convenient and easy way to pay your taxes using your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or AMEX credit card (2.45% service fee), Visa debit card ($3.95 flat fee) or by electronic check ($1.75 flat fee).
BAS | Internet Tax
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of Hamburg online tax payment & search system You may pay your taxes online by using your Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card (2.5% service fee/minimum $1.80 service fee); by Visa debit card ($4.00 flat fee); or by electronic check ($2.00 flat fee).
Tax Rates - Town of Tonawanda
Official Free
Petitions must be filed no later than July 30th . Original and payment goes to Erie County Clerk’s Office listed above. The court will assign your petition to a hearing officer who will advise you of the hearing date, time and location. What are Property Tax Exemptions and How Do I File?
{ "currentVersion": 11.5, "cimVersion": "3.5.0", "id": 8, "name": "Parcels",
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tric Tranmission Improvement", "code": "882" }, { "name": "Wild, Forested, conservation Lands & Public Parks", "code": "900" }, { "name": "Private Wild & Forest Lands except for Private Hunting & Fishing Clubs", "code": "910" }, { "name": "Forest Land Under Section 480 of the Real Property Tax Law", "code": "911" }, { "name": "Forest Land Under Section 480-a of the Real Property Tax Law", "code": "912" }, { "name": "Private Hunting & Fishing Clubs", "code": "920" }, { "name": "State Owner Forest Lands", "code": "930" }, { "name": "State Owned Land (Forest Preserve) in the Adirondack or Catskil
Assessment and Property Information - Town of Orchard Park, NY
Official Free
To view assessment and property information, please visit the Erie County Real Property Tax Services REAL PROPERTY PARCEL SEARCH site at:
Beacon - Town Of Tonawanda, NY - Search
Official Free
Online access to maps, real estate data, tax information, and appraisal data.
BAS | Internet Tax
Official Free
Etc). You may pay your taxes online by using your Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card (2.45% service fee = $24.50 per thousand ), by Visa debit card ($3.95 flat fee) or by electronic check ($1.75 flat fee) Please allow two weeks for processing. The service fees are collected by the web ...
Lackawanna 2025 Tent RPS150P1 Website
Official Free
- Erie county · T A X A B L E SECTION OF THE ROLL - 1 · VALUATION DATE-DEC 01, 2024 · CITY · - Lackawanna · TAX MAP NUMBER SEQUENCE · TAXABLE STATUS DATE-DEC 01, 2024 · SWIS · - 140900 · UNIFORM PERCENT OF VALUE IS 064.00 · TAX MAP PARCEL NUMBER · PROPERTY LOCATION & CLASS ASSESSMENT EXEMPTION CODE------------------COUNTY--------CITY------SCHOOL ·
Erie County Tax Payment Site
Official Free
Real Property Home Page · To pay current Erie County Property Taxes:
Land Records | Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns
Official Free
The Clerk is responsible for indexing, recording, and preserving these documents in accordance with New York State law. These records provide public notice of ownership, liens, and other property interests and are maintained to ensure legal validity and accessibility.
Town of Colden SWIS Code - 143400 NYS - Real Property System County of Erie
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Chapman, Eric D. Chapman, John W. Chen, Guang X. Chen, Guang X. Cherkis, Carol L. Chowaniec, David A. Christ, Scott A. Christ, Scott A. Christ, Scott A. Christ, Scott A. Chrostowski, David P. Cimino, Bradley S. Clark, Russell A. Clark, Russell A. Clarkson, Peter J. Clarkson, Richard W. Clements, Richard A. Colden
Town of Hamburg Property Assessment System
Official Free
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
BAS | Internet Tax
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of Evans online tax payment and search system! Please search by filling in only one of the above fields: Bill # - Enter the bill number that is displayed on your tax bill above the SBL# and your name and address . Tax Map # - Enter your section, block and lot number as it ...
Town of Eden online tax payment & search system.
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of Eden online tax payment & search system. You may pay your taxes online by using your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card (2.45% service fee); by Visa debit card ($3.95 flat fee); or by electronic check ($1.75 flat fee). Service fees are collected by the web service ...
City of N. Tonawanda - Assessment Search Online - PROS v1.0.0
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The City of N. Tonawanda Property N. Tonawanda. The City of N. Tonawanda PROS website allows property owners to review property assessment information, property inventory, property tax liability information, and search for comparable sales
CPI Search
Official Free
The Town of Amherst final assessment roll has been set for 2024-2025 . During the Assessment Revaluation Project, the town contracted with GAR Associates to prepare a website (“Pros”) for property research, comparable sales and assessments, etc. Since that project concluded at the end of ...
GIS Mapping | Town of Eden, New York
Official Free
Quick Links: Assessment Rolls Brush System (GIS) makes a mapping system available to the public with such information as property parcels, roads, pond locations, sewer and water line locations, and environmental features (wetlands, open space, etc.).
Property
Official Free
Welcome to the Town of Westerlo's Online Tax Payment and Search System. Office Hours: Monday-Wednesday 7:30am-3:30pm. Thursday 1:00pm-7:00pm Tax payments will be accepted by the Town of Westerlo Tax Collector beginning January 1st and continue through March 31st.
https://townofgrandisland.sdgnys.com/
Official Free
Town of Grand Island, with the cooperation of SDG, provides access to RPS data, tax maps, and photographic images of properties.
Town of Hamburg Property Assessment System
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We cannot provide a description for this page right now
Land Records | Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns
Official Free
The Clerk is responsible for indexing, recording, and preserving these documents in accordance with New York State law. These records provide public notice of ownership, liens, and other property interests and are maintained to ensure legal validity and accessibility.
Property Alert Service - Erie County
Official Free
The Property Alert Service is a Buffalo, New York. The service matches data (Parcel ID) in legal descriptions on recorded documents with requests made by subscribers. Additionally, a subscriber can register to receive alerts when documents are recorded with specific party names. No. This is a free service provided by Erie County
NY Courts / eCourts
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Using our free case information services you can find future appearance dates for cases in Criminal and Family Courts . You may also view information on both active and disposed cases in Civil Supreme and Local Civil Courts, and by signing up for our eTrack case tracking service you can receive ...
NY Courts / eCourts
Official Free
Using our free case information services you can find future appearance dates for cases in Criminal and Family Courts . You may also view information on both active and disposed cases in Civil Supreme and Local Civil Courts, and by signing up for our eTrack case tracking service you can receive ...
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ERIE
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Court · should · award · the · HSC · its · reasonable · attorneys' fees · as permitted · under · New · York · Debtor · and · Creditor · Law · $ 276-a. FILED: ERIE COUNTY CLERK 07/10/2018 02:55 PM · INDEX NO. 810673/2018 · NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1 · RECEIVED NYSCEF: 07/10/2018 · 1 of 14 · 3. This · special · proceeding · arises · from · judgments · duly · entered · by · the · Supreme ...
Erie County Sheriff's Office
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Inmate Name · Date of Birth · Facility · Booking Date · Erie County Sheriff's Office · Inmate Roster · 160952 · BARLOW, TIMOTHY · 08/28/1988 · ECCF · 01/29/2026 · 61562 · BARNER, JIMMY-LEE · 06/25/1982 · ECHC · 05/13/2026 · 136673 · BARNWELL, MARCUS ·
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services - NYC
Official Free
The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) administers the state’s Commercial Security Tax Credit Program.
Property Alert Service - Erie County
Official Free
The Property Alert Service is a Buffalo, New York. The service matches data (Parcel ID) in legal descriptions on recorded documents with requests made by subscribers. Additionally, a subscriber can register to receive alerts when documents are recorded with specific party names. No. This is a free service provided by Erie County
Vital Statistics of New York State
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Information on vital records, including obtaining your birth or death certificates, can be found at: https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/ Through a cooperative agreement, the New York State Department of Health receives data on live births, deaths, fetal deaths, induced terminations of pregnancy/abortions (abortion), marriages, and divorces/dissolutions of marriage recorded in New York City from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and on live births and deaths recorded outside of New York State to residents of New York State from other states and Canada.
Ny
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Your browser does not support iFrames · NY State Board of Elections · The system is experiencing higher than expected usage and may have timed out trying to process your request. Please try again or call 518-474-6220 for further assistance
Licensee Name Search - NY.Gov
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Enter all or part of last name and/or first name. Select a license type or "ALL LICENSE TYPES" from the drop-down list. To narrow down this search, you may select a county name or enter all or part of a city name or a Zip Code. Click "Search" · Private Investigator, Watch Guard and Patrol ...
County Charter and Code | Department of Law
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The Erie County Charter is the governing law of the County of Erie . It sets out the form of County government and the powers and duties of the County's officers. The Erie County Administrative Code sets out the details of government under the County Charter. The Erie County Charter consists ...
| Erie County, New York
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Notice is hereby given that the City of Buffalo, in partnership with the County of Erie, and the Towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, and Tonawanda, is participating in a grant sponsored by the US Department of Justice, under the Bureau of Justice Assistance, entitled 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice ...
Job Opportunities | Civil Service Opportunities
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Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to workplace diversity. Continuous Recruitment Applications are accepted continuously, with no application deadline. You may apply for many of the licensed Health Care professions at anytime. Job Postings Notices of vacancies available in departments are posted on this page.
Winter- Snow Removal, parking etc. | Town of Clarence
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The Town of Clarence Highway Deparment has an employee assigned 24/7 in the winter months to watch the road contitions and we coordinate with all local agencies - State, and County to provide the safest roads as possible. Most of the snowplow routes can be plowed in approximately four (4) hours after the snow stops.
Additional Records
Tax Maps | Real Property Tax Services
Official Free
The Department of Real Property Tax Services maintains the tax maps covering all municipalities within Erie County and provides updated maps to local assessors. The maps indicate property lines, right of way lines, property dimensions and acreage, stream and lake boundaries, special district lines, and Section - Block - Lot information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find Erie County property records?
Erie County property records are maintained by the County Clerk, which records deeds, mortgages, and liens. Search the Real Property Information portal directly: https://paytax.erie.gov/webprop/ecgov_pg1.asp?owner=FAGARASZ+WILLIAM+A+++&sblkey=1438013351900003003000++++&street=74+W+MAIN+ST.
Can my employer see a sealed record in New York?
Generally, most private employers running a standard name-based check cannot see a sealed New York record. However, government employers, law enforcement, schools, healthcare facilities, and any role requiring a fingerprint-based check can see sealed records under specific statutory exemptions. Confirm specifics with the sealing court.
Does an arrest show up on a background check before conviction in New York?
Yes — in New York, an arrest can appear on a name-based background check from the moment of booking, even before any court ruling. Whether it appears on an employment screening depends on the type of check (name-based vs. fingerprint-based) and how recent the arrest is.
Are New York criminal records public?
Mostly yes. New York's public-records law makes adult arrests, court filings, and conviction histories accessible to anyone unless a specific statutory exemption applies. Juvenile cases and sealed records are generally excluded by statute.
