Court/Land Records

Last Updated: 11/2023

The Jefferson County Clerk’s Office is operating by appointment only.

You can schedule your appointment at https://jeffersoncountyclerksoffice.setmore.com/ or by calling 315-785-3312, Option 2.

Disclaimer: Employees of the Jefferson County Clerk's Office are NOT attorneys,

therefore, we cannot give legal advice.

Preview our Fee Schedule to confirm filing & recording fees. 

Click here to view our Payment for Services Policy.

If you have any questions about the below information, please feel free to email us at jeffcoclerksoffice@co.jefferson.ny.us  or call us at 315-785-3312, Option 2.

Court Records:

Court Fine Collection: If a Court Fine has been issued by County Court, that fine is filed in our office and can be paid to our office during regular business hours. Before making an appointment to submit your first payment please call our office so that we can confirm the fine is on file. If you are unable to make a payment in person, email or call our office and we will discuss other payment options with you.

File Court Documents: New cases started with the Supreme and County Courts are filed in our office. Documents may be submitted to our office in person, by mail or electronically via NYSCEF (see below for E-Filing info). All submitted filings must be original and have the assigned Index Number on the first page of every document except for commencement documents. The Jefferson County Supreme Court has developed additional instruction for Matrimonial (Divorce) cases which can be found here.

*Our office does not provide Court documents. For more information and printable forms, visit www.nycourthelp.gov 

E-Filing: The Jefferson County Clerk's Office is pleased to announce that we began Mandatory E-Filing through the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system (NYSCEF) on January 24, 2018. Visit NYSCEF to get started today!

Judgments & Executions: There are two types of Judgments that our office files. A Judgment can be ordered in a Civil Matter and will be filed in the case and issue an Instrument number. The other type is issued by the City, Town or Village Courts and is called a transcript of judgment. The fee to file this in our office is $10.00. For our office to issue an income execution or property execution, there is an additional $5.00 fee. If you are requesting our office to issue an income execution or property execution please complete the Creditor Affidavit for Execution Form.

Small Claim Assessment Review (SCAR) Petition: Petitions for a small claims assessment review are filed in our office for a fee of $30.00. The New York State website for the Office of Real Property Services (ORPS) has more information about SCAR Petitions, the required forms can be found at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/litigants/scar/petitions.shtml.

Land Records:

DBA: Assumed Name Certificates are more commonly known as DBA's or "Doing Business As" Filings. This form is a legal document, that when filed in our office, will reserve your business name in Jefferson County. Forms are available in our office, or they can be downloaded through this site. Please click here for the appropriate form. Assumed Name Certificates, and Amended Certificates are $25.00 to file plus $1.00 for two time-stamped copies. Discontinuances, individual or partnership, are no charge.

*** We do NOT accept checks as payment for filing DBA certificates***

Completed forms can be mailed to our office with payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope. If you do not have an envelope, please add $1.00 postage to your payment.

For more information on how to start your business, or questions about obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN), please visit the Small Business Development Center.

Corporations & Limited Liability Companies: Corporations and Limited Liability Companies are all filed through New York State. Please call NYS at (518)473-2492 or visit their website.

Click here for the Newspaper Delegations that Limited Liability Companies (LLC's) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP's) are required, by law, to publish notices in.

Deeds: A Deed is a written instrument by which a person transfers ownership of real property to another. Deeds must be accompanied by two New York State forms to be recorded. One is a Real Property Transfer Form known as an RP-5217. Jefferson County currently requires everyone recording a new deed to use the downloadable one-page RP-5217-PDF form. The other is a Transfer Tax Affidavit known as a TP-584. If the seller is a non-New York State Resident, an IT-2663 must also accompany the deed, you can access these forms here.

***Effective March 11, 2020 there will be a $10 fee added to all residential deed recordings***

E-Recording: The Jefferson County Clerk's Office started accepting E-Recorded documents from the below vendors on June 1, 2015.

Maps: Subdivision maps are required to be filed before a portion of the property can be sold, put up for sale, leased or rented. Not all Towns or Villages in Jefferson County have a subdivision law, but either way the map will still need to be signed by the appropriate Planning Board Chairperson. For more requirements, please view our full list of Subdivision Map Requirements. The Survey Map Affidavit is required to file any map within the Jefferson County Clerk's Office.

Military Discharge – DD214: Military Discharges, also known as DD214's, can be filed in our office by the veteran or by anyone with a relationship to the veteran. Images of these documents are kept here permanently, therefore any veteran, or their designated agent, may obtain a copy or certified copy of their discharge. There is no charge for filing these records or for obtaining copies of them.

Notary: Notary Publics are commissioned by the Secretary of State, in the County where they reside. Please visit the NYS Division of Licensing Services website for more information on how to become a Notary. The term of a Notary Public is currently four years, and the fee to renew the license is $60.00. Approximately three months before the expiration of a Notary's term, their renewal application is mailed or emailed to them. As of September 1st 2023, Notry Renewals MUST be processed online at https://www.businessexpress.ny.gov/app/answers/cms/a_id/2561/kw/notary.

In New York State, the County Clerk maintains a record of all notary commissions and Notary signatures within their county. These are considered public records and may be requested to verify the "official" signature of the notary. Notaries residing in one county but notarizing primarily in another county, may wish to file a "Certificate of Official Character" with the other county. The fee to file a "Certificate of Official Character" in our County is $10.00. There is a $5.00 fee for our office to issue this document for filing in another county.

The Jefferson County Clerk's Office, by law, must offer Notary Public Services. These services are completely free of charge. When bringing in documents to have them notarized, please make sure of the following:

  • The documents must be completely filled out but NOT signed.

  • Bring a valid photo ID with a signature.

The County Clerk's Office also provides "Notarial Certificates", this is generally required to obtain an apostille. There is a $3.00 fee to provide this service. A Notarial Certificate is an authentication of a notary's signature and attestation of the notary's authority to sign.

Oaths: All Oaths of Office to be recorded with the Jefferson County Clerk's Office should be obtained below. These forms need to be completed and signed before a Notary then filed in our office either in person or by mail. Please note that there is a separate form for Commissioner of Deeds and Registrar of Vital Statistics.

Oath of Office Form

Oath of Office Form - Commissioner of Deeds

Oath of Office Form - Registrar of Vital Statistics

It is important that all elected and appointed officers of local governments execute a timely oath of office. Actions taken by a public body can be compromised if all voting officers have not been sworn in.

• Section 10 of NYS Public Officers Law requires "Every officer shall take and file the oath of office required by law...". It further states "... of every officer of a municipal corporation, including a school district, with the clerk thereof; and every other officer, including the trustees and officers of a public library and the officers of boards of cooperative educational services, in the office of the clerk of the county in which he shall reside, if no place be otherwise provided by law for the filing thereof."
• Section 30(1)(a) states "His refusal or neglect to file his official oath or undertaking, if one is required, before and within thirty days after the commencement of the term of office for which he is chosen, if elective office, or if an appointed office, within thirty days after notice of his appointment, or within thirty days after the commencement of such term."

The following officers must file with the County Clerk in Jefferson County: 

• Town Justice
• Town Clerk
• Deputy Town Clerk
• Trustees of Public Library
• Notaries Public
• Commissioner of Deeds
• Registrar of Vital Statistics
• Deputy Registrar
• Assistant Registrar
• County Legislators
• Members of All County Boards
• County Officers
• County Judges
• Any Other Office Designated by Law

Power of Attorney: Power of Attorney's can be recorded here in the Jefferson County Clerk's Office. There are two major reasons why this is done. The first is that many businesses require a recorded power of attorney in order for real estate transactions to be conducted and the other is to safeguard the important document. If it is ever lost or destroyed, an individual may obtain a certified copy of the recorded power of attorney from our office, which works just as well as an original. The current Power of Attorney form approved by NYS can be found here.