Functions of the County Clerk
The Functions of the County Clerk
The functions of the County Clerk’s Office are listed below by section.
Receiving Section
We accept all papers for recording, such as deeds, mortgages and mortgage satisfactions, leases, liens, judgments, and transcripts from other courts. Survey maps, court records, and divorces are on file in this office. Papers are offered through the mail, directly from courts, or in person. The purpose of recording is for the continuity and preservation of the record. Most of these records are open to the public.
Pistol Permit Application & Records
Every pistol permit, issued in Schuyler County is processed beginning in the County Clerks’ Office. Amendments to the permit, name and/or address changes, transfers to/from other counties, as well as suspensions are made through this office. Pistol permit records are kept in the office, the original of each record is sent to the state.
Hunting & Fishing Licenses
An agent for the Department of Environmental Conservation. This involves retail sales of hunting and fishing licenses to the public. Revenues are sent to the state with a small percentage retained by the county.
Passports
Accepts passport applications for forwarding to the appropriate federal authorities for processing. When applied for at the County Clerks’ Office, a portion of the fee stays in the county. We also take photos for the passports.
Notaries
This office; notifies notaries public of their appointments by the Secretary of State, qualifies notaries and maintains record of them.
Oath of Office
All county officials and employees as well as some other government subdivisions file an oath of office with the County Clerk.
Veterans Discharge Records
Veterans may have their discharge papers filed with the County Clerk. Copies of these records are filed and machine duplicates are certified and made available upon request. There is no charge for either the filing or the copies.
Business Names & Certificates of Incorporation
Business Certificates ("Doing Business As" or DBAs) can be filed with the clerk to register and protect the name of the business. When a DBA is filed and the business ceases to exist, a discontinuance should also be filed. Certificates of Incorporation are filed and indexed in this office. These records have been recorded since 1855.
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Section
Files and maintains an index of financing statements and related papers under the Uniform Commercial Code.
Mortgage Tax & Real Estate Transfer Tax
Assesses and records distribution of mortgage tax and real estate transfer tax collected in Schuyler County. The transfer tax is remitted to the state with a small portion retained by the county. The mortgage tax is divided between the county, the towns, and the state.
Records Available for Research
Records of documents filed with the county clerk have been retained since 1855 when Schuyler became a county. The permanent records have been microfilmed to protect the document as well as serve as security against the information being destroyed. There is a wealth of information available for genealogy, local history, and legal concerns. The county clerk maintains, by name, an index of deeds, leases, mortgages, judgments, federal tax liens, court proceedings, business names, and corporations. The indices are the official record concerning the title to real property within the county. The indices for the county date from 1855. There are transcribed copies of indices from Steuben, Chemung, and Tompkins Counties, the three counties from which Schuyler was formed.
Census Records
These are the local censuses from the years 1855, 1860, 1864, 1870, 1875, 1880, 1915, and 1925. These records are used frequently by genealogy researchers and occasionally these records can prove a person’s existence if a birth certificate is not available.
Naturalization Records
These records contain applications for citizenship, declarations of intentions to become a citizen, and petitions that date from 1864 through 1954.
