Allegany County Court Records Search
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Allegany County, New York, occupies the southwestern tier of the state, with Belmont serving as the county seat. The county’s judiciary is anchored by a Supreme Court, a County Court, a Family Court, a Surrogate’s Court, and an extensive network of town and village courts spread across the county’s many small municipalities. Court records from these courts document the full range of civil, criminal, family, and probate proceedings initiated within county boundaries, and they serve as permanent evidence of legal outcomes, orders, and judicial decisions.
Residents and researchers in New York have several ways to locate court case information. NewYorkCourts.us can help orient users to publicly available court resources and statewide judicial information. Beyond that reference, records can be accessed through the Allegany County Clerk’s Office, the individual courts themselves, public access terminals at the courthouse, and through the county’s official online search portal. The appropriate starting point depends on which court handled the matter in question.
How to Look Up a Court Case in Allegany County?
The primary gateway for most Allegany County court records is the Allegany County Clerk’s Office, which maintains filings for Supreme Court and County Court civil matters, property records, judgments, and divorce records. For criminal court records, those are maintained separately and must be requested through the court or the relevant criminal justice office.
Online Search
The county’s Search Online Records portal provides electronic access to a range of document types, including:
- Civil action indices from 1986 onward, with viewable documents from September 1995
- Deeds, indices, and viewable documents from 1807 to present
- Mortgage indices and viewable documents from 1807 to present
- Judgment documents from 2000 to present
- Federal tax lien documents from July 1966 to present
- UCC filings with viewable documents from August 1988 to present
- DBA (assumed name) records from 1945 to present
- Assignment of mortgage and discharge of mortgage documents from 2004 and 2002 onward, respectively
Records not available in the online portal — including older civil filings — must be retrieved through in-person or mail requests at the Clerk’s Office.
In-Person and Mail Requests
Allegany County Clerk’s Office
Address: 7 Court Street, Room 18, Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: (585) 268-9270
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (open during lunch hour)
To request records by mail, include relevant identifying details such as case numbers, party names, or approximate filing dates, along with payment for applicable fees. Credit and debit card payments are accepted in person and by mail (using a credit card authorization form available through the office), subject to a 2.95% service fee with a $3.99 minimum. Cash, checks, and money orders are also accepted, made payable to the Allegany County Clerk.
Important: Allegany County does not participate in e-filing or the Electronic Document Delivery System (EDDS). All filings are accepted in person or by mail only. To commence an action in Supreme or County Court, an Application for Index Number must accompany your initial documents.
For scheduling questions related to court proceedings, contact the Allegany County Supreme Court directly at (585) 449-3416.
Are Court Records Public in Allegany County?
New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) establishes the baseline rule that government records — including most court records — are presumptively open to public inspection. Under FOIL, any person may submit a request for records maintained by a public agency, and that agency must respond within five business days.
However, several categories of records are withheld or redacted to protect individual privacy and institutional interests:
- Juvenile delinquency and child protective records — confidential under New York Family Court Act provisions
- Adoption records — sealed by statute; accessible only by court order
- Divorce records — treated as sealed in New York State, requiring identity verification for any copies
- Medical and mental health records — protected under state and federal law
- Active criminal investigative records — exempt to the extent disclosure would interfere with ongoing law enforcement activity
- Grand jury materials — sealed under New York Criminal Procedure Law
- Records of personal privacy — information whose disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy may be withheld or redacted
When a record contains both public and restricted content, the custodian may redact the protected portions and release the remainder. Requesters denied access have the right to appeal to the relevant agency’s appeals officer and, if necessary, to pursue an Article 78 proceeding in State Supreme Court.
Allegany County Criminal Court Records
Felony criminal matters in Allegany County are handled by the Allegany County Court, while the Allegany County Supreme Court has concurrent jurisdiction over felonies and handles grand jury proceedings. Both courts are located in the Allegany County Courthouse. Misdemeanor and violation-level matters are typically handled by the town and village courts. The County Clerk maintains civil records for those courts but criminal records are handled separately through the court clerks.
Allegany County Supreme Court
Address: 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: (585) 449-3462
Fax: (585) 449-3474
Allegany County Court
Address: 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: (585) 449-3462
Fax: (585) 449-3474
Sheriff’s Office and Arrest Records
The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Scott A. Cicirello, is the primary law enforcement agency for the county and maintains jail and arrest records. The department is located at 4884 State Route 19S, Belmont, NY 14813-9506.
Key contact numbers within the Sheriff’s Office:
| Division | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General / Jail | (585) 268-9200 | — |
| 911 Non-Emergency Dispatch | (585) 268-9600 | — |
| Administration / Pistol Permits | (585) 268-9204 | Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| Civil Office | (585) 268-9202 | Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| Fax | (585) 268-9484 | — |
The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office website provides an inmate search tool for those seeking current custody information. New York State DOCCS also maintains a statewide incarcerated individual lookup for those in state custody. Public records requests to the Sheriff’s Office can be submitted through the office’s online FOIL request system, also accessible through the Sheriff’s website.
Town and Village Courts
Minor criminal matters — including traffic violations and local ordinance infractions — are resolved in one of the county’s many town and village courts. A selection of these courts and their contact information is listed below:
| Court | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Alfred Town & Village Court | 7 West University St, Alfred, NY 14802 | (607) 587-9142 |
| Andover Town Court | 22 East Greenwood St, P.O. Box 777, Andover, NY 14806 | (607) 478-8446 |
| Bolivar Town Court | 252 Main Street, Bolivar, NY 14715 | (585) 928-1023 |
| Cuba Town Court | 15 Water Street, Cuba, NY 14727 | (585) 968-1690 |
| Amity / Belmont Village Court | 1 Schuyler Street, Belmont, NY 14813 | (585) 268-5305 |
| Angelica Town & Village Court | 49 Park Circle, Angelica, NY 14709 | (585) 466-7928 |
Allegany County Civil Court Records
The County Clerk serves as the official custodian for civil court records filed in the Allegany County Supreme Court and County Court, with the exception of criminal records. Civil records maintained by the County Clerk’s Office include actions dating back to 1806, though the cases are not organized alphabetically — they fall in chronological order of occurrence.
Civil Filing Fees (Allegany County Clerk)
Based on the county’s fee schedule, key civil filing fees include:
- Index Number Application (Supreme or County Court): $210.00
- Foreclosure action filing: $400.00
- Plain copy of any recorded or filed paper: $0.65 per page ($1.30 minimum)
- Certified copy of filed paper: $1.25 per page ($5.00 minimum)
The county clerk’s court filings page provides the complete fee schedule and the printable Application for Index Number form. Self-represented litigants seeking standardized court forms should use the New York Courts DIY forms resource, as the County Clerk’s Office does not supply or complete forms on behalf of members of the public.
Civil case records are searchable through the county’s online records portal for matters indexed from 1986 onward, with document images available for cases filed from September 1995 forward. For older civil records, in-person research at the Clerk’s Office is required. Requests may be submitted in person at 7 Court Street, Room 18, Belmont, or by mail with applicable identifying information and payment.
Allegany County Family Court Records
The Allegany County Family Court is the venue for all matters involving children and family relationships in the county. Proceedings heard by this court include child custody and visitation disputes, child support orders, juvenile delinquency proceedings, family offense petitions (domestic violence), child abuse and neglect cases, foster care placements and reviews, guardianship of minors, and adoptions.
Allegany County Family Court
Address: 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: (585) 449-3432
Fax: (585) 449-3470
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Because many Family Court proceedings involve minors or sensitive family circumstances, access to Family Court records is more restricted than general civil or criminal court records. Juvenile delinquency records are confidential under New York law. Parties to a proceeding and their attorneys typically have access to case files; members of the general public may face significant restrictions depending on the nature of the case.
Divorce Records
Divorce actions are processed through the Supreme Court and filed with the County Clerk. Because New York treats divorce records as sealed, the Clerk’s Office requires identity verification before releasing copies. For in-person requests, a valid photo ID must be presented. For mail-in requests, a notarized letter confirming the requester’s identity (or that of an authorized representative) is required. Copy fees are:
- Plain copy: $0.65 per page, with a $1.30 minimum
- Certified copy: $1.25 per page, with a $5.00 minimum
The New York Department of Health maintains a divorce index for informational purposes and also provides access to certified divorce certificates for more recent records. For self-represented individuals, the uncontested divorce DIY program on the NY Courts website is a useful resource for initiating the process.
Marriage Records
The Allegany County Clerk’s Office holds marriage records only for the years 1908 through April 1935. For marriages outside that range, contact the Town or Village Clerk where the license was issued, or submit a request to the New York Department of Health’s vital records office, which maintains records for marriages registered statewide.
Birth and Death Records
The County Clerk’s Office holds no birth or death records. These are maintained by the Registrar of Vital Statistics in the town, village, or city where the event occurred, and by the New York State Department of Health, Office of Vital Records in Albany. Access to birth records is restricted to the named individual (if 18 or older), parents, legal guardians, or those with a documented legal claim. Death records are sealed 50 years after the date of death. Requests must be submitted with a valid photo ID, proof of eligibility, and payment.
Allegany County Probate Court Records
Probate and estate matters in Allegany County are heard by the Allegany County Surrogate’s Court, which exercises exclusive jurisdiction over the probate of wills, administration of decedents’ estates, adoptions, and guardianships of minors. The court is located in the Allegany County Courthouse.
Allegany County Surrogate’s Court
Address: 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: (585) 449-3464
Fax: (585) 449-3471
The Surrogate’s Court handles the following categories of proceedings:
- Probate of wills — verifying the validity of a decedent’s last will and testament
- Administration of intestate estates — managing the assets of those who died without a will
- Voluntary administration of small estates (Affidavit procedure for qualifying estates)
- Guardianships and conservatorships for minors
- Adoption proceedings
- Wrongful death settlement approvals on behalf of estates
Probate records are generally accessible to the public, as they are considered part of the court’s public record. To request records from the Surrogate’s Court, contact the court directly at (585) 449-3464 during regular business hours. Mail requests should include the decedent’s full name, approximate date of death, and any known case or file numbers to facilitate retrieval. Probate case records that have been indexed in the County Clerk’s online system are also searchable through the Search Online Records portal.
The Allegany County Clerk’s Records page notes that court records in the county fall in chronological order of their occurrence as far back as 1806, making precise identifying information particularly helpful when searching older estate files. For complex matters involving contested wills, trust disputes, or estate litigation, consulting a licensed New York attorney is strongly advisable, as Surrogate’s Court procedures involve specific statutory deadlines and filing requirements.