Yates County Court Records Search

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    Yates County, New York, sits along the western shores of Seneca and Keuka Lakes in the Finger Lakes region. Its multi-tiered court system produces and preserves legal records across criminal, civil, family, and probate matters. These records — case filings, pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, transcripts, and other court instruments — form the official documentation of everything that happens in the county's courts. They serve as the foundation for case research, title searches, background inquiries, and public accountability.

    If you're looking into Yates County court cases, you can use a mix of official online tools, in-person visits to court offices, and formal written requests under New York's open records laws. Clerk offices maintain physical case files and document archives, while state-run digital portals let you look up case summaries remotely. For an overview of publicly available case information across New York, NewYorkCourts.us can help you find the right court resources and search tools before reaching out to a specific office.

    How to Look Up a Court Case in Yates County?

    You can search for Yates County court cases through several official online platforms run by the New York State Unified Court System, or you can visit the County Clerk's Office in person.

    Online Search Options:

    • WebCivil Local — covers civil cases filed in local courts statewide, including Yates County. You can search by index number, party name, attorney or firm, judge, or court.
    • WebCivil Supreme — covers Supreme Court civil cases. In Yates County, attorneys must start Supreme Court civil cases through the New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) system, which became mandatory for all civil case types effective February 16, 2021. Unrepresented parties can still file on paper or voluntarily opt into e-filing.
    • WebCriminal — shows information on criminal cases with upcoming appearance dates in select New York courts.
    • New York e-Courts portal — a central hub that links to all online case search tools, including WebCivil Local, WebCivil Supreme, WebCriminal, WebFamily, and WebSurrogate.

    In-Person Records Access:

    The Yates County Clerk's Office is the main repository for Supreme Court and County Court records. Staff can pull up civil and criminal case files during regular business hours.

    Yates County Clerk's Office
    Address: 417 Liberty Street, Suite 1107, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 536-5120
    Hours: Monday–Friday (call ahead; appointments preferred for pistol permits and passport transactions)

    Land and court records are also searchable online through the county's vendor platform SearchIQS, which provides access to deeds, mortgages, civil judgments, liens, and related instruments recorded in Yates County.

    Are Court Records Public in Yates County?

    New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), codified under Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, gives the public the right to inspect and copy records held by government agencies — including court-related records maintained by the County Clerk. As a general rule, Yates County court records are publicly accessible, but several important categories are restricted or sealed.

    Records available to the public through the Yates County Clerk's Office include:

    • Civil case files (except sealed cases)
    • Criminal case files (except sealed records)
    • Civil judgments, federal tax liens, state tax warrants, and mechanics liens
    • Doing-business-as (DBA) certificates and incorporations
    • Land records including deeds and mortgages

    Records restricted from general public access include:

    • Divorce files — available only to the attorneys of record and the parties directly involved
    • Sexual abuse files — sealed by operation of law
    • Youthful offender files — sealed by the presiding judge
    • Cases sealed by court order — the clerk cannot disclose the contents of any judicially sealed file
    • Pistol permit files — available to the applicant only
    • Military discharge records — accessible only by the applicant, or by a family member who submits a death certificate

    Vital records have their own statutory restrictions under New York law. Birth records aren't available to the general public until 75 years after the event, and death records are restricted for 50 years. Marriage records follow separate access rules depending on the filing date and where the record is held.

    You can submit FOIL requests to Yates County government agencies through the county's online FOIL request form. For records held by the courts themselves, direct your request to the applicable court clerk.

    Yates County Criminal Court Records

    Criminal cases in Yates County are heard by the County Court for felony matters and by the various Town and Village Courts for misdemeanors, violations, and traffic infractions. The Yates County Clerk's Office maintains criminal case files for County Court proceedings.

    County Court Criminal Records:

    Criminal case files held by the Yates County Clerk are publicly accessible unless they've been sealed. You can visit the Clerk's Office (417 Liberty St., Suite 1107, Penn Yan) with a case number or the defendant's name to view or get copies. Copy fees apply per the county's published fee schedule.

    Arrest Records:

    Arrest records and incident reports are kept by the arresting agency, not the court clerk. For arrest records generated by the Yates County Sheriff, contact:

    Yates County Sheriff's Office
    Address: 227 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 536-4438
    Civil Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

    The Sheriff's Office processes FOIL requests for law enforcement records. You can submit the county FOIL request form or contact the office directly. Payment — cash, certified checks, or money orders payable to the Yates County Sheriff — is required when you pick up the records.

    Town and Village Courts:

    Lower-level criminal matters are heard at the local level. Key courts and contacts include:

    Court

    Address

    Phone

    Barrington Town Court

    4424 Old Bath Rd., Penn Yan, NY 14527

    (607) 243-8959

    Benton Town Court

    1000 Route 14A, Penn Yan, NY 14527

    (315) 536-7236

    Italy Town Court

    6060 Italy Valley Rd., Naples, NY 14512

    (585) 374-6194

    Jerusalem Town Court

    3816 Italy Hill Rd., Branchport, NY 14418

    (315) 595-6102

    Milo Town Court

    137 Main St., Penn Yan, NY 14527

    (315) 531-8816

    Penn Yan Village Court

    111 Elm St., Penn Yan, NY 14527

    (315) 536-7243

    Starkey Town Court

    40 Seneca St., Dundee, NY 14837

    (607) 243-5344

    Torrey Town Court

    56 Geneva St., Dresden, NY 14441

    (315) 536-5655

    Each Town and Village Court maintains its own records through its individual court clerk. Contact the relevant court directly for information about how to access their files.

    Yates County Civil Court Records

    Civil matters in Yates County — contract disputes, property actions, personal injury claims, small claims, and civil equity proceedings — are handled by the Supreme Court and County Court at the higher level, and by Town and Village Courts for smaller monetary disputes.

    The Yates County Clerk's Office maintains Supreme and County Court civil records. Attorneys must file Supreme Court civil cases through NYSCEF, which makes those filings accessible through the electronic system for cases where documents haven't been restricted. You can find case summaries using WebCivil Supreme and WebCivil Local.

    To request civil court record copies in person:

    • Visit the Yates County Clerk's Office at 417 Liberty Street, Suite 1107, Penn Yan, during business hours
    • Provide the case index number or the names of the parties involved
    • Let the staff know whether you need plain copies or certified copies
    • Pay the fees listed on the county's published fee schedule

    Land records and civil instruments — including judgments, tax liens, mechanics liens, and DBA certificates — are searchable through the SearchIQS portal. Deeds recorded since July 2001 and mortgages recorded since October 1998 are available as digital images. Anything recorded earlier is kept in bound books (libers) and must be reviewed in the public records room at the Clerk's Office.

    Property assessment records and tax-related documents are held by separate county offices:

    Yates County Real Property Office
    Address: 417 Liberty Street, Suite 1093, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 536-5165

    Yates County Treasurer's Office
    Address: 417 Liberty Street, Suite 1076, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 531-3205
    Fax: (315) 536-5527

    Yates County Family Court Records

    The Yates County Family Court operates out of 415 Liberty Street in Penn Yan and handles matters involving children and families. One important point: the Family Court cannot grant divorces — divorce proceedings must be filed in Supreme Court.

    Yates County Family Court
    Address: 415 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 835-6314
    Fax: (315) 835-6320
    Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    Judge: Hon. Mackenzie M. Stutzman (with Hon. Barry L. Porsch serving as Acting Family Court Judge)

    The Family Court handles child custody and visitation, child support, paternity, family offense (domestic violence) proceedings, juvenile delinquency, persons in need of supervision (PINS), and foster care matters. The court also partners with the Center for Dispute Settlement to offer mediation for custody and visitation disputes as an alternative to going through full litigation.

    Divorce records — including divorce decrees filed through the Supreme Court — are maintained by the Yates County Clerk's Office, but access is restricted to the parties involved and their attorneys of record. The general public cannot view divorce files at the clerk's office. Case summaries for divorce matters may show up in WebCivil Supreme when searched by index number, but the underlying documents are not publicly available.

    Marriage records in Yates County are not held by the County Clerk — they're filed with the Town Clerk of the municipality where the marriage license was obtained. For marriages from 1908 to 1935, paper copies were sent to the County Clerk and are archived there; records from 1880 to 1907 are on microfilm held by the County. For current certified marriage certificates, contact the relevant Town Clerk directly.

    For marriages documented by the New York State Department of Health (which maintains statewide records from 1880 onward), you can request certified copies by mail:

    New York State Department of Health — Vital Records Certification Unit
    Address: P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602

    • Completed marriage record request form (DOH-4382)
    • Copy of valid government-issued photo ID
    • $30.00 money order or check payable to NYS Department of Health

    Access to state-held marriage records is limited to the named spouses, persons with a documented judicial purpose, or individuals with a court order. You can request birth certificates using form DOH-4380, and death certificates using form DOH-4376, both at the same $30.00 fee per copy and subject to the same eligibility restrictions. Under New York law, birth records are restricted for 75 years and death records for 50 years from the date of the event before they're open to general public inquiry.

    For vital records specific to Yates County, the Yates County Clerk's Vital Records archive holds historical birth, death, and marriage indices dating back to 1847. These are available for genealogical research subject to the applicable restrictions, and the office can issue transcripts of early journal entries for a small fee.

    Yates County Probate Court Records

    Probate matters in Yates County — including estate administration, will probation, guardianship appointments, conservatorships, and adoptions — fall under the Yates County Surrogate's Court.

    Yates County Surrogate's Court
    Address: 415 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    Phone: (315) 835-6321
    Fax: (315) 835-6322
    Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    Judge: Hon. Mackenzie M. Stutzman

    The Surrogate's Court resolves disputes over wills, oversees estate administration, appoints guardians for minors and incapacitated persons, and handles adoptions in Yates County. When someone dies without a will (intestate), the court appoints an administrator to distribute the estate under New York's intestacy statutes.

    Searching probate records:

    • Online: Use WebSurrogate through the New York e-Courts portal to search Surrogate's Court case information by party name or case number.
    • In person: Visit the Surrogate's Court clerk at 415 Liberty Street to view case files during business hours.
    • Historical probate records: The Yates County Office of Public History holds early Surrogate Court packets — lettered A through E — documenting estates and guardian appointments from the county's organization in 1823 through approximately the 1920s. The Surrogate Court estates page on the county website provides name indices for searching these historical records.

    To request copies of probate case documents:

    • Have the decedent's name and approximate date of death or estate filing year ready
    • Call the Surrogate's Court clerk at (315) 835-6321 to confirm the record is available
    • Visit in person or mail a written request to the court at 415 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
    • Pay copy fees when the documents are released

    Certain Surrogate's Court records — particularly those involving adoptions and sealed guardianship matters — are confidential and unavailable to the general public without a court order. The court clerk can confirm whether a given case exists and explain the appropriate access procedure.