Yates County Court Records Search
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Yates County, New York, situated along the western shores of Seneca and Keuka Lakes in the Finger Lakes region, maintains a multi-tiered court system that generates and preserves legal records across criminal, civil, family, and probate matters. Court records in Yates County encompass the official documentation of judicial proceedings — case filings, pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, transcripts, and other instruments created or filed in connection with cases heard before the county's courts. These records serve as the legal foundation for case histories, title searches, background inquiries, and public accountability.
Individuals researching Yates County court cases can use a combination 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 repositories, while state-operated digital portals allow remote access to case summaries. For an overview of publicly accessible case information across New York, NewYorkCourts.us may help users orient themselves toward available court resources and search tools before contacting a specific office.
How to Look Up a Court Case in Yates County?
Court case searches in Yates County can be conducted through several official online platforms maintained by the New York State Unified Court System, as well as in person at the County Clerk's Office.
Online Search Options:
- WebCivil Local — searches civil cases filed in local courts statewide, including Yates County. Users can search by index number, party name, attorney or firm, judge, or court.
- WebCivil Supreme — covers Supreme Court civil cases. Yates County Supreme Court cases filed by attorneys must be commenced through the New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) system, which became mandatory for all civil case types in Yates County effective February 16, 2021. Unrepresented parties may continue to file paper cases or opt into e-filing voluntarily.
- WebCriminal — provides information on criminal cases with future appearance dates in select New York courts.
- New York e-Courts portal — a central hub linking 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 primary custodian of Supreme Court and County Court records. Staff can locate civil and criminal case files upon request 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, establishes the public's right to inspect and copy records held by government agencies, including court-related records maintained by the County Clerk. As a general rule, court records in Yates County 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 (with the exception of sealed cases)
- Criminal case files (with the exception of 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 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 upon submission of a death certificate
Vital records carry their own statutory restrictions under New York law. Birth records are not available to the general public until 75 years after the event, and death records are restricted for 50 years. Marriage records have separate access rules depending on the filing date and where the record is held.
FOIL requests directed to Yates County government agencies can be submitted through the county's online FOIL request form. For records held by the courts themselves, separate requests should be directed 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 the criminal case files for County Court proceedings.
County Court Criminal Records:
Criminal case files held by the Yates County Clerk are publicly accessible unless sealed. You can appear in person at the Clerk's Office (417 Liberty St., Suite 1107, Penn Yan) with a case number or the defendant's name to view or obtain copies. Copy fees apply per the county's published fee schedule.
Arrest Records:
Arrest records and incident reports are maintained by the arresting agency, not the court clerk. For Yates County Sheriff-generated arrest records, 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 handles FOIL requests for law enforcement records. You may 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 upon retrieval.
Town and Village Courts:
Lower-level criminal matters are heard locally. 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 |
Records from Town and Village Courts are held by the individual court clerk for each jurisdiction. Contact the relevant court directly for access procedures.
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 matters.
Supreme and County Court civil records are maintained by the Yates County Clerk's Office. Attorneys must file Supreme Court civil cases through NYSCEF, making filings publicly accessible through that system for cases where documents have not been restricted. Case summaries can be found 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
- Indicate whether you need plain copies or certified copies
- Pay applicable fees per 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 and mortgages recorded since July 2001 (for deeds) and October 1998 (for mortgages) are available as digital images. Earlier recordings are maintained in bound books (libers) and must be reviewed at the public records room in 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, operating from 415 Liberty Street in Penn Yan, handles matters involving children and families. It is important to note that 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 has jurisdiction over 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 partners with the Center for Dispute Settlement to offer mediation for custody and visitation disputes as an alternative to full litigation.
Divorce records — including divorce decrees filed through the Supreme Court — are maintained by the Yates County Clerk's Office but are restricted to the parties involved and their attorneys of record. The general public cannot access divorce files through the clerk's office. Case summaries for divorce matters may appear in WebCivil Supreme for index number lookups, but the underlying documents are not publicly available.
Marriage records in Yates County are not held by the County Clerk — they are 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 (records maintained statewide from 1880 onward), certified copies can be requested 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 restricted to the named spouses, persons with a documented judicial purpose, or those holding a court order. Birth certificates can be requested using form DOH-4380, and death certificates using form DOH-4376, both subject to the same $30.00 fee per copy and 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 become available to general public inquiry.
For vital records involving Yates County specifically, the Yates County Clerk's Vital Records archive holds historical birth, death, and marriage indices dating to 1847. These records 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 the administration of decedent estates, will probation, guardianship appointments, conservatorships, and adoptions — fall under the jurisdiction of 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 hears disputes over wills, supervises the administration of estates, appoints guardians for minors and incapacitated persons, and handles adoptions in Yates County. When a person dies without a will (intestate), the court oversees the appointment of 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:
- Identify the decedent's name and approximate date of death or estate filing year
- Contact the Surrogate's Court clerk at (315) 835-6321 to confirm record availability
- Visit in person or submit a written request to the court at 415 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
- Pay applicable copy fees upon document release
Certain Surrogate's Court records — particularly those involving adoptions and sealed guardianship matters — are confidential and not available to the general public without a court order. The court clerk can confirm whether a given case exists and advise on the appropriate access procedure.