Search Chemung County, NY Property Records

Property records in Chemung County, New York, do not sit in one place. Deeds and similar filings fall under several county offices, while assessment data, zoning regulations, permits, and land development records tend to live with municipal departments.

Local market signifies that homes carry a median value of $126,500.00, while the typical monthly rent runs $1,036.00. The average household income in the region is $64,528.00, and homeowners pay an average of 2.57% a year in property taxes.

Residents in Chemung County, NY, can access property records through web-based options and requests directed to custodian offices.

Researchers can use the official service link on the County Clerk's Online Records Search page to locate recorded documents. Searches on this tool can be based on party names, document types, or date of recording.

Assessment data, tax information, parcel description, and historical transactional data regarding parcels are provided in the Property Search. This database accepts using the owner name, street address, tax map ID, or SBL (Section-Block-Lot) as search criteria.

If researchers want additional records beyond those available online, it may be necessary to visit the county office during its normal working hours. Some offices also receive requests via mail or email.

Using PropertyChecker is another way to do property research. It collects property research information from multiple sources and may return ownership data, lien information, sales histories, and neighborhood data, all within one search box.

Not all property information in the county is readily available for viewing online. Some platforms will only display the complete document after paying a fee, while many of the older (historic) documents would need to be viewed at the office. Some records may have legal/administrative restrictions that limit access to those allowed to view the documents.

Property Ownership and Title Information

Property ownership information within Chemung County is maintained through the County Clerk. This office holds all of the recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, releases, liens) associated with real property. A researcher can recreate a parcel’s chain of title by going sequentially through each of the recorded documents.

Researchers may access these records at the office located in downtown Elmira during regular business hours. They may use the online search portal available on the Online Records Search page for online access.

Property Sales and Transaction History

Property sales and related activity in Chemung County are found in the Property Search database. The sales portion of this tool can return dates of sale, amounts received at sale, type of sale, previous owners of the subject property, and the document number referencing the deeds that can be located in the County Clerk’s records.

PropertyChecker can also serve as a resource for locating historical sales and transaction records. It may reveal decades of recorded transfers, which provide details into how the property has moved through different owners and how its recorded value has evolved through time.

Property Tax Assessment and Payment Records

Municipal property tax assessors establish and maintain assessments within their respective limits in Chemung County. The County Real Property Tax Services Department supports these local offices through assessment administration, tax map maintenance, exemption coordination, and equalization services.

Municipal treasurers and tax collectors generally manage the collection of local property taxes for the first few months of the year. After which, the County Treasurer oversees county tax collection and delinquent tax administration.

Researchers seeking assessment and tax information may contact the office responsible for the property's jurisdiction. They may also use the Property Search database, which can provide assessed values, exemption details, and historical tax summaries. The Property Tax Search Inquiry is also available for locating delinquent and town taxes remotely.

Property owners who question an assessment may first discuss the matter with their local assessor. When concerns remain unresolved, a complaint may be submitted to the local Board of Assessment Review during the designated grievance period.

Property Characteristics and Parcel Details

For property characteristics in Chemung County, the Property Search system is the tool to use. Records pulled from the system tend to include the structure's design and year of construction, along with living space, basement, story count, and utility hookups. Many also list interior and exterior features, such as bedroom and bathroom counts, fireplaces, and porch areas.

Parcels can be searched by owner name, address, tax ID, section-block-lot number, and several other criteria.

Zoning, Land Use, and Planning Records

Zoning and planning data management functions are typically conducted by the local government in each municipality located throughout Chemung County.

In the Town of Erin, the Planning Board oversees applications for land development and works within a general long-term planning perspective based upon the comprehensive plan. There is also a Zoning Board that reviews and makes decisions on all variance and zoning-related requests made to the Town.

Additionally, researchers wishing to obtain further guidance on local or regional planning information or referrals to local planners or agencies providing such services may contact the County Planning Department.

Legal Documents Affecting Property

The County Clerk maintains recorded documents that may have a legal impact on real property in Chemung County. Many of these filings are available through the service found on its Online Records Search page.

Common filings include deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens, lis pendens, and other recorded instruments. Reviewing these documents can help identify claims, obligations, or legal actions associated with a parcel before a transaction takes place.

Building Permits, Inspections, and Construction Records

Building permits, as well as all construction-related documents, are administered at the local government level in Chemung County. Each municipality handles permit approval, schedules necessary inspections, and maintains records related to new construction, additions, renovations, or other structure changes.

Elmira City assigns responsibility for the administration of building permits and enforcing all applicable codes during construction to its Code Enforcement Department. Through the department, researchers can receive copies of building permits issued to a particular property, certificates of occupancy issued, and inspection reports.

Maps and Visual Property Data

The County Tax Parcels Map (Parcel Viewer) can provide mapping and visual parcel information within Chemung County. There are currently over 39,000 parcels of land included in this tool. It can provide parcel boundaries, how much each piece of land measures, who owns the property, and its positioning on the map.

The tool allows choosing from multiple map layers to provide more contextual background about the geography of a property. Examples include building footprints and aerial imagery, which could help locate any improvements made to the property over time.

The Chemung County Tax Parcels Map (Parcel Viewer) opens with a legend panel listing every layer currently available, from municipal boundaries to an overlay showing electrical grid data color-coded by megawatt range. Municipality outlines appear in red, while a light green shading marks the county's one-mile buffer zone extending just beyond its border.

Zooming into the Elmira-Corning area reveals the densest cluster of colored lines representing the hosting capacity layer, ranging from dark brown at the lowest capacity up through bright blue at the highest. Toggling individual layers off through the sidebar icons helps simplify the view when only parcel boundaries or municipal lines matter for a specific search.

A toolbar along the left edge offers additional tools, including measurement, bookmarking, and filtering options, while icons on the right side handle zoom and location functions.

Clicking directly within a highlighted municipality or parcel typically surfaces further identifying details tied to that area.

Displayed here are charts summarizing the county's tax rates, accompanied by insights into median home values, income figures, and rent rates.

Median Rent

$1,036.00

New York	$928.25
National	$840.25

• +11.6 %
  vs New York
• +23.3 %
  vs National

Median Home Value

$126,500.00

New York	$169,000.00
National	$173,750.00

• -25.1 %
  vs New York
• -27.2 %
  vs National

Median Household Income

$64,528.00

New York	$70,656.50
National	$65,108.00

• -8.7 %
  vs New York
• -0.9 %
  vs National

Median Property Tax Rate

2.57%

New York	2.11%
National	0.74%

• +21.8%
  vs New York
• +247.3 %
  vs National

Unemployment Rate

2.86%

New York	2.91%
National	2.87%

• -1.7 %
  vs New York
• -0.3 %
  vs National

Renter Occupied Housing

22.98%

New York	20.16%
National	21.81%

• +14.0 %
  vs New York
• +5.4 %
  vs National

The County Clerk maintains official land records for Chemung County. It houses the permanent record of all deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, easements, assignments, plats, and other related subdivision documents.

Assessment offices utilize deed recording when updating ownership in assessment rolls. During project reviews, zoning and planning offices may use the information contained in plats and easements for boundary description.

Access to these instruments is provided through the paid service tool found on the office's Online Records Search page. This digital database charges per minute and per document page loaded.

In addition to online access, researchers can personally visit the Clerk's Office to obtain land information. The office has computer terminals that allow visitors to view deeds that were filed on or after July 31, 1967, mortgage documents from 1970 onwards, and other instruments. The clerk staff can help locate documents if they cannot be found using the public terminals.

The cost for copying standard land records is $0.65 per page. The fee for certified copies is $5 for the first four pages and $1.25 for every page thereafter.

In Chemung County, there are a number of local government entities that have responsibility for managing property records. Generally speaking, municipal offices have their own authority over local issues (zoning regulations, building permits, etc.) and development related to parcels within their limits.

The following directory offers direct links to the websites of Chemung County municipalities. These sites can provide local property information as well as additional services or support.

• City of Elmira
• Village of Elmira Heights
• Village of Horseheads
• Village of Millport
• Village of Wellsburg
• Town of Ashland
• Town of Baldwin
• Town of Big Flats
• Town of Catlin
• Town of Chemung
• Town of Elmira
• Town of Erin
• Town of Horseheads
• Town of Southport
• Town of Van Etten
• Town of Veteran