Rensselaer County, New York public records
In Rensselaer County, deeds are recorded by the Rensselaer County Clerk - Records Room; property values come from the Rensselaer County Real Property Tax Services; court files are split between the Rensselaer County Clerk and the Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court.
On this page
- Where to get each record
- Deeds and land records
- Property values, owners and tax bills
- Court records: which clerk keeps which case
- Marriage records
- Divorce records
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
- Probate records and wills
- Business names (DBA)
- Voter records
- Historical records
- Good to know about Rensselaer County records
- Office addresses, phones and hours
- Records that are not online: public records requests
- Questions people ask
- Official copies vs look-alike sites
- Sources
Where to get each record
| Record | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deeds and land records | Rensselaer County Clerk - Records Room4 | Search deeds23Free search, fee for copies | $0.50 per page in person; $1.00 per page by mail3 |
| Property values and owners | Rensselaer County Real Property Tax Services4 | Property search5 | — |
| Property tax bills | Rensselaer County Bureau of Finance4 | Tax bill search6 | — |
| Court cases | Rensselaer County Clerk4 Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court7 | Supreme Court and County Court2 | — |
| Marriage records | Not at the County Clerk: issued and kept by the city or town clerk that issued the license3 | — | — |
| Divorce records | County Clerk Records Room holds divorce files2 | — | — |
| Birth certificates | Not at the County Clerk: NYS Department of Health or the town/city clerk (local registrar) where the birth occurred3 | — | — |
| Death certificates | Not at the County Clerk: NYS Department of Health or the town/city clerk where the death occurred3 | — | — |
| Probate and wills | Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court, Rensselaer County Courthouse, 80 Second Street, Troy, NY 121807 | — | — |
| Business names (DBA) | Assumed name (DBA) certificates filed with the County Clerk8 | — | — |
Deeds and land records
Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Rensselaer County are recorded by the Rensselaer County Clerk - Records Room.4
- Online search
- searchiqs.com/nyren2Free search, fee for copies
- Cost
- Free search after registering for 24-hour access; printing $1.00 per page3
- Who runs it
- SearchIQS3
- Copy fee
- $0.50 per page in person; $1.00 per page by mail3
- Certified copy fee
- $4 to prepare and certify a copy8
- How to order
- In person at 105 Third Street, Troy; by written request with self-addressed stamped envelope (give name, property location, year of purchase; check may be marked "not to exceed $10.00"); or online via SearchIQS3
- Recording fee
- Cover page $5; affidavits, agreements, deeds and orders $40 plus $5 per page, plus $0.50 per additional surname indexed8
- Electronic recording
- E-recording since 2018 via Simplifile, ePN, CSC eRecording Solutions, Hopdox2
- Fraud alerts
- Free Property Fraud Alert (searchiqs.com/fraudalert/?CC=NYREN) e-mails when a document is recorded in your name2
Property values, owners and tax bills
The Rensselaer County Real Property Tax Services (Bureau of Tax Services) sets property values4; the Rensselaer County Bureau of Finance bills and collects the tax4.
- Property search
- rensselaercounty.prosgar.com (PROS - Property Record Online System)5
- Tax bill search
- County and Village/City tax bills posted as PDFs (2026 County Tax Bills: rensco.com/Archive.aspx)6
- Parcel map (GIS)
- Tax maps in PROS (rensselaercounty.prosgar.com/TaxMap/Index); county GIS data via NYS GIS Clearinghouse9
- Appealing a value
- Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) - procedures PDF linked by the County Clerk2
How property tax works in New York
Court records: which clerk keeps which case
| Court | Cases | Records kept by | Case search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court and County Court (Rensselaer County) | Civil, matrimonial (divorce), foreclosures, judgments; County Court criminal | Rensselaer County Clerk | nycourts.gov/efile NYSCEF electronic filing; statewide eCourts lookups per states/new-york.json2 |
| Surrogate's Court | Wills, estates, guardianships | Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court (NYS Unified Court System) | — |
- Fees
- Index number $210; RJI $95; motion $45; note of issue $30; jury demand $65; foreclosure index number $4008
- Criminal search
- County Clerk court-records name search: basic fee $10; certifying each name for a 2-year period $5; Criminal Searches Form (PDF)8
Criminal records and background checks
- Summary
- County Clerk court-records name search by form; NYS criminal history via state (states/new-york.json)2
How New York courts keep their files
Marriage records
Not at the County Clerk: issued and kept by the city or town clerk that issued the license; also NYS Department of Health3
New York marriage records, statewide
Divorce records
County Clerk Records Room holds divorce files; certified copy of Judgment of Divorce by request form; Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage $52
New York divorce records: decree or state record
Birth certificates
Not at the County Clerk: NYS Department of Health or the town/city clerk (local registrar) where the birth occurred3
Ordering a New York birth certificate
Death certificates
Not at the County Clerk: NYS Department of Health or the town/city clerk where the death occurred3
Ordering a New York death certificate
Probate records and wills
Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court, Rensselaer County Courthouse, 80 Second Street, Troy, NY 12180; 518-285-6100; questions by phone of a general nature only7
Finding a will or probate case in New York
Business names (DBA)
Assumed name (DBA) certificates filed with the County Clerk: $258
Voter records
Rensselaer County Board of Elections - Voter Registration page4
Historical records
County founded 1791; local historians directory page4
Good to know about Rensselaer County records
- The County Clerk offers a free Property Fraud Alert that e-mails owners when a deed or mortgage is recorded in their name2
- Birth, death and marriage records are not kept by the County Clerk; they are with town/city clerks or NYS DOH3
- The County Clerk has e-recorded land documents since 20182
- PROS property search covers every parcel in Rensselaer County, including the cities of Troy and Rensselaer and 14 towns9
Office addresses, phones and hours
Rensselaer County Clerk - Records Room
Deeds, mortgages, land records
- Address
- 105 3rd St., Troy, NY 121802
- Phone
- 518-270-4080 (fax 518-271-7998)2
- Hours
- Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4 pm2
- Website
- rensco.com/165/County-Clerk4
Rensselaer County Clerk
Central recording office for Supreme and County Court case files, divorces, judgments, foreclosures
- Address
- 105 3rd St., Troy, NY 121802
- Phone
- 518-270-40802
- Hours
- Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4 pm2
- Website
- rensco.com/165/County-Clerk4
Rensselaer County Real Property Tax Services (Bureau of Tax Services)
County coordinating office
- Address
- 99 Troy Road, 4th Floor, East Greenbush, NY 120615
- Phone
- 518-270-2780 (fax 518-270-2790)5
- Hours
- Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm5
- Website
- rensco.com/370/Tax-Services4
Rensselaer County Bureau of Finance
Tax arrears, tax sale certificates, foreclosures and auctions
- Address
- 99 Troy Road, 4th Floor, East Greenbush, NY 1206110
- Phone
- 518-270-2750 (fax 518-270-2728); tax arrears/auctions 518-270-2755 or 518-270-277310
- Website
- rensco.com/216/Finance4
Rensselaer County GIS - Mapping (Tax Services)
- Phone
- 518-270-278011
- Website
- rensco.com/…4
Rensselaer County Board of Elections
- Address
- 116 Pinewoods Ave, Troy, NY 1218012
- Phone
- 518-270-2990 (fax 518-270-2909)12
- Hours
- Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm12
- Website
- rensco.com/429/Elections12
Rensselaer County Sheriff
- Address
- 4000 Main Street, Troy, NY 1218013
- Phone
- 518-266-1900 (fax 518-270-5447; non-emergency 518-270-5252; civil process 518-266-2900; emergency 911)13
- Hours
- Sheriff's Office operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week13
- Website
- rensco.com/325/Sheriff4
Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court (NYS Unified Court System)
- Address
- Rensselaer County Courthouse, 80 Second Street, Troy, NY 121807
- Phone
- 518-285-6100 (fax 518-285-5091)7
- [email protected]7
- Hours
- Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (except State Holidays)7
- Website
- ww2.nycourts.gov/…7
Records that are not online: public records requests
- Request page
- rensco.com/… (online FOIL form)14
- Where to send it
- Office of the Rensselaer County Attorney, Attention: FOIL Officer, 99 Troy Rd.; copies $0.25 per page plus postage; electronic records $23 per hour; $10 per DVD; payment before release14
How to write a public records request
Questions people ask
How do I get a copy of a deed in Rensselaer County?
The Rensselaer County Clerk - Records Room keeps deed records. To order copies: In person at 105 Third Street, Troy; by written request with self-addressed stamped envelope (give name, property location, year of purchase; check may be marked "not to exceed $10.00"); or online via SearchIQS. Plain copies: $0.50 per page in person; $1.00 per page by mail. Certified copies: $4 to prepare and certify a copy.438
Can I search Rensselaer County land records online for free?
Yes, searching is free; copies cost extra. Free search after registering for 24-hour access; printing $1.00 per page. The official search: searchiqs.com/nyren32
Where do I get a divorce decree in Rensselaer County?
County Clerk Records Room holds divorce files; certified copy of Judgment of Divorce by request form; Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage $5.2
How do I look up who owns a property in Rensselaer County?
Use the property search of the Rensselaer County Real Property Tax Services (Bureau of Tax Services): rensselaercounty.prosgar.com5
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Rensselaer County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Other counties in New York with a full guide: Albany County, Bronx County, Broome County, Chautauqua County, Clinton County, Dutchess County, Erie County, Kings County, Monroe County, New York County, Oneida County, Onondaga County, Orange County, Queens County, Richmond County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, Suffolk County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, Westchester County. Every county in the state: New York county list.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Government Units List 2026US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026
- County ClerkRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- County Clerk FAQsRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- Site MapRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- Tax ServicesRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- County/Village/City Tax BillsRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- Rensselaer County Surrogate's CourtNew York State Unified Court Systemchecked November 7, 2026
- County Clerk Fee ScheduleRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- PROS Property Record Online SystemRensselaer County Real Property Tax Services (vendor-hosted, linked by county)checked November 4, 2026
- FinanceRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- Geographic Information System (GIS) - MappingRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- Elections (Board of Elections)Rensselaer County, NYchecked November 7, 2026
- SheriffRensselaer County, NYchecked November 7, 2026
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIL) Requests formRensselaer County, NYchecked November 4, 2026
- County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026