We hope that many of your questions can be answered by reviewing this section of our website. However, if you have a question that our website has not answered, please do not hesitate to call our office at (914)995-3080 or submit a question to our staff.
Q: Where is the Office of the Westchester County Clerk located?
A: The Office of the Westchester County Clerk is located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in downtown White Plains between the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse and the County Office building and across the street from the Galleria Mall. In order to visit our office, you must enter through the courthouse entrance at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., pass through security and then proceed to the third floor where signs will direct you to our office.
Driving Directions.
Parking: There is metered parking along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., however, if you are unable to find a parking spot along the street, you can turn left onto Martine Avenue for garage parking on either side of the street. On the left you will see an entrance for parking below the White Plains Public Library. Spaces in this parking lot are metered and require quarters and you should follow signs for the courthouse to exit the parking facility. On the right you will see an entrance for parking at the Galleria Mall. Spaces in this parking lot are metered also and require quarters.
To reach us by train: Take Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem Line to White Plains. The White Plains train station with within a half mile walk of our office. Follow Main Street two blocks, then take a right on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (formerly Grove Street). After crossing Martine Avenue, you will see the entrance to the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse on your right.
To reach us by bus: Westchester County Bee-Line Bus Service runs throughout downtown White Plains. To learn whether your community is linked to downtown White Plains, but call the Westchester County Bee-Line Bus Information Center at (914)813-7777.
Q: When is the Office of the Westchester County Clerk open?
A: The Office of the Westchester County Clerk is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. except on legal holidays. In 2009, the Westchester County Clerk’s Office will be closed on the following weekdays in observance of holidays: January 1st, January 19th, February 16th, May 25th, July 3rd, September 7th, October 12th, November 3rd, November 11th, November 26th and 27th and December 25th. Please note that while our office is open until 5:45 p.m., files you are reviewing must be returned by 5:35 p.m., so please plan accordingly.
Q: How can I find out when your outreach staff will visit my community?
A: Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni and his community outreach staff travel throughout Westchester County to bring the services of the County Clerk’s office closer to Westchester residents. Staff can assist residents with varied requests. Most frequently our community outreach staff assists visitors who wish to apply for a United States Passport, including having a photo taken, check the license status of a plumber or electrician they may hire, apply for a pistol permit or obtain a free gun lock. Please review our Mobile Office Schedule to see when our community outreach staff will be visiting your neighborhood. And if you have a suggestion for where you would like to see our mobile office appear, please do not hesitate to contact us at cclerk@westchestergov.com or 995-4287 to share your suggestion.
Q: What records from your office are available online?
A: The Westchester County Clerk’s Office is committed to helping you find the records you need by allowing you to conduct certain Records Searches quickly and easily from your personal computer. Check to see whether the plumber you are thinking of hiring is licensed. Be sure that your mortgage satisfaction has been filed. Learn what papers have been filed in a particular lawsuit. All of these searches and more can be conducted from the comfort of your home or office. And if you need access to images of particular records, consider enrolling in our Subscription Service which allows you enhanced access to the information on file in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk.
Q: How can I apply for a United States Passport?
A: The U.S. Department of State is currently taking 10-12 weeks to process the passport applications we deliver to them, so please do not delay in applying for your U.S. Passport. In order to apply for a U.S. Passport in the Westchester County Clerk's Office or with our Community Outreach staff, you must fill out an application, provide proof of U.S. citizenship (such as an original or certified copy of your birth certificate), proof of identity (such as a valid driver’s license), two passport photos which can be taken in our office and pay the applicable fees ($97.00 for adults, $82.00 for children below the age of 16, and $10 for passport photos). All children, including newborn infants, must have their own passport. In addition to complying with the general requirements for applying for a passport please note there are Additional Requirements For Children Applying For A U.S. Passport. Please do not hesitate to contact our passport staff at CC-Passports@westchestergov.com or 995-3086 if you have any questions or concerns.
Q: How can I apply for a pistol permit?
A: You will need to obtain a pistol permit application by visiting our office or submitting a written request which includes a check or money order payable to the “Westchester County Clerk” in the amount of $11.50 of which $10.00 will be applied to your application fee and $1.50 will be accepted for postage and handling. Requests should be sent to Office of the Westchester County Clerk, Licensing Division, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601. Once you have completed you application, you must call (914)995-2709 to schedule an appointment to submit your pistol permit application. Pistol permit applications are accepted by appointment Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. by the Westchester County Police Department, Pistol Permit Unit, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 340-A, White Plains, NY 10601.
Q: How can I determine if my plumber or electrician is licensed?
A: Using the Westchester County Clerk's Westchester Records Online, visitors to our site can conveniently look up online whether an electrician or plumber is licensed in Westchester County. The search programs list the licensed individuals in alphabetical order. For each individual, their license number, license status, license expiration date, company and phone number are listed. By clicking on the title of the column, the list will be re-sorted based on that column. For example, if you would like to search by Company Name, you would click on "Company" at the top of the chart and the list will then sort alphabetically by Company Name. Any questions regarding Trades Licensing searches can be answered by the Westchester County Clerk's Trades Licensing Department at CC-Trades@westchestergov.com or (914) 995-2657.
Q: How can I obtain a copy of my divorce decree?
A: In order to obtain a copy of a divorce decree, you may come in person to the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, Legal Division with proper identification such as a valid driver’s license or passport. You must be a party to the action or the attorney of record in order to access a divorce file. If you are not a party or the attorney of record, you must obtain a notarized release from one of the parties to the action. The fee for a certified copy of the divorce decree is $5.00 which can be paid in cash, by check or money order, or by MasterCard or Visa. If you wish to mail your request, please enclose a check or money order payable to the "Westchester County Clerk" in the amount of $10.00 ($5.00 for index number search if not provided and a $5.00 certification fee). We do not accept cash or credit card payments by mail. Your request should be in the form of a letter which has your signature notarized and includes the names of both parties and the approximate date of divorce. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request. Any further questions regarding divorce decrees can be answered by the Westchester County Clerk's Legal Division at CC-Legal@westchestergov.com or (914) 995-3070.
Q: How can I obtain a copy of my criminal disposition?
A. The Westchester County Clerk's Office maintains records of felony convictions. If you were convicted of, or are looking for a conviction for a misdemeanor or violation, unless as a lesser included charge or as a reduced plea for a felony charge, please contact the city, town or village court in the community where the arrest took place. For a felony disposition, you may come into the office to obtain a certified copy. You must know the name of the Defendant. There is a $5.00 fee for this service. If you wish to mail your request, please enclose a check payable to the "Westchester County Clerk" in the amount of $10.00 (for indictment number search if not provided and $5.00 certification fee). Your request should be in the form of a letter which includes the name of the Defendant, the approximate date of the conviction, and any other related information you may have in order to assist in the search. Please note that access to criminal records sealed by New York State Criminal Procedure Law and the Civil Rights Law is only provided to the party of the action, attorney of record, by court order or via a signed and acknowledged release by the defendant. Any further questions regarding criminal dispositions can be answered by the Westchester County Clerk's Legal Division at CC-Legal@westchestergov.com or (914) 995-3070.
Q: How can I obtain a copy of my deed or other land record?
A: To search for a land document, you can access Westchester Records Online to determine whether the document you are searching for is recorded in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk and to view a list of recorded documents. If the document is recorded and you wish to obtain a copy of it, you can visit our Land Records Division in person or send a written request by mail.
Visiting Our Office: You are encouraged to come to our office and use the free public viewing terminals to see if the land document you are searching for is recorded in our office and also to view the actual document image. Our office is located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Room 345 in White Plains and can be reached by entering through the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse entrance. Our office is open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, from 8 a.m. until 5:45 p.m.
Requesting a Land Document by Mail: To request a land document, please send a letter which contains as much of the following information as possible: the name of the document you are searching for such as "a deed", the name of the owner, the property address including the village, town or city, the approximate date of the transaction, and the liber and page number or the control number, if known. Please include a check payable to "Westchester County Clerk" in the amount of $5.00 for each item requested plus a copy fee of $1.30 for up to two pages plus an additional 65 cents for each additional page. Cash is not accepted and all fees must be included with your written request. Please also include a self-addressed stamped envelope in which your document will be returned. If you are unsure of the fee, please note the amount not to be exceeded on the check and a staff member will fill in the appropriate amount for you.
Q: How can I learn how much a property in Westchester was sold for?
A: We do not keep a record of the amounts paid for properties. However, that information can often be determined by reviewing the deed for a property. If you come into our office, our staff can help you locate an image of a deed. Once you have that image, you can locate the transfer tax paid and use the following formula to calculate the approximate purchase price: For purchases before May of 1983: Divide the transfer tax by .0011. For purchases after May 1, 1983: Divide the transfer tax by .004. For example, if a property was sold in 1995 and transfer taxes of $1,500 were paid, you would divide $1,500 by .004 to learn that the property was sold for approximately $375,000.
Q: Can I get a birth or death certificate from the County Clerk?
A: The Office of the Westchester County Clerk does not issue or record birth and death certificates. In Westchester County, these records can be obtained from the local clerk in the village, town or city in which the event being documented, birth or death, took place. For the telephone numbers of local clerks throughout Westchester County, please review our List of Phone Numbers for City, Town and Village Clerks.
Q: Can I get a marriage certificates from the County Clerk?
A: The Office of the Westchester County Clerk does not issue or record marriage certificates. In Westchester County, marriage records for marriages which took place between 1908 and 1936 can be obtained from the Westchester County Archives. Other marriage records must be obtained from the local clerk in the village, town or city in which the marriage took place. For the telephone numbers of local clerks throughout Westchester County, please review our List of Phone Numbers for City, Town and Village Clerks.
Q: Where do I send my Notary Renewal form?
A: You should send your notary renewal form to The Office of the Westchester County Clerk, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Attn: Notary Dept., Room 330, White Plains, NY 10601. If you have lost or misplaced your Notary Renewal Form, please contact our Notary Department at CC-Notary@westchestergov.com or (914) 995-3071 and we can arrange to have an emergency renewal form sent to you.
Q: How do I get a notary authenticated and then an apostile?
A: If you need an authentication of a notary public who is qualified in Westchester County, you must bring in the document with the original notary stamp and signature on it (copies cannot be authenticated). The fee for each authentication is $3.00 and should be made payable to the "Westchester County Clerk". If you are submitting the document by mail, send it to The Office of the Westchester County Clerk, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Attn: Notary Dept., Room 330, White Plains, NY 10601. Please be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Please be advised that under New York State law, records to verify notary qualification are kept for only 7 years by both the State and our office. A document bearing an acknowledgement older than seven years cannot be authenticated. If, in addition to the County Clerks authentication, you need an apostile, you must contact the Department of State for information. The Department of State is located at 41 State Street, Albany, NY 12231 and can be reached by telephone at (518)474-4770. In addition, the Department of State has a New York City office located at 123 William Street, 19th Floor and can be reached by telephone at (212)417-5747.
Q: How can the Westchester County Clerk’s Office help me in setting up my new business?
A: Pursuant to Section 130 of the New York State General Business Law, if you are conducting any business in the County of Westchester under a name other than your own, and are not a corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, you must file a Business Certificate indicating your Westchester County address in our office.
Your Business Name: Prior to filing your original Business Certificate, you are encouraged to visit Westchester Records Online to search business names to be sure that the name you wish to do business under is not already in use. To get started, choose "Legal Records" and then choose the "Business Records" tab. You can also visit our office to conduct this search. Remember that if you are a sole proprietorship, you are not able to use designations such as "and Company" or "Association" in the name of your business. In addition, you are not allowed to use words which would imply the surname of another in your business name.
Filing Your Certificate: Once you have determined that your desired business name is available, sole proprietors should submit an original and two copies of a notarized Business Certificate along with $35.00 ($25.00 filing fee + $10.00 for two certified copies) cash, certified check or money order payable to "Westchester County Clerk". Personal checks are ot accepted. Partners should submit an original and three copies of the notarized Business Certificate for Partners along with $35.00 ($25.00 filing fee + $10.00 for two certified copies) cash, certified check or money order payable to "Westchester County Clerk". You can submit these forms in person or by mail. When submitting your forms by mail, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope and do not send cash. Our office is located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Room 330, White Plains, NY 10601 and can be reached by entering through the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse entrance. The office is open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, from 8 a.m. until 5:45 p.m.
Corporations, Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies: If you wish to set up your business as a corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company, you should visit the New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations website for more information.
Do You Want To Access a Record Online? 
