Erie County Clerk's Office COVID-19 Response

County Clerk (Old County Hall) Customers

UPDATE: OCTOBER 23, 2020, Erie County Clerk's Offices at Old County Hall is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC for limited services.  Please review the information below to learn about available services during COVID-19 Response Operations. 

ARCHIVE RECORDS

In addition to in-person services, certain documents can be requested by mail. Click here for further details. 

Business Certificates can be filed by mail. Certified copies are needed for many business purposes including opening a business checking account.

Print the form found here, complete form, and have signature notarized.

Send the original form, $35.00 check payable to Erie County Clerk, and a self-addressed envelope to: 

Erie County Clerk, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. 

Two (2) certified copies of the filed business certificate will be returned.

 

PISTOL PERMIT DEPARTMENT

A firearm may be added or removed via MAIL by following instructions here: https://www2.erie.gov/clerk/index.php?q=adding-removing-firearm-mail
T
o Submit a new Pistol Application by Mail follow instructions here: https://www2.erie.gov/clerk/index.php?q=new-pistol-permit-application-process

 

LAND RECORDS

ALL "walk-ins" will be accepted. To decrease the number of occupants in the building, closings will be limited to one representavie from each offcie, and no clients during this transaction. The "three transactions at the window" rule remains. At this time we are reviewing capping access because of the size of the area but we will constantly monitor and adjust as needed.

Documents may also be submitted by "e-Record", USPS, FEDEX, or UPS can be recorded.

Please send to the following address:

Erie County Clerk's Office
92 Franklin Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
Attn: Land Records

 

AUTO BUREAU CUSTOMERS

UPDATE: (4) AUTO BUREAU LOCATIONS ARE OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 

Appointments for Auto Bureau services can be made at www.erie.gov/clerk/reservations.

Appointments are available at the following Auto Bureau locations:  Southtowns (Southgate Plaza), Northtowns (Sheridan Plaza), Downtown (Rath Building), and Cheektowaga (Urbandale Plaza).

Please follow all proper protocols for the health and safety of everyone.  Face Masks are required, proper social distancing is to be respected, please bring your own pen to complete your transaction and no children under the age of 16.

How to Surrender Your License Plates

Plates can be surrendered at the following Auto Bureau locations:  Southtowns (Southgate Plaza), Northtowns (Sheridan Plaza), Downtown (Rath Building), and Cheektowaga (Urbandale Plaza) without an appointment.  Simply fill out the Plate Surrender Envelope, available at the drop-box) with the required information and we will mail YOU the FS6T receipt for YOU to provide to your insurance carrier and drop the envelope in the secure green mailbox during business hours.

Click here for additional information.

EXTENSIONS

All Driver Licenses, Non-Driver-ID's with an expiration date of March 1, 2020, or later have been extended through at least November 3, 2020. This includes CDL, Class D and Motorcycle classifications.

All Vehicle Registrations and Inspections expiring March 31st or later have been extended through November 3, 2020. The extension includes all motor vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, vessels, limited use vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles. 

 

Traffic Violations Bureaus

All DMV Traffic Violations Bureaus (TVBs) are adjourned until further notice. Those who are scheduled to appear during this time will receive an adjournment notice from the DMV.  Please see the Tickets, Points, and Penalties page for many TVB transactions that can be completed online while the office is closed.

 

Medical Certifications

DMV has temporarily stopped downgrading CDLs due to expiring Medical Certifications until further notice. The downgrade process will resume after the state of emergency is lifted and normal processing may occur.

 

Safety and Business Hearings

All DMV Safety and Business Hearings are adjourned through April 29th.

 

19-A notification (bus driver)

We are aware that many carriers are having trouble completing their annual and biennial 19-A procedures due to constraints caused by the COVID-19 emergency. While the Bus Driver Unit urges you to make every effort to comply with 19-A procedural requirements, please be assured that full consideration of the circumstances will be given when conducting future compliance reviews. 

 

Hazardous materials endorsements

Federal hazardous material requirements have been extended by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Individuals with a hazardous materials endorsement (HME) that expired March 1, 2020 or later have additional time to be fingerprinted to complete the background check required for TSA's security threat assessment. Individuals whose HME expired prior to March 1, 2020 are not granted additional time to meet TSA requirements. For more information, please visit the Federal Register.

 

More information

You can find answers to common questions and more information about changes related to DMV's COVID-19 response on our questions and answers page.  

 

***This information is current as of 10/23/2020***