County Clerk provides additional opportunities for law-abiding citizens
in light of new SAFE Act requirements

Erie County, NY- Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns announced the extension of hours at the Clerk’s Outreach Center in order for Erie County residents to submit their pistol permit applications prior to the changes in the New York SAFE Act that go into effect on September 1, 2022.

“The temporary change is to accommodate an even higher anticipated volume of application submissions leading up to the changes in gun ownership laws,” stated County Clerk Kearns. “My office is just one part of this multi-step process. I want to make sure every law-abiding citizen in Erie County has the necessary time to submit their pistol permit application prior to the September 1st deadline date.”

The extended hours will be held August 29th and 30th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm and August 31st from 5:00pm- midnight. The location for these additional hours will at the Erie County Clerk’s Outreach Center in the Southgate Plaza located at 1088 Union Road in West Seneca, directly next to the Erie County Auto Bureau.

Applicants will be required to have the application and all 12 steps, as required on the instruction page, completed in order for the application to be accepted. The application fee of $20.00 in the form of a personal check or money order and made payable to the “Erie County Clerk” must also be included. 

If any application is found to be missing any information, the entire application will be mailed back to the applicant and it will need to be resubmitted at a later date. No information or record will be retained by the Pistol Permit Department.

“We ask that those who will take advantage of the extended hours, please make sure that you follow the application instructions no differently than if you were applying by mail,” added Kearns. “My staff works tirelessly in order to process the overwhelming amount of applications we receive on a daily basis, so any hindrances, such as missing information or items simply delays the approval process.”

Due to the limited appointment availability through the New York State vendor, IdentoGo, for digital finger prints, if the applicant is unable to be fingerprinted prior to August 31st, Kearns said his office will accept a copy of the applicant’s appointment confirmation form as verification of their future appointment. Once the applicant completes the fingerprint process, they will be required to bring in or mail their receipt so their file can be updated and moved to the next step in the process.

Kearns has reported for some time that his department has seen a significant increase in new pistol permit application submissions dating back to 2017. 

Pistol permit application packets are available online at erie.gov.clerk/pistolpermits, at the Clerk’s Outreach Center,1088 Union Road, West Seneca, and at the Pistol Permit Office, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo. The Pistol Permit Office will continue to be open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.