Browse Rockland County Clerk Records

About the Rockland County Clerk's Office

Donna G. Silberman serves as the Rockland County Clerk. The office sits inside the county courthouse in New City, the county seat. Its welcome message lists a wide set of duties. The Clerk handles passports, court records, land records, immigration paperwork, business certificates, notary public matters, and pistol licenses. Records can be searched around the clock through the office's document management system and database.

For court work, the Clerk's role is specific. It files and records court-related documents for the New York State Supreme and County Courts. The office accepts the papers that start a Supreme or County Court action, plus later filings in cases already open. Many records are online and free to view, including court files, land records, maps, naturalization, notary, tax warrants, and judgments. Some categories reach all the way back to 1798.

The doors lock 15 minutes before closing on Monday through Thursday. Passport cutoffs run earlier than the general office hours, so plan ahead for that service.

What the Rockland County Clerk Does

The Clerk acts as the keeper of the official record. When a lawsuit starts in Supreme Court, the papers come here and get an index number. The office stamps, files, and stores those documents, then makes most of them public. It does not run the courtroom or set the calendar. That work belongs to the court clerks of the state system, who are covered on the Court Clerk Offices page. The County Clerk is the record office; the court clerks handle case operations.

Day to day, the office covers a long list of public records jobs.

• File and record Supreme and County Court documents.
• Issue index numbers that start civil Supreme Court actions.
• Record land records, deeds, mortgages, and maps.
• File judgments and tax warrants, and prepare executions after judgment.
• Process passports, business certificates, notary filings, and pistol licenses.
• Register and terminate domestic partnerships.

Some of these touch the courts directly. Others, like deeds and business names, are public records that have nothing to do with a case. The mix is why the office stays busy from early morning on.

Searching Rockland County Clerk Records Online

The Clerk runs an online portal called eSearch, hosted by Cott Systems. It is branded for Rockland County and Donna G. Silberman. Free viewing is open to anyone. You do not need an account to look at documents. To see records at no charge, you click "Sign in as Guest" on the login screen. That guest path covers viewing, which is what most people need.

Printing works differently. To print a document, you must create an account, accept the terms, fill in the required fields, and sign in. Registered users can then print at fifty cents a page. You can add money to a prepaid account by credit card, with a 3% convenience charge, or by check mailed to the Clerk marked "Attn: E-Search." A purchased image can be reprinted for free for 120 days.

The official page on the County Clerk's site explains the digital records system and lists the popular services the office provides.

The screenshot below shows the eSearch login screen, where the guest option lives.

That portal, at cotthosting.com, is the main gateway to recorded Rockland documents and images. The site warns that it works best on a current browser with pop-up blockers off and cookies on.

One more rule matters. While searching court records, the Clerk tells users to cross-reference against NYSCEF, the state e-filing system. If the two do not match, contact the office. The portal also notes that Section, Block, and Lot references are not verified by the Clerk and may be wrong, so property searchers should confirm with the local assessor.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a paper the office stamps to prove it matches the official record. Courts, banks, and agencies often want a certified copy, not a screen print. An uncertified copy off the portal does not carry the same weight. The steps below cover the usual path for a court document held by the Clerk.

1. Find the case first. Note the index number, party names, and the document you need before you call or visit.
2. Decide where the file lives. Cases from the last six years sit at the courthouse; older files moved to the Archives in Pomona.
3. Visit the Court Records Counter at the Clerk's Office, or contact the Archives, and complete a File Request Card to pull the physical file.
4. Ask staff for a certified copy and pay the fee. Certified copies run $1.25 per page with a $5 minimum.

Files can be viewed only at the courthouse or the Archives and cannot leave the building. The Clerk warns that removing documents from the premises is a crime, and no papers may be taken off the metal clips. Request a copy instead of detaching anything from a file.

Records Request Details

Pulling a file is easier when you bring the right details. The Clerk's staff need enough to locate the exact record among files going back more than two centuries. A name alone can pull dozens of matches. A number narrows it fast. The table lists what helps most when you fill out a File Request Card.

Note: matrimonial, mental hygiene, and youthful offender files are not open to the public, so a request for one of those records may be refused without proper standing.

Rockland County Clerk Fees

Viewing online is free. Most other services carry a set charge. The fees below come straight from the Clerk's court records FAQ and the eSearch portal. Filing fees apply when you start a case or record a judgment, while copy fees apply when you want paper.

The domestic partnership registration needs a notarized affidavit and a $35 money order; parties get back two certified copies. Credit-card account funding for printing adds a 3% convenience charge.

Common Rockland County Clerk Forms

The Clerk's court records page links the forms most people need to start or manage a case. These are official packets and applications, not third-party versions. Use the matching form for your task so the office can process it without delay.

• Index Number Application - starts a Supreme Court lawsuit and carries the $210 index fee.
• Uncontested Divorce Packet - the forms and steps for an uncontested divorce.
• Name Change Packet - the paperwork to petition for a legal name change.
• SCAR Petition Form - a small claims assessment review filing for property tax.
• RJI Form - the request for judicial intervention, including the foreclosure version.

Each form lists what must come with it. The index number application, for example, must travel with a summons with notice or a summons and complaint.

Where Older Rockland Court Files Live

The Clerk splits files by age. This trips up a lot of searchers. Cases started in roughly the last six years stay at the County Clerk's Office in the courthouse. Files older than that move to the Rockland County Archives. Knowing which building holds your file saves a wasted trip.

Either location lets you view the physical file on site after you fill out a File Request Card. The record stays in the building. The Archives also holds the deep historical material that gives Rockland records their reach back to 1798.

Related Rockland County Records Resources

For full case search systems, see court records. For the trial court that hears civil and felony matters, see the Supreme Court page. For estate and probate filings, see Surrogate's Court. And for the state court clerks who run calendars and courtroom operations, see Court Clerk Offices.