Show All Answers

1. How do I get an absentee ballot?

You must submit a signed application by mail or in person, to your county Board of Elections. Depending on the situation, we will either mail a ballot to you or issue it to you right then. Individuals who are permanently disabled, who are unable to get to the polls may apply for Permanent Absentee Status which means that a ballot will be sent each  time they are eligible to vote, all General Elections, Primaries in their party, School and Library Elections.

Absentee Ballot Application (PDF)

2. How do I change my political party enrollment?

To change party enrollment you must submit a new voter registration card with the new party marked.  These changes are immediate, but will be deferred during a period before any primary through the Primary Election. Immediately following the Primary Election, these deferred requested changes are actually made.  In 2020, this deferral period commences on February 14th and extends through June 30th. All the voters receive a new voter card showing their new party.

3. What are the requirements/procedures to run for political office?

To run for political office in New York State you must be a resident, 18 years old and a US citizen. In order to have your name appear on the ballot for an office you will have to pass petitions to collect a certain number of signatures.  See minimum signature requirements in Candidates.  These minimums vary by office sought and by town.

Designating Petitions are filed for candidates who wish to run in a specific political party. These are circulated and filed in late February, March and early April each year. Independent Petitions are for candidates who wish to appear on the ballot without the support of a specific organized  political party. These Independent Petitions are circulated in April and May.  Please review the information on this web site under “Candidates” for current information and the calendar of dates. Please also review Campaign Finance then, Call the Board of Elections 315-536-5135 for more specific information. For complete petition packets, including instructions, visit the Board of Elections.

Candidates.

4. What are the platforms/beliefs of the various political parties?

“Official” Parties in New York State – based on the number of votes received in the last election for Governor. 

     Web sites are listed to allow parties to speak for themselves:

•  Democratic Party                           www.nydems.org
•  Republican Party                           www.nygop.org
•  Conservative Party                        www.cpnys.org  
•  Working Families Party                 www.workingfamiliesparty.org  
•  Independence Party of NY            www.ipny.org   or email:  [email protected]
• Green Party                                    www.gpnys.org or email:  chair2gpny.org

Political Party Quick Links

5. How do I get a replacement voter registration card?

Call our office at 315-536-5135 or stop at the office in the Yates  County Office Building, 417 Liberty Street, and we can issue a new card. If you take your card with you to the polls to vote it can expedite the process.

6. How do I get excused from jury duty?

The Board of Elections has nothing to do with the selection of jurors. Margaret DiMartino is the Commissioner of Jurors and can be reached at  315-536-5126.

7. How do I know you received my voter registration application?

During most of the year, you will receive a Voter Acknowledgement Card within about 10 days of submitting your registration to us. We are not allowed to enter new voters for about a month prior to an election. If you apply during that time, you will get your ID card after the election. Please review the card to verify your info, should you have a  question, just call the office, 315-536-5135.  Please consider taking the card with you when you go to vote, it should expedite the process for you. If there are errors in the registration, you should notify the Board of Elections so the registration information can be corrected.

8. What if I move within Yates County – do I need to notify your office?

Yes, please! We need to have accurate, residence and  mailing, addresses for all voters registered in the county. On or about March 1st every year, we send yellow cards to every voter in the county to confirm their address and voting district. Unfortunately we get hundreds back because people have moved and not told us, or left incorrect "forwarding or temporarily away" information with the Federal Post Office. To assist us, the Motor Vehicle Office will notify us for you when you update your address with them. 

9. If I am registered in another county within New York and move to Yates County, is my voter registration automatically transferred?

YES. Starting in 2019, when a registered voter moves between counties in the state, the voter’s registration will go with them to the new county.  Your party affiliation will remain intact as well.  You will receive a card at your new residence with the change of address notification.

View Voter Forms and Applications.

10. How do I become an election Inspector?

The Board of Elections provides training annually for all those who want  to work as Inspectors. Since we are always looking for additional inspectors, just let us know of your interest by phone at 315-536, or e-mail [email protected]  or by stopping at our office in the Yates County Office Building at 417 Liberty Street, Suite 1124. You will receive a packet of forms to complete and will be scheduled for your initial new inspector training.  These training session will normally occur in March and September or October.  You will then be offered further training on the various electronic devices used at the polling sites.  

11. Why do you send me a voter card every year?

Each March, “Mail Check Cards” go to every registered voter in the county to verify their address. These cards allow the voters to verify the party in which they are enrolled and where they vote. 

12. What is Early Voting?

Starting in 2019, voters are able to vote at designated early voting sites for nine days, starting 11 days before the usual Tuesday election day.  Here, the poll site is in the County Office Building, Liberty Street, Penn Yan, and voting starts on Saturday and ends 9 days later on Sunday.  The poll opens at 9 AM every day in that period, and is open at least 5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays, 8 hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 11 hours on Tuesday and Thursday.

13. Is our voting system secure?

Your voting system is kept completely separate from any other digital or internet system.  It stands alone in our vault with an air gap completely around it so that no outsider can hack into it or manipulate its vote counting processes.  There are no fewer than six bipartisan verification steps and seals that prevent a partisan person from tampering with the ballot counting devices deployed to the polling sites.  Your registration data at the poll site is not communicated anywhere and resides entirely within the electronic poll books on the inspectors’ tables.  The paper ballot you are handed is blank and cannot be identified with you, the voter.  The only records kept amount to the number of ballots printed and issued and the number of ballots cast either in the machine, spoiled/destroyed because of errors by the voter, or segregated in sealed envelopes when the voter attempts to vote at a poll site other than where he or she is registered.

Show All Answers

1. Does yates county require a cover page?

Yes, it's automatically generated by County Clerk's Office.

2. What records are filed in the County Clerk's recording office?

• Land Records: 
  • Deeds
  • Mortgages
  • Discharges/Assignments/Agreements of Mortgages
  • Land Contracts
  • Leases and Easements
  • Powers of Attorney and Wills Are Filed in Deeds
    
• Pistol Permits
• Survey and Subdivision Maps
• Passports
• Liens, Federal Tax Liens and Judgments
• Foreclosures of Sale
• Uniform Commercial Filing Code (UCCs)
• Certificates of Doing Business Under Assumed Name (DBA) and Corporation Filings
• Court Filings, Civil and Criminal
• Military Discharges
• Miscellaneous Records and Files
• Notary Public

3. What records are available to the public in Yates County?

Deeds, mortgages and other recordings related to these documents are available. Deeds recorded in Yates County prior to July 1, 2001, and mortgages recorded prior to October 1998 are contained in books, also known as libers. Deeds and mortgages recorded since those dates are imaged and available for public viewing by computers located in the public records room. Although imaged recordings are not actually kept in books, Yates County still retains the method of identifying land records by book and page. See Index for Deeds and Mortgages for details

Responsibilities

• Civil Judgments, Federal Tax Liens, State Tax Warrants and Mechanics Liens.
• Doing Business Under Assumed Name Certificates and Incorporations.
• Civil files, except for divorce files, that are available only to attorneys of record and to the parties involved and files that have been sealed by the Court.
• Criminal files, except for sexual abuse files and files that have been sealed by the Court.
• Pistol permit files by applicant only.
• Military discharge by applicant only or family member if applicant is deceased.

4. Can I apply for a marriage certificate or obtain a copy of a marriage certificate from the County Clerk?

Marriage certificates are not filed with the County Clerk. Contact the Town Clerk for additional information.

5. Can I obtain a copy of a birth certificate from the County Clerk?

Birth certificates are not filed with the County Clerk. Contact the Town or Village Clerk.

6. Are death certificates filed with the County Clerk?

Death certificates are not filed with the County Clerk. Contact the Town or Village Clerk where the death occurred. Occasionally a certified copy of a death certificate is filed with the County Clerk for reference purposes.

7. What transactions can be processed in the Yates County motor vehicle issuing office?

The Penn Yan Motor Vehicle Office, under the direction of the County Clerk, who acts as agent for the New York State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, handles most types of motor vehicle transactions, including all enforcement transactions. Visit our DMV page for additional information.

Show All Answers

1. Where do I pay my Town & County taxes?

For the current year, pay your Town & County taxes at your town between Jan.1 and March 31.  After March 31, pay at the county.

Show All Answers

1. What is the difference between bail, bonds and fines?

Bail is a court-ordered amount of money which is received by the Sheriff's Office, and then deposited with that court to secure the defendant's future court appearances. Once bail has been posted for an individual at the jail, the monies are  processed by the Civil Division and transferred to the court having  jurisdiction. Once done, we having nothing more to do with the bail.   Only the court having jurisdiction may return the bail monies to the  one-named owner listed on the bail receipt.  If you posted bail for  someone and want to revoke it, you must address this matter with the  court.  

Bail Bond is a business transaction done through a bail bondsman. It usually involves an agreement between the person posting the bond and the bondsman. Property is guaranteed in an amount to cover the bond amount set by the court, in the event the person fails to appear as required by the court. The Yates County Jail has a list of bondsmen who service this area. You may contact one of them to obtain details, costs, etc.

Fines If a court sentences someone to a fine or a period of time in jail en lieu of such fine, that fine can be paid anytime of the day by a payment method listed above under “Bail.”

2. Can I pay bail, bonds and fines at the jail and, if so, how do I do it?

The forms of payment received anytime of the day for bail are as follows:

• Cash
• Certified bank check made out to the “Yates County Sheriff”
• U.S Postal Money Order made out to the “Yates County Sheriff”
• Credit cards as accepted by Government Payment Services, Inc.
• Check drawn on the inmates Commissary Account to the “Yates County Sheriff”

3. Where can I get information on boating and snowmobile safety and courses?

Boater Safety Courses are offered several times a year.  The 6 hour course is taught at the Yates County Public Safety Building and instructors consist of Yates County Marine Patrol Officers.  In New York State all persons under 18 years of age must successfully complete the course and receive the Boater Safety Certificate prior to operating a motor boat.  All persons regardless of age must obtain a Boater Safety Certificate to operate a personal watercraft on the Navigable Waters of New York State.  You must preregister to take the Boater Safety course.  Upcoming courses will listed on the agency news  and events page.

4. Where can I get a child safety seat, or information about proper installation?

If you have any questions in reference to the proper use or requirements regarding child safety seats you may call the Sheriff’s Office at 315-536-4438 any time. You will be referred to a Child Car Safety Seat Technician who will contact you to answer any questions you may have, including arrangements for a physical inspection for proper function and installation if you’d like.  You can also learn if you may qualify for free seats.

5. Who should I notify if I want to burn something?

If you are planning a controlled burn at your residence, property or place of business you should first call the dispatch center.  The phone number to report controlled burns is 315-536-3033.  By notifying the dispatch center of you plan to burn material, it lessens the chances of an unnecessary Fire Department response to your location.  In the event your burn becomes out of control call 911 immediately to request the Fire Department.

Note: Open burning is not allowed within the Villages of Penn Yan, Dundee, or Dresden.  Large or unique burns may also be subject to Encon or fire department approval.

6. Can I have my fingerprints taken for a pistol permit, adoption or similar application?

No, the Sheriff's Office no longer does civil applicant fingerprinting.  Applicants may schedule an appointment for fingerprinting by going to the L-1 website or calling their L-1 toll free call center at 877-472-6915.  The Yates County Sheriff’s Office ORI number is NY0610000 which must be given when scheduling with L-1 on line or telephone.

7. What is Freedom of Information Law and how can I get information about Sheriff's Office records?

FOIL Request form (PDF)

The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) is the nickname for Section 87 of the NYS Public Officers Law which guarantees and regulates the public's right to access records (not specific information) which a public service agency currently keeps in the normal course of daily business.  Additionally, an agency is not required to create a new record or provide information in response to questions.  Therefore, in an effort to assist obtaining the information being sought, you will be asked to identify as closely as possible what record(s) you want.  There are several exceptions that allow denial to some or all information contained on a record, including but not limited to open law enforcement investigations and confidential information that could result in harm to an individual or organization.  The Sheriff has designated the Undersheriff as the agency's Records Access Officer (RAO).  For further information you may contact the Records Division during normal business hours either in person or via phone at 315-536-5178.

Notice: Please call 911 for emergencies and 315-536-4438 for the Yates County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center for other less emergent situations.

8. Does the Sheriffs Office do property checks?

Yes.  If you are planning an extended period of time away from your residence, the Sheriffs Office will do Property Checks to help keep your property safe.  If desired, YCSO Posters are also available for you to post on your property.  You must pick up and place the posters.

For the Sheriffs office to do Property Checks, the necessary Property Check Form (PDF) must be filled out in its entirety so the Deputies are aware of the specific areas to be checked.  If you have any questions regarding the Property Check Form you may contact the Sheriffs Office at 315-536-4438 anytime.  Property Checks Forms cannot be done over the phone.  Staff will assist with questions completing the form, but the requester is responsible for completion & content.  Please note that Property Checks will only be done for a duration of 6 months.  Any longer and it must be refiled to ensure that all contact information is correct & current.  The completed Property Check form can be faxed to 315-536-5106 or emailed to the sheriff's office.

Notice:  Please call 911 for emergencies and 315-536-4438 for the Yates County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center for other less emergent situations.

9. How do I apply for a pistol permit, and where do I go?

You must first make application with you local law enforcement agency. Residents living in the Village of Penn Yan must obtain an application at the Penn Yan Police Department. You may contact them for their hours of availability. All other Yates County residents must get an application at the Yates County Sheriff’s Office or by downloading the following:

• Procedure for the Application (PDF)
• Offenses Automatic Bar to Obtaining Pistol Permit (PDF)
• Departmental Affirmation (PDF)
• Character Reference (PDF)
• New York State Pistol Revolver License Application (PDF)
  • New York State Pistol Revolver License Application Continuation Form
  • New York State Pistol Revolver License Fingerprint Form
• Freedom of Information Law Exemption Form (PDF)
• Procedure for the Application for License as a Gunsmith Dealer in Firearms
  • Application for License as a Gunsmith Dealer in Firearms

These are available in person during normal daytime business hours at the Records Division. Currently there is no charge for this paperwork. Generally, a person must be 21 years of age to apply. Any amendments to an existing pistol permit must be made through the Yates County Clerk’s Office.

10. How can I get current information for local road conditions during storms?

During inclement weather, particularly in the winter, the Sheriff’s Office will occasionally issue travel advisories or even road or lake closings by issuance of a special state of emergency as declared by the Sheriff.  Once an advisory or closing is deemed necessary, a detailed statement will be disseminated to local news media for immediate release and citizens need to tune into a local media outlet for current travel conditions.  Subsequently, please do not call the Sheriff’s Office for road and travel conditions.  Dispatchers need to keep phone lines open for disseminating this information to the media and other public service agencies.  Any significant information relating to highway and travel safety will be provided to local news media as soon as possible for their immediate release to the community.  You can also visit the New York State Department of Transportation website for road condition updates.  If you have doubts about traveling safely and your commute is not necessary, it may be best to stay off the roads.

11. How can I learn about the sex offender laws, and about sex offenders living in Yates County?

To begin with, there are three legal classifications of sex offenders:

• Level 1: These offenders are considered to be "a low risk of repeat offense."  Law enforcement is permitted to disseminate some detailed information about these offenders to the public
• Level 2: These offenders are considered to be "a moderate risk of repeat offense."  Law enforcement is permitted to disseminate more detailed information about these offenders to the public
• Level 3: These offenders are considered "a high risk of repeat offense/threat to public safety."  Law enforcement is permitted to disseminate more detailed information about these offenders to the public

Level 2 & 3 Offenders

There are several ways to learn more about sex offenders.  You can visit the Sex Offender Registry  page on the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.  This will provide you with more detailed information about NYS laws.  From there you will learn how to view the on-line Level 2 and Level 3 Sex Offender Subdirectory.  This is a database for all level 2 and 3 sex offenders in New York State for which information can legally be released, including those offenders residing in Yates County.  The U.S. Department of Justice also provides its National Sex Offender Public Registry that provides real-time access to public sex offender data nationwide with a single Internet search.  States continue to come on line with this program.

Level 1 Offenders

For information about Level 1 sex offenders who reside in Yates County and outside the Village of Penn Yan, you can view the Sex Offender Information page.  From there, you can also access the NYSDCJS website and Subdirectory, as well as download a YCSO document for more information about Level 1 Sex Offenders.  To learn about Level 1 Sex Offenders residing in the Village of Penn Yan, you may call the Penn Yan Police Department at 315-536-4426.  

12. How do I formally recognize or make a complaint concerning an employee of the Sheriff's Office?

The Yates County Sheriff’s Office is recognized as a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Law Enforcement accredited agency. In order to accomplish this achievement, a law enforcement agency must develop contemporary policies and procedures to evaluate and improve their overall effectiveness in meeting or exceeding the standards as established by the State Accreditation Council. The topics agencies are evaluated on include administration, training, and operations.

(1) To formally recognize an employee we ask that you contact our office by clicking here.

(2) Should you wish to file a complaint at any time, you may do so by calling (315) 536-4438 and request to speak with a Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Supervisor OR click here.

Although the Sheriff recognizes the responsibility and need to protect all members from false and malicious personnel complaints, (PC) a complaint shall not be arbitrarily dismissed because it is anonymous. All efforts to investigate an anonymous complaint shall be responsible and based on the information received.