Deeds are recorded in the Clerk's Office to convey interest in property from one party to another. 

As of January 2026, a grantor notification -- and corresponding $10 fee -- will be required to record any deed in our office, regardless of property type. In an effort to further combat deed theft, our office pushed for the passage of a local law to expand Real Property Law §291, which calls for grantors to be notified when there is a conveyance of residential real property recorded in their name. 

Return policy for recorded documents -- June 1st, 2023

As of June 1st, 2023 the Cattaraugus County Clerk’s office will no longer return recorded documents that are not accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope [SASE] of adequate size and postage for the return of all documents. These documents must have a way of being returned to the appropriate party without the taxpayers of Cattaraugus County incurring the cost.

Documents required to transfer property:

Deed

A deed must be original and must have both the Grantor's and Grantee's name & physical address, a legal description of the property, and the Grantor's notarized signature. It must be accompanied by a TP584, an RP5217 and -- sometimes -- an IT 2663.
NOTE: As per local law, if the property is in the cities of Olean or Salamanca, the deed must be counter-signed in those city clerk's offices before being recorded in the County Clerk's office. For more information, contact the Olean City Clerk at 716-376-5631 or the Salamanca City Clerk at 716-945-4620.

TP584 Tax Affidavit 

View/Download a blank TP584 form.

View/Download instructions on how to complete TP584.

RP-5217

Learn about form RP-5217, a Real Property Transfer Report on the NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance.

View/Download a blank RP-5217 form

View instructions on how to complete RP-5217 (from NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance)

IT2663 [Only if seller is NOT a New York State resident]

View/Download a blank IT2663 form. 
In the case of multiple sellers, an IT2663 is required for each individual unless they are husband & wife.

Fees:

Recording [Make checks payable to Cattaraugus County Clerk Office]

The cost to record a deed is $50.25 for the first page and $5 for each additional page.
For property in the city of Olean or Salamanca, the cost is a flat $50.00 for the first page and $5 for each additional page.

The cost to record a TP584 is $5.00.

The cost to record a RP5217 is $125 if:
* One of the following boxes is checked: 7A, 7B, 7E, or BOTH 7G & 8. -OR-
* The Property Class Code from Item 18 is either 100-299 or 411C.

The cost to record a RP5217 is $250 if:
* None of the boxes indicated above is checked -AND-
* The Property Class Code is 300 or higher.

Transfer Tax

The transfer tax is $2 per $500, rounded up to the nearest even dollar amount.

 ** The county clerk's office cannot assist with the completion of documents. For assistance, please consult an attorney. **

*Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of the original document.*

WARNING: Don't ever pay a third party for information about your property. Click here for more information.