Erie County Court Records Search: NY Clerk, eCourts, NYSCEF, City Courts, Surrogate & PACER
Use this guide to find the right official route for Erie County, New York court records, including Supreme Court civil records, County Court felony records, Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, Buffalo City Court, town and village courts, appeals, federal district court, and bankruptcy records.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not Erie County, the Erie County Clerk, New York State Unified Court System, NYSCEF, PACER, a law firm, a government agency, or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This page is general information only and is not legal advice.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. A complaint, charge, citation, lawsuit, indictment, petition, arrest, warrant entry, or docket entry does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this guide for employment, tenant, credit, insurance, licensing, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Confirm you need Erie County, New York before searching
“Erie County court records” is an ambiguous search. This guide covers Erie County, New York, including Buffalo. Erie County, Pennsylvania and Erie County, Ohio have different clerks, court structures, case portals, copy procedures, and record-retention rules.
For Erie County, New York, the route depends on the court. The Erie County Clerk is Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts and maintains many legal records, judgments, liens, civil filings, closed felony criminal files, and related court papers. New York eCourts and NYSCEF are separate official systems that must be used for many current case searches and e-filed matters.
E-filed Erie County cases commenced after April 3, 2012 are available only through NYSCEF.
County Clerk court index numbers are listed online from January 1, 1993 to present.
Some older court records dating back to 1830 may be retrievable upon request, with processing time needed.
Erie County courts are part of the New York State Courts Eighth Judicial District.
Erie County NY court record route finder
Select the record type. This helper runs in your browser and does not ask for names, index numbers, indictment numbers, dates of birth, addresses, driver license numbers, or payment details.
Supreme Court civil matters may require NYSCEF if e-filed. The Erie County Clerk’s public search can help locate clerk-maintained index and filing information, but e-filed documents after the county’s cutoff route to NYSCEF.
Choose the correct Erie County NY court or record system
Use the record type before searching. New York Supreme Court, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, City Court, Town/Village Courts, NYSCEF, County Clerk records, appellate courts, and federal courts are separate routes.
| Need | Correct source | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court civil case, higher-value civil matter, foreclosure, judgment, or divorce filing | NYSCEF, eCourts WebCivil Supreme, and Erie County Clerk | Search NYSCEF for e-filed matters, then use the Erie County Clerk search or record request route for clerk-maintained index/copy needs. |
| County Court felony case | Erie County Court / Erie County Clerk for closed felony files | Use eCourts/WebCriminal where appropriate and contact the Erie County Clerk Legal Division for closed criminal file-copy procedures. |
| Lower-level criminal, misdemeanor, traffic, small claim, eviction, or local civil matter | Buffalo City Court, Lackawanna City Court, Tonawanda City Court, or Town/Village Court | Use eCourts WebCivil Local/WebCriminal or the specific local court. These are not always Erie County Clerk records. |
| Family Court case | Erie County Family Court | Use Family Court or WebFamily routes where appropriate. Expect restrictions for adoption, child protective, juvenile, custody, and sensitive family materials. |
| Estate, probate, will, administration, guardianship, or surrogate matter | Erie County Surrogate’s Court / WebSurrogate | Use Surrogate’s Court or WebSurrogate. Adoption and some guardianship matters may be restricted. |
| Judgment, lien, lis pendens, tax warrant, or filed legal document | Erie County Clerk Official Records Public Search | Search by party name, document type, index/file number, or recording details. Address searching is not available in the Clerk’s official records system. |
| Certified copy of a Clerk-maintained record | Erie County Clerk Document Request / Records Office | Provide the index number for court records or book/page for land records to avoid search charges when possible. |
| State appeal | New York appellate resources through eCourts / NY Courts | Search appellate dockets separately and compare trial-court index or indictment information with appellate case details. |
| Federal civil or criminal case | U.S. District Court, Western District of New York / PACER | Use PACER or the Western District of New York. Federal cases are not Erie County Clerk records. |
| Bankruptcy case | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York / PACER | Use PACER or the bankruptcy court. The Erie County Clerk states bankruptcy petitions are filed with federal bankruptcy court, not the County Clerk. |
How to search Erie County NY court records without choosing the wrong system
Erie County court-record searching often requires more than one official site. NYSCEF controls many e-filed Supreme Court matters. The Erie County Clerk’s system holds court index and official records information. New York eCourts provides WebCivil, WebCriminal, WebFamily, WebSurrogate, NYSCEF, traffic-ticket, and appellate routes.
Use this page for Erie County, New York. Use separate official systems for Erie County PA or Erie County OH.
Look for Supreme Court, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, Buffalo City Court, Lackawanna City Court, Tonawanda City Court, Town Court, Village Court, federal district court, or bankruptcy court.
Erie County Clerk guidance says cases commenced by e-filing after April 3, 2012 are available only on NYSCEF, and later papers in some older e-filed cases are also only on NYSCEF.
Search party names, document types, index numbers, judgments, liens, and related official records. Mac, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari users should use Browser View or browser-based search options where required.
Open New York Courts eCourts and choose the correct route: WebCivil Supreme, WebCivil Local, WebCriminal, WebFamily, WebSurrogate, NYSCEF, or appellate search.
Use the Erie County Clerk request form for Clerk-maintained records. Use the court itself for Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, City/Town/Village Court, federal court, or bankruptcy records.
Erie County Clerk copy, certification, and search fees to verify before ordering
The Erie County Clerk publishes copy and search fee rules. The final cost can depend on page count, certification, whether the Clerk must search, postage, credit-card convenience fees, and whether you provide an index number or book/page.
| Request | Officially listed fee or rule | Practical step |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary copy | $1.30 for the first 2 pages, plus $0.65 for each additional page, maximum $40 per document. | Provide the index number for court records or book/page for recorded records if known. |
| Certified copy | $5.00 for the first 4 pages, plus $1.25 per additional page, maximum $40 per document. | Certified copy requests cannot simply be emailed back like ordinary electronic copies; follow the Clerk’s mailing/payment instructions. |
| Certified presented copy | $5.20 for the first 8 pages, plus $0.65 per additional page, maximum $40 per document. | Ask the Clerk which certified-copy category applies before paying. |
| Manual search by Clerk | $10 per name, per document type, for each consecutive 2-year period or fraction. | Narrow the year range and provide the index number when possible to avoid search charges. |
| Digital search by Clerk | $5 per name, per document type, for each consecutive 2-year period or fraction. | Use the public search first if you can, then request copies using the result information. |
| PACER federal records | PACER pricing verified September 20, 2026: $0.10 per page, $3 cap for many case-specific documents, and fees waived if quarterly usage is $30 or less; a temporary increase to $0.12 per page and a $40 quarterly waiver threshold is announced for January 1, 2027. | Use case number and date filters to avoid unnecessary PACER charges. |
Erie Clerk copy-cost planning tool
This estimator is only a planning tool based on common Erie County Clerk fee references. The official Clerk quote, fee chart, or receipt controls.
Online images, sealed files, family records, and older-record limits
Erie County’s court-record access depends on record type and legal restrictions. The Clerk’s online search can show useful index and filing information, but court document images are limited online. NYSCEF may display unsealed e-filed documents. Family, adoption, juvenile, sealed, expunged, and other restricted records may require court permission or party/attorney status.
- Basic, Advanced, and Registered User Search may require Windows/Edge/ClickOnce support.
- Browser View is available for many non-Windows or non-supported browser users.
- Registered users can view some images, but court document images are limited online.
- Public computers are available at the Clerk’s Office for image access and research.
- Sealed criminal records require proper legal authority to unseal.
- Family, adoption, juvenile, and child protective records may be restricted.
- Some divorce records require specific request forms and notarization.
- Federal bankruptcy and federal district records are separate from county records.
Official Erie County NY court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Use these official links for actual record tasks. Each card explains what to click, check, or prepare after opening the source.
Use this for Erie County Clerk guidance on Supreme and County Court records, mandatory e-filing, and the NYSCEF cutoff.
- Read the September 1, 2017 e-filed document notice.
- Review the April 3, 2012 NYSCEF cutoff rule.
- Open NYSCEF for e-filed Supreme Court matters.
- Use the Clerk search for non-e-filed or clerk-maintained records.
Use this for Erie County Clerk official records, judgments, liens, index information, and searchable clerk records.
- Confirm the site is ecclerk.erie.gov.
- Choose the correct search option.
- Search all spelling variations of names.
- Use Browser View if your device/browser cannot run the advanced search system.
Use this if you cannot use the .NET/Windows search tools or need a browser-based route.
- Open the Search tab.
- Choose the available search field that matches your record.
- Enter exact index, name, date range, or other supported data.
- Use the result details for a copy request.
Use this to check online index dates, image availability, and older-record coverage.
- Find the Court & Legal Records table.
- Check maintained dates and online index dates.
- Review online image availability.
- Use request procedures for older or limited records.
Use this to request clerk-maintained record copies when the online system gives you enough identifying information.
- Enter requestor contact information.
- Identify the document type.
- Provide the index number for court records or book/page for land records.
- Wait for the Records Office to calculate fees and contact you.
Use this for mail, in-person, online, divorce, criminal, and search/copy instructions.
- Choose online, in-person, or mail request method.
- Use the correct form for deed, copy, search, divorce, closed criminal, or local criminal searches.
- Include payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed requests when required.
- Do not use FOIL when a standard public-record copy process already applies.
Use this to verify copy, certification, search, filing, court, judgment, lien, and recording fees.
- Find the correct fee category.
- Check whether the fee is per page, per document, per name, or per time period.
- Confirm whether certification or exemplification is required.
- Call the Clerk if your request spans multiple document types or years.
Use this for Erie County Clerk criminal-record scope and closed felony-file guidance.
- Read which criminal records are held by the Clerk.
- Note that lesser charges may be in lower courts.
- Use defendant name and birth date only with the official custodian when required.
- Respect sealed-record rules and do not attempt to bypass them.
Use this official New York Courts hub for WebCivil, WebCriminal, WebFamily, WebSurrogate, NYSCEF, traffic-ticket, and appellate tools.
- Choose the correct application by case type.
- Use WebCivil Supreme for Supreme civil matters.
- Use WebCivil Local or WebCriminal for lower court matters.
- Use WebFamily or WebSurrogate for those court categories when supported.
Use this for Erie County e-filed Supreme Court documents and filings.
- Choose the search option for cases or documents.
- Search by index number when possible.
- Review the case county and court before opening documents.
- Remember sealed documents and restricted materials may not be public.
Use this for Erie County Supreme Court location, hours, court departments, and judge/court information.
- Confirm the case belongs to Supreme Court.
- Use eCourts or NYSCEF for online lookup.
- Use the County Clerk for clerk-maintained case-file copies.
- Call the court only for court-operation or scheduling issues.
Use this for Erie County Court felony, limited civil, and County Court location information.
- Review the County Court overview.
- Use eCourts/WebCriminal if available.
- Use the Clerk route for closed felony files.
- Use city/town/village courts for lower-level matters where applicable.
Use this for child support, custody, visitation, family offense, juvenile, adoption, guardianship, and related family matters.
- Confirm the matter belongs to Family Court.
- Use WebFamily only when the record type is supported.
- Contact the Family Court record room or correct department for records questions.
- Do not republish sensitive family or child information.
Use this for probate, estates, wills, administration, guardianship, adoption, and wrongful-death matters.
- Confirm the decedent or matter belongs in Erie County Surrogate’s Court.
- Use WebSurrogate where available.
- Contact the court for restricted records or certified-copy procedures.
- Check guardianship and adoption restrictions before requesting access.
Use this for Buffalo City Court civil, criminal, small claims, commercial claims, and housing matters.
- Confirm the case belongs to Buffalo City Court.
- Use WebCivil Local or WebCriminal where appropriate.
- Contact Criminal Records, Civil Judgment Room, Small Claims, or Housing Court using the court page.
- Do not route Buffalo City Court records to the County Clerk unless the Clerk maintains the specific filed record.
Use this for town and village court routing, including traffic, small claims, evictions, civil matters, and local criminal matters.
- Use the court locator filters.
- Enter Erie County and the town/village if known.
- Open the exact local court page.
- Contact that court for case-specific records or payments.
Use this for federal district civil and criminal cases in the Western District of New York.
- Confirm the case is federal, not a state or county case.
- Use PACER for federal docket access.
- Use the Buffalo courthouse route when relevant.
- Contact the federal clerk for federal certified-copy questions.
Use this for bankruptcy cases connected to Erie County and other Western District counties.
- Confirm the case is bankruptcy, not state civil court.
- Use PACER or the bankruptcy court’s CM/ECF route.
- Use the Buffalo office information when applicable.
- Contact the bankruptcy court, not the County Clerk, for official bankruptcy copies.
Use this for federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy records.
- Register or sign in to PACER.
- Use the specific federal court if you know it.
- Use PACER Case Locator if the court is unknown.
- Review pricing before opening documents or running broad searches.
Use this only if you meant Erie County, Pennsylvania, not Erie County, New York.
- Confirm the record is from Pennsylvania.
- Continue as guest or log in if appropriate.
- Choose the correct Prothonotary, Register of Wills, or Orphans’ Court search.
- Do not mix PA case results with NY case results.
Use this only if you meant Erie County, Ohio, not Erie County, New York.
- Confirm the record is from Ohio.
- Use Common Pleas or Municipal Court record search links as appropriate.
- Check Sandusky/Milan court location details.
- Do not mix OH case results with NY case results.
Erie County NY court-record locations, addresses, phone numbers, and map
Call before visiting to confirm the correct office, current hours, security rules, copy procedure, payment method, and whether the file is public, sealed, older/off-site, or available through NYSCEF instead.
Old County Hall
92 Franklin Street, First Floor
Buffalo, NY 14202
General information: 716-858-8785
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Filing note: completed documents should be in line by 4:15 p.m.
25 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-9300
Chief Clerk’s Office: 716-845-9301
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
1 Niagara Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-7444
Fax: 716-845-2119
Record Room: 716-845-7401
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
92 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-2560
Fax: 716-845-7565
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
50 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-845-2600
Fax: 716-379-6699
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Robert H. Jackson U.S. Courthouse
2 Niagara Square
Buffalo, NY 14202
District Court: 716-551-1700
Bankruptcy Court: 716-362-3200
Use PACER for federal dockets.
Court records are not the same as jail, police, property, vital, or bankruptcy records
- Supreme Court civil case index numbers.
- County Court felony files and closed criminal records held by the Clerk.
- Judgments, liens, court filings, and legal records.
- Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, and City Court case routing.
- Certified copies of court documents held by the custodian.
- Current jail custody or booking status.
- Police incident reports.
- Birth, death, and current vital records.
- Property owner lookup by address before deed research.
- Federal bankruptcy petitions and federal district dockets.
Where Erie County NY appeals, federal cases, and bankruptcy records go
Trial-court records, appellate records, federal district records, and bankruptcy records live in separate systems. Use the state-court index number, indictment number, lower-court docket number, or federal case number to connect related records.
Use New York Courts appellate resources through eCourts and the appropriate appellate court. Trial-court and appellate dockets are separate, so compare the lower-court case number with the appellate case information.
Federal civil and criminal cases use the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and PACER. The Buffalo federal courthouse is at 2 Niagara Square.
Bankruptcy petitions are filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York, not with the Erie County Clerk. Use PACER or the bankruptcy court for official records.
| Record type | Official route | Important caution |
|---|---|---|
| State appeal from Erie County trial court | New York Courts appellate search / appropriate appellate court | The trial-court file and appellate file are separate. Compare lower-court and appellate identifiers. |
| Federal civil or criminal case | Western District of New York / PACER | Federal records are not certified by the Erie County Clerk. |
| Bankruptcy case | Western District of New York Bankruptcy Court / PACER | Bankruptcy documents, petitions, claims, and dockets are federal records. |
| Unknown federal court | PACER Case Locator | After identifying the court, use that specific court’s PACER docket for the most current record. |
What to do if an Erie County NY court-record search returns no result
- Wrong Erie County: New York vs Pennsylvania vs Ohio.
- Wrong system: NYSCEF vs County Clerk public search vs eCourts.
- Wrong court: Supreme, County, Family, Surrogate, City, Town, or Village Court.
- Name spelling, suffix, middle name, business punctuation, or former surname mismatch.
- Searching by address in a Clerk system that does not index by property address.
- E-filed case is only in NYSCEF.
- Older record requires Clerk request or off-site/historical retrieval.
- Sealed criminal record or acquittal/dismissal sealing rule applies.
- Family, adoption, juvenile, guardianship, or child protective record is restricted.
- Federal or bankruptcy matter must be searched through PACER.
How to read Erie County NY docket and record fields without over-interpreting them
A docket, register, index, or e-filed case history is a timeline of case activity. It may not show every document image, and one entry rarely explains the full legal outcome. Use neutral language and verify the final disposition with the official court or clerk.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, decedent, fiduciary, guardian, ward, claimant, judgment creditor, and judgment debtor are legal roles. A role does not automatically prove wrongdoing.
Complaint, petition, motion, order, judgment, notice of pendency, satisfaction, dismissal, plea, sentence, certificate of disposition, and transcript of judgment can appear in Erie records. Read later entries before drawing conclusions.
Open, pending, disposed, dismissed, sealed, satisfied, vacated, stayed, or closed can mean different things depending on case type. Ask the custodian if the status matters for official use.
Use Erie County NY court records carefully
- Do not identify a person from a common name alone.
- Compare court, index number, indictment number, filing date, party role, docket events, and lawful identifiers.
- Do not assume an arrest, charge, complaint, petition, or lawsuit is proof of wrongdoing.
- Do not assume a judgment or lien is current without checking later satisfactions, releases, or vacatur documents.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame, or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not publish children’s names, addresses, protected health details, or unnecessary sensitive information.
- Do not bypass sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption, family, guardianship, or confidential restrictions.
- Contact the official custodian for corrections, sealing, expungement, and certified-copy needs.
Frequently asked questions about Erie County court records
Which Erie County does this court records guide cover?
This guide covers Erie County, New York, including Buffalo. If you need Erie County, Pennsylvania or Erie County, Ohio, use that county’s official court system instead because the clerks, courts, portals, and case numbering are different.
What is the official way to search Erie County New York court records?
Use a combination of the Erie County Clerk’s Court Records/Filing page, the Clerk’s Official Records Public Search, New York Courts eCourts, and NYSCEF. E-filed Erie County cases commenced after April 3, 2012 are available through NYSCEF rather than the Erie County Clerk website.
Who keeps Erie County Supreme Court and County Court records?
The Erie County Clerk serves as Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts and maintains many court pleadings and papers, including Supreme and County Court legal records. Some records, especially e-filed matters, must be searched in NYSCEF.
Can I search Erie County court records by name?
Yes, but name searching must be verified carefully. The Erie County Clerk advises users to search all possible spelling variations. Compare the court, index number, indictment number, filing date, party role, document type, and other lawful identifiers before relying on a match.
Where do I find Erie County felony criminal records?
Closed criminal records resulting from felony charges filed within New York State Supreme Court and Erie County Court are located in the Erie County Clerk’s Office. Lesser charged matters are filed in lower courts, and federal, city, and town proceedings are not filed with the Erie County Clerk.
Where do I search Buffalo City Court or lower-level local cases?
Use New York Courts eCourts or the specific City, Town, or Village Court. Buffalo City Court is at 50 Delaware Avenue and handles civil suits up to $15,000, misdemeanors and lesser offenses, felony arraignments, small claims, and housing matters.
How much do Erie County Clerk court record copies cost?
The Erie County Clerk’s fee chart lists ordinary copies at $1.30 for the first two pages and $0.65 for each additional page, with a maximum of $40. Certified copies are listed at $5.00 for the first four pages and $1.25 for each additional page, with a maximum of $40.
Can I view Erie County Clerk document images online?
Registered users can view some images in the Clerk’s official records system. The Clerk’s records page states that court document online images are limited, and the search system notes that non-Windows users should use Browser View or browser-based search options.
Where do I find Erie County Family Court or Surrogate’s Court records?
Use Erie County Family Court for child support, custody, visitation, family offense, juvenile, adoption, and related family matters. Use Erie County Surrogate’s Court for probate, estates, wills, administration, guardianship, wrongful death, and related surrogate matters. Some family, adoption, juvenile, and guardianship records may be restricted.
Where do I search Erie County federal or bankruptcy cases?
Federal cases are not county clerk records. Use the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and PACER for federal civil and criminal dockets. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York and PACER for bankruptcy records.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against official Erie County Clerk pages for Court Records/Filing, Official Records Public Search, Browser View Search, Records Kept by the County Clerk, Document Request Form, General Rules for Requesting Information, Schedule of Fees, Criminal Proceedings, Contact Us, New York Courts eCourts, NYSCEF, Erie County Supreme Court, Erie County Court, Erie County Family Court, Erie County Surrogate’s Court, Buffalo City Court, New York Town and Village Justice Courts, Western District of New York, Western District of New York Bankruptcy Court, PACER Find a Case, and PACER pricing. Review date: September 20, 2026.