We received the following update from Chris Como, Official Examiner of Title, Suffolk County Clerk's Office.

In accordance with directives from the Governor and County Executive, staffing at the County Clerk’s Office will be extremely limited in the upcoming weeks until further notice.

It is advised that all documents required to be recorded or filed be sent in via a trackable mail service as drop off availability in the lobby may be ending shortly without notice.

We are currently working on making printing available to those accessing our office remotely and have accounts within the next 48 hours.  Accounts can be credited by mailing in checks to the County Clerk’s Office (attention Public Access).  We also anticipate you will have the ability credit your accounts using credit cards once the printing function is available.   A separate e-mail will be sent once this is available.

While we are absorbing the licensing fees that permit off site access to our records, the County Clerk does not have the authority to waive any fee set by statute.  We will gladly comply with any State law or order directing these fees be waived.

For those seeking copies of previously recorded/filed documents or maps not available via remote access, they may purchased by using the attached form submitted to recordrequest@suffolkcountyny.gov.  Requests may also be made by mail using the same form.

Questions regarding filings/recording that are strictly of an immediate nature should be make directly to the appropriate department (see website for more info).

We are continuing to do our best with the limited resources to provide as much access to our records and staff as possible.  Since circumstances and government mandates are changing by the hour, any and all current practices are subject to change with no or very limited notification.  We will do our best to keep you informed as we have additional information. Please continue to check our website for updates as well.

Christopher Como, Esq.

Official Examiner of Title

Suffolk County Clerk's Office

310 Center Drive

Riverhead, New York 11901

(631)852-2000 ext. 112

The Honorable Maureen O'Connell, Nassau County Clerk has informed us:

"... the Clerk's online database via US Land Records now gives access to uncertified images of all land documents in our database, free of charge.  This should alleviate stress and overcrowding in our search area

... Not only can a computer in an office or home now search for everything in the County Clerk land database, but the cost for doing so would be identical as doing the search in the Clerk’s office....

Also, ...  please include a reminder about the Assessment TMV letter not necessarily having an SBL that is consistent with the official County Clerk SBL.  This inconsistency is leading to submitters changing the SBL on instruments to match the Assessment letter (not the County Clerks) and creates rejections before the submission even reaches our internal system."

On the evening of Monday, December 21, 2015 the Nassau County Legislature passed two emergency resolutions. This vote changed to January 4, 2016, the effective date of the block recording fee increase and the Tax Map Verification Letter (TMVL) fee increase.

These are recorded as Resolution 542-15 and 543-15 and the files are attached to this blog post.

You can see a video of the proceedings at this site:

http://nassaucountyny.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=1610&Format=Agenda 

The Association's public comment starts at 05:01:00 and lasts for about 5 minutes.

The vote of the Legislature starts at approximately 07:23:00.

The logistics of the refunds have not yet been announced.  We will post that information here as soon as possible.

Earlier today, we spoke with Nassau County Clerk O'Connell, who was a very vocal opponent to these fee increases.  The Clerk's Office has provided the following information:

-          There is a grace period for the new fee.  All documents presented for recording prior to 9 am January 4, 2016 will be subject to the current block fee ($150).

-          This means the last day to present instruments for recording in person for the current fee ($150) will be December 31, 2015 as Friday January 1, 2016 is a County holiday.

-          Please ensure all documents presented by your on-site recorders have been thoroughly reviewed for recordability.

-          Documents presented prior to the end of the grace period (1/4/16) that are rejected and resubmitted after January 4, 2016 will be subject to the new block fee ($300) regardless of when the document was initially presented.

On a personal note, I want to say that I had to sit in the Legislature's Chamber for six hours to have my three minutes to speak. NYSLTA Member and Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel has been on the right side of this issue from the start and we are grateful for all his help. I appreciate the company of NYSLTA President Marianne Mathieu, who provided the moral support this endeavor required.  Also, I enjoyed the company of NYSLTA Members Sal Turano and Ted Werner.

The material benefits of this resolution, as measured in dollars is modest. The meaning of the accomplishment is much more important. The title industry spoke with one voice and we were heard.  The unsung helpers at Title Action Network, as well as Paul Larrabee and Scott Wexler made immeasurable contributions.

If you are an NYSLTA Member, you should be proud of your profession and the vital role you play in the functioning of the real estate economy.

If you are not an NYSLTA Member - do a little soul searching. Then  scroll to the top of this page and join.