Elmira Phone Directory Lookup

The Elmira phone directory pulls from public records held by city, county, and state offices in the Southern Tier region of New York. Elmira is the county seat of Chemung County. The City Clerk, code enforcement, police, and public works departments all maintain records that contain names, addresses, and phone numbers. You can search these records through FOIL requests and online databases. Chemung County adds another layer of property, court, and election records. New York's Freedom of Information Law gives you the right to access records held by any city or county agency here.

Elmira City Clerk and Public Records

The Elmira City Clerk is the main records office for city government. Call the clerk at 607-737-5672. The clerk handles meeting minutes, local laws, permits, licenses, and FOIL requests. All of these are public records under New York law.

City Council agendas and minutes are available through the City of Elmira website. These documents name residents who speak at public hearings and meetings. Resolutions and local laws sometimes reference specific people or properties. Commission agendas and minutes are also posted. If you are trying to find someone connected to city business, these records are a good starting point.

The City Manager's office can be reached at 607-737-5644. The manager oversees day-to-day city operations. Records from the manager's office, including contracts, correspondence, and reports, are subject to FOIL. The city council uses the same phone number for general inquiries about legislative matters.

Elmira City Department Contacts

Each city department in Elmira keeps its own records. Here are the key numbers and what records each department holds.

Code Enforcement at 607-737-5654 handles building permits, inspections, certificates of occupancy, and violation notices. Every permit application is a public record that lists the property owner and contractor. Violation records show who owns a problem property. These records tie names to addresses, which makes them useful for phone directory searches.

The Fire Department and Police Department share a non-emergency line at 607-735-8600. Police keep incident reports, arrest records, and accident reports. Fire keeps inspection reports, fire investigation files, and EMS run reports. You can request copies of these records through FOIL. Some details may be redacted for ongoing cases or privacy reasons.

Public Works is at 607-737-5679. They keep records of road projects, utility work, and property-related permits like sidewalk and curb cuts. Animal Control at 607-737-5807 maintains records of licensed animals and enforcement actions. Each license ties a pet owner's name to their address and phone number.

FOIL Requests in Elmira

New York's Freedom of Information Law applies to every city office in Elmira. You can request any record held by the city. The clerk's office coordinates FOIL requests across departments.

Send a written request that describes what you want. Include names, dates, and document types. The city has five business days to respond. They can approve, deny, or ask for more time. Standard copies cost 25 cents per page. Inspecting records in person is free. For large requests that take staff more than two hours, the city can charge for labor at cost.

The NYCLU FOIL Toolkit has templates and guides for writing requests. If the city denies your request, you can appeal within 30 business days. The NYS Committee on Open Government provides free advice on FOIL disputes and can intervene on your behalf if an agency is not following the law.

Chemung County Records

As the county seat, Elmira is home to the Chemung County Clerk's office and the county courthouse. The county clerk records deeds, mortgages, liens, and business certificates. Each filing lists party names and addresses. Land records go back many years and are one of the strongest sources for finding where someone lives.

Property records from the county include assessment rolls, tax bills, and tax maps. Every parcel has an owner name and address on file. The county real property tax service keeps this data current. You can often search online or visit the office in Elmira to look up property information by name or address.

Court records for Chemung County are part of the New York State Unified Court System. The county has Supreme Court, Family Court, and City Court. Case filings list the names and addresses of the parties. Some case data is searchable online through the eCourts portal. Not every case type is available there, but civil and criminal indexes are a good place to start.

The county Board of Elections keeps voter registration records. These are public and include a voter's name, address, and party enrollment. You can look up individual records at the board's office. The Chemung County Sheriff maintains jail records, civil service filings, and arrest logs. These are subject to FOIL.

New York State Records for Elmira

Several state-level databases cover Elmira. The NYS Department of State Corporation Search is free and shows business names, registered agents, and filing addresses. The Department of Health holds vital records for births, deaths, and marriages that happened outside New York City, going back to 1881.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services runs statewide criminal background checks for $65, which require fingerprinting. The Office of the Professions has a free lookup for licensed doctors, nurses, lawyers, and others. Results often include a practice address.

Federal courts cover Elmira through the Western District of New York. The PACER system lets you search bankruptcy filings, civil lawsuits, and criminal cases. Each filing shows party names and addresses. PACER charges 10 cents per page with a quarterly cap for small users.

Other Record Sources in Elmira

The Chemung County District Attorney's office handles criminal prosecutions. Press releases about cases sometimes name defendants and include addresses from court filings. The county also maintains a tax lien list. When property taxes go unpaid, a lien gets filed. Tax lien records show the owner, property address, and amount owed.

Elmira's community development office keeps records of grants, housing programs, and development projects. These can name property owners and businesses that received city funds. Building permit data from code enforcement is particularly useful because it ties a person's name to a property address along with the type of work being done.

The Chemung County Library District has local history collections that may include old phone books and city directories. These historical records list residents by name with their occupation and home address. Cross-referencing old records with current databases can help confirm whether someone still lives at a given address.

Nearby Cities with Phone Directory Pages

Elmira sits in the Southern Tier of New York. The nearest city with a phone directory page on this site is Binghamton to the east.

Binghamton is in Broome County, about 55 miles east of Elmira along Route 17. It has its own city clerk, county clerk, and court system. Both cities share the same state-level resources and FOIL process for accessing public records.