Ithaca Phone Directory Lookup

The Ithaca phone directory pulls from public records held by city offices and Tompkins County agencies in central New York. Ithaca has a population of around 32,000, though the number swells during the academic year due to Cornell University and Ithaca College. The City Clerk keeps vital records, council minutes, and permits. The Assessor maintains property tax rolls with owner names and addresses. Tompkins County handles land records, business filings, and court documents. Under New York's FOIL law, all of these records are available to the public on request. This page breaks down each office, what records they hold, and how to access them.

Ithaca City Clerk

The City Clerk is the go-to office for public records in Ithaca. The office sits at 108 East Green Street in City Hall. Call (607) 274-6570. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Vital records are a big part of what the Clerk does. Birth and death certificates for events that took place in Ithaca are on file. Marriage licenses get processed here. If you need a certified copy of a birth or death certificate, bring ID and fill out a request form. There is a fee for certified copies. The Clerk also issues dog licenses, which create records with the owner's name and address (a small thing, but it adds to the pool of public data).

Council meeting minutes are public records. The Ithaca Common Council meets regularly, and the minutes capture everything said on the record. People who speak during public comment get named. Sometimes their addresses show up too. These minutes go back many years and are available on request or through the city website.

The City of Ithaca maintains an official website with department info, meeting schedules, and forms.

The site lets you look up contact info for specific offices, check council meeting schedules, and find links to online services.

FOIL requests for city records go through the Clerk. Under Public Officers Law Article 6, any person can request records from the city. You do not need to explain your reason. The Clerk must respond within five business days. Write your request clearly, state what records you want, and include dates if you know them. Copies cost $0.25 per page. In-person inspection is free.

Ithaca Assessor Office

The Assessor's office handles property tax records for the city. It is at 108 East Green Street. Property assessment rolls list every property owner in Ithaca by name, along with their mailing address and the assessed value of the property. These rolls are public records.

You can search property data online through the Tompkins County Assessment Department. The county runs the tax map and assessment system for all municipalities in Tompkins County. Search by name or address. Results show the parcel number, owner, mailing address, and assessment details. It is free to use.

Ithaca has a lot of rental properties, especially near the universities. Assessment records can tell you who owns a rental building even when the owner does not live there. The mailing address on the assessment roll is where tax bills go. That is often the owner's home address or the address of their management company. Either way, it is useful contact info.

Tax liens and tax sale records are public too. When property taxes are not paid, the city or county can file a lien. These records list the owner and the amount owed. Annual tax sale lists show every property going to auction. Both are available from the Assessment office or through the county.

Ithaca Building Department

The Building Department handles construction permits, code enforcement, and inspections. The office is at 108 East Green Street. Call (607) 274-6508 for questions about permits or code issues.

Building permit records are public. Each application lists the property address, owner name, contractor, and scope of work. This is a direct way to find out who owns a property or who did work on it. Code violations are on file too. The city issues violations for unsafe conditions, zoning problems, and maintenance failures. Each violation names the property owner and the address.

Certificate of Occupancy records show when a building passed final inspection. They list the owner and the property address. Demolition permits name the owner and the contractor. All of these are public records available through FOIL or by visiting the Building Department.

Ithaca has strict zoning rules, especially in the downtown area and near the universities. Zoning variance applications are public records. They name the applicant, the property, and the reason for the variance request. Planning Board records document development proposals and site plans. Both types of records list names and addresses that feed into a phone directory search.

Ithaca Police Department

The Ithaca Police Department is at 120 East Clinton Street. For records requests, call (607) 272-3245.

Incident reports are public under FOIL. They list names, addresses, and what happened. You can request copies by visiting the department or by filing a written FOIL request. Accident reports show the names and addresses of drivers and witnesses. Anyone can get these for a fee.

Arrest records have partly public info. The person's name, charges, and arrest date are generally available. Some info may be held back if a case is still pending. Daily logs and blotter reports summarize recent police activity. These show the time, place, and type of each call. Names appear in some entries.

The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services is searchable online and covers all of New York. For campus-related incidents, Cornell University Police and Ithaca College Public Safety maintain their own records. Those are separate from the city police but may overlap in some cases. The city police records office handles FOIL requests for city incidents only.

Tompkins County Records

Ithaca is in Tompkins County. The County Clerk is at 320 North Tioga Street in Ithaca. Call (607) 274-5431. The Clerk keeps land records, business filings, court documents, and UCC statements for the whole county.

Land records are the main draw at the County Clerk's office. Deeds, mortgages, liens, and satisfactions all get filed here. Each one lists the parties and their addresses. You can search by name or date range. The Tompkins County website has links to online searches and county office contacts.

Business certificates filed with the County Clerk show who runs local sole proprietorships and partnerships. The filing lists the business name, owner name, and address. For a phone directory search, this is a fast way to find a business owner's contact info.

The Surrogate's Court handles wills and estates for Tompkins County. Probate records list the name of the deceased, their last known address, and the names of heirs and executors. These are public and available at the courthouse. Court records from civil cases in county and supreme courts often list the parties' names and addresses too. The NYS eCourts system covers Tompkins County cases in the 6th Judicial District.

Tompkins County also has a strong public library system. The Tompkins County Public Library on Green Street in Ithaca holds historical city directories and old phone books. These are useful for finding past addresses and tracking how someone's contact info has changed over time.

How to File a FOIL Request in Ithaca

FOIL is New York's public records law. It gives any person the right to see government records. No residency needed. No reason needed.

Pick the office that has what you want. City records go to the City Clerk. County records go to the Tompkins County Clerk. State agency records go to the relevant state office. Write a clear, specific request. Name the type of record, the people or addresses involved, and any dates you know.

The office has five business days to respond. They can give you the records, deny the request with a written explanation, or say they need more time. If denied, appeal to the head of the agency within 30 days. If the appeal fails, go to court under Article 78 within 120 days.

Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page. In-person inspection is free at most offices. The NYS Committee on Open Government is a free resource for questions about FOIL. Call (518) 474-2518 or email coog@dos.ny.gov. They will walk you through the process and can intervene if an agency is dragging its feet.

Online Phone Directory Search Options

Several free tools cover Ithaca and Tompkins County. The county property tax lookup lets you search by owner name or address. Results show the owner, mailing address, and property details. It costs nothing and is open to anyone.

The NYS eCourts system covers Tompkins County in the 6th Judicial District. Search by name to find civil, criminal, and family court cases. Case records list the names and sometimes the addresses of the parties. Free and no login required.

The NYS Division of Corporations lets you look up any business entity in the state. Search by name or ID. Results show the entity name, filing date, county, and process address. Useful for tracking down a business owner.

The NYS Open Data portal has datasets that include Tompkins County data. Professional licenses, business records, and other public info are free to search or download. Some datasets include names and addresses you can use for a phone directory search.

Federal court records for Ithaca fall under the Northern District of New York. The U.S. Courts PACER system has federal civil and criminal case records with names and addresses of all parties. A small per-page fee applies.

Nearby Cities

These nearby cities have their own phone directory pages with local records and resources.