Lancaster Phone Directory
Lancaster is a growing town in eastern Erie County with roughly 43,000 residents. A phone directory search here draws from records held by the Lancaster Town Clerk, Erie County offices, and New York State agencies. The town sits east of Buffalo and Cheektowaga, and its mix of residential and commercial development means a steady stream of property filings, permits, and court records. Under New York's Freedom of Information Law, you can search most of these records freely. No residency requirement applies, and you do not have to give a reason for your request.
Lancaster Phone Directory Overview
Lancaster Town Clerk Records
The Lancaster Town Clerk is Diane M. Terranova, with Deputy Town Clerk Andrea Crage. The office is at 21 Central Avenue, Lancaster, NY. You can reach them by phone at 716-683-9028 or by email at dterranova@lancasterny.gov. This office handles vital records, business filings, licenses, and all FOIL requests for the town.
Marriage licenses on file list both parties by full name and home address. Death records show the name of the deceased, last known address, and the person who reported the death. Dog licenses and other permits pass through this office too, and each one carries a name and address. These records might seem routine, but for a phone directory search they can confirm where someone lives or used to live.
Business certificates filed under assumed names are kept here. Each one shows the owner's legal name and the business address. They stay on file permanently. Town Board meeting minutes are public and name every person who speaks at a session. Lancaster streams board meetings live on YouTube, and work sessions start at 6:30pm for the first meeting of the month or 6pm for the second meeting.
FOIL requests to the Town of Lancaster must be submitted in writing to the Town Clerk. The clerk serves as the Records Access Officer and handles all incoming requests. Standard copying fees apply to any documents you want reproduced.
New York State Public Records
The NYS Department of State FOIL page covers public records access rules that apply to Lancaster and all other towns in the state.
This resource walks through the FOIL process step by step. It covers your rights as a requester, response deadlines, appeal procedures, and exemptions. Lancaster follows the same framework as every other municipality in New York.
Erie County Records for Lancaster
Lancaster is part of Erie County, and the county clerk maintains the core repository of property records, business filings, and court documents for the area. Deeds, mortgages, liens, and UCC financing statements are all filed at the county level. The Erie County Clerk's online portal lets you search these records by name at no cost.
Property deeds filed when homes change hands in Lancaster show the buyer and seller names along with addresses. Mortgages name the borrower and the lending institution. These records accumulate over time and can show you everywhere a person has lived or owned property in the county. For a phone directory search, this trail of address data is one of the best sources available.
Judgment records and tax liens show up in county searches too. A money judgment lists the debtor's name and address. Tax liens name the property owner. Both are filed with the Erie County Clerk and come up when you search by name on the online portal.
Property and Assessment Records
Lancaster's Assessor maintains a roll of every property in town. Owner names, mailing addresses, and assessed values are all listed. Assessment rolls are public under New York Real Property Tax Law. You can look them up at Town Hall on Central Avenue or through the Erie County real property tax service online.
Tax billing records show who received each year's bill and at what address. When a property owner lives somewhere else, their mailing address is listed alongside the property address. This happens often with rental properties and can reveal a current address that other records miss. Lancaster has a fair number of rental units, so this source is worth checking.
The town has a MIG-1 rating for its assessment data. Grievance filings happen when property owners dispute their assessments. Each filing includes the owner's name, contact info, and property details. The Board of Assessment Review processes these cases and the records become part of the permanent public file.
Building Permits and Code Enforcement
Lancaster's Building Department handles permits for new construction, renovations, demolitions, and signs. Each application lists the property owner's name and address along with contractor info. These are public records available at Town Hall or through a FOIL request.
Code enforcement records include violation notices, complaints, and inspection reports. Each violation notice names the property owner and describes the issue. Certificates of occupancy issued after final inspection list the owner and the property address. If you are trying to confirm who owns a specific address in Lancaster, building department records can fill in gaps.
Inspection reports go on file after each site visit. They describe the property condition and name the owner. You can get copies of any of these records through FOIL to the Town Clerk.
Filing a FOIL Request in Lancaster
FOIL applies to every record the Town of Lancaster holds. Submit your request in writing to the Town Clerk at 21 Central Avenue. You can also email it to dterranova@lancasterny.gov. Be specific about the records you want. Include names, dates, and document types when possible.
The town must respond within five business days. They can grant the request, deny it with a written reason, or acknowledge it and provide a time estimate. Copy fees are $0.25 per page for standard paper. Inspecting records in person at Town Hall is free. You do not need to explain why you want the records or prove that you live in the area.
If your request is denied, you have 30 days to appeal. The appeal goes to the town's Records Appeals Officer. If that fails, you can challenge the decision in court under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules. The NYS Committee on Open Government provides free advice on FOIL issues. Call (518) 474-2518 for help with a stalled or denied request.
Voter Registration Data
Erie County's Board of Elections keeps voter registration rolls that cover Lancaster residents. Each record shows the voter's name, home address, party affiliation, and voting history. This data is available for political and non-commercial use under New York law. It is a reliable source for current addresses because voters update their registration when they move.
Campaign finance filings and candidate petitions are also on file at the county level. These list donor names and addresses. Election results by district can help narrow down which part of Lancaster a person lives in. All of these records are public.
Court Records in the Lancaster Area
Lancaster Town Court handles traffic cases, small claims, and code violations. Court records list the parties by name and address. You can check records at the court or submit a FOIL request to the court clerk.
For larger civil and criminal matters, the Eighth Judicial District covers Erie County. Supreme Court and County Court records are searchable through the state court system's online tools. Civil suits, criminal cases, and family court filings all name the parties and list addresses. Judgments from these courts get filed with the Erie County Clerk and show up in name searches on the county portal.
Historical Records and Archives
The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library holds old phone books and city directories that cover Lancaster and the surrounding area. The local history collection at the central branch in Buffalo has directories going back decades. These are helpful for tracing someone who lived in Lancaster years ago or for building a timeline of addresses.
The New York State Archives in Albany keep older Erie County records. Tax rolls, vital records, and court documents from past eras are all on file and searchable through the online catalog. You can order copies by mail. The Lancaster Historical Society also maintains local records that can support a deeper search.
Nearby Cities and Towns
Lancaster borders several other communities in Erie County. If your phone directory search comes up short here, these nearby places may have the records you need. People in the eastern suburbs of Buffalo move between towns regularly.
Erie County Records
For county-level records that cover Lancaster, visit the Erie County page.