Niagara Falls Phone Directory

The Niagara Falls phone directory covers public records held by city and county offices in Niagara County. Around 48,000 people live in Niagara Falls, and the city sits right on the border with Canada along the Niagara River. City Clerk records, property filings, building permits, and police reports all hold names, addresses, and phone numbers that are part of the public record. New York's Freedom of Information Law, known as FOIL, gives you the right to request these records from any city or county office. This guide walks through each local office and shows you how to search for contact details in the Niagara Falls area.

Niagara Falls City Clerk

The City Clerk is the main records office for Niagara Falls. The office is at 745 Main Street in City Hall. You can call them at (716) 286-4393. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-ins are fine during those hours.

The Clerk handles vital records, including birth and death certificates for events that took place in the city. Marriage licenses are issued here too. If you need a copy of a birth certificate from Niagara Falls, you can request one in person or by mail. Certified copies carry a fee, and you need to show ID. The Clerk also keeps council meeting minutes, which are public records. These minutes name people who speak at public hearings, and sometimes list their addresses.

FOIL requests go through the City Clerk's office. Under Public Officers Law Article 6, you can ask for any record the city keeps. You do not need to explain why. The office has five business days to respond. If they deny your request, you can appeal within 30 days. Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page.

The City of Niagara Falls runs an official website with department pages, meeting schedules, and contact info for all city offices.

You can use the site to find phone numbers for specific departments, look up council meeting dates, and access forms for FOIL requests.

Permits are another category of records the Clerk manages. Building permits, special event permits, and business licenses all pass through city offices. Each permit application lists the applicant's name, address, and contact info. These are public records. If you want to find out who applied for a permit at a certain address, a FOIL request to the Clerk's office will get you that info.

Niagara Falls Assessor Office

The Assessor handles property tax records for the city. The office is in City Hall at 745 Main Street. Property tax rolls list the name of every property owner in Niagara Falls, along with their mailing address and the assessed value of the property. These rolls are public.

You can look up property info online through the Niagara County Real Property Tax Service. The county runs the tax map system and assessment data for all cities, towns, and villages in the county. Search by owner name or address. Results show the parcel number, owner name, mailing address, land value, and total assessment. This is free to use and does not need an account.

Tax liens are another source of contact info. When a property owner falls behind on taxes, the city files a lien. Lien records show the owner's name and address. Tax sale lists are public too. These come out each year and list every property going to auction, with the owner's name and the amount owed.

Assessment grievance records are public as well. Property owners who challenge their assessment file paperwork that includes their name, address, phone number, and details about the property. The Board of Assessment Review handles these cases. Their records are available through FOIL.

Niagara Falls Building Department

The Building Department oversees construction permits, code enforcement, and property inspections. The office is at 745 Main Street. Call (716) 286-4460 for questions.

Building permit records list the property address, owner name, contractor name, and the type of work being done. This is useful for a phone directory search. If you want to find out who owns a property or who did work there, building permits tell you. Code violations are public too. They show the property address, the nature of the violation, and who was cited. The city issues violations for things like unsafe structures, zoning issues, and maintenance problems.

Certificate of Occupancy records are on file. These get issued when a new building or major renovation passes final inspection. The certificate lists the owner and the property address. Fire inspection reports are another type of record the Building Department keeps. These are public under FOIL unless an active investigation limits access.

If you need records going back several years, the Building Department can search their files. Older records may take more time to pull since some have not been scanned. Expect a few extra days for those requests.

Niagara Falls Police Department

The Niagara Falls Police Department keeps incident reports, arrest records, and accident reports. The department is at 1925 Main Street. You can reach the records office at (716) 286-4553. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Incident reports are public records. They list the names of people involved, their addresses, and a summary of what happened. You can request a copy by visiting the records office or by filing a FOIL request. Accident reports show the names and addresses of all drivers and witnesses involved in a crash. Insurance companies and attorneys request these often, but anyone can get a copy.

Arrest records are partly public. The booking info, including the person's name, charges, and date of arrest, is generally available. Some details may be redacted for privacy or if a case is still open. criminal justice database data is public and searchable online through the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The police also keep records of calls for service. These logs show the time, location, and type of each call. Names are sometimes included. Daily blotter reports summarize recent activity. These are posted or available on request. For a phone directory search, incident reports and accident reports are the most useful police records because they tie names to specific addresses.

Niagara County Records

Niagara Falls sits in Niagara County. The County Clerk is at 175 Hawley Street in Lockport. Call (716) 439-7022. The Clerk handles land records, business certificates, court records, and UCC filings. All of these hold names and addresses.

Land records are the bread and butter of a county clerk search. Every deed, mortgage, and lien filed in Niagara County goes through this office. You can search by grantor, grantee, or document type. Results show the recording date, parties involved, and the property address. Many records are available online through the county website.

Business certificates show who runs a sole proprietorship or partnership in the county. The filing lists the business name, owner name, and contact address. If you are trying to find the owner of a local business, this is where to look. The Niagara County website has links to the Clerk and other county offices.

The County also runs the Surrogate's Court, which handles wills and estate matters. Probate records list the name of the person who died, their last address, and the names of heirs and executors. These records are public and available at the Surrogate's office in the county courthouse. For a phone directory search, probate records can help you find relatives and their contact info.

The NYS Department of State FOIL page explains the statewide process for filing records requests. It applies to every city and county office in New York.

How to File a FOIL Request in Niagara Falls

FOIL gives you the right to see government records. Any person can file a request. You do not need to live in Niagara Falls or even in New York State.

Start by figuring out which office has the records you want. If it is a city record, contact the City Clerk. If it is a county record, go to the Niagara County Clerk. Write your request clearly. State the type of record, the names or addresses involved, and the date range. Send it by mail, email, or drop it off in person.

The office has five business days to respond. They can hand over the records, deny the request with a written reason, or send a note that they need more time. If they deny it, you can appeal to the head of the agency within 30 days. If the appeal fails, you have 120 days to file a court challenge under Article 78.

Copy fees are $0.25 per page in most cases. Some offices charge $0.50 for larger pages. In-person inspection of records is free. The NYS Committee on Open Government answers questions about FOIL and can help if you run into problems. Call them at (518) 474-2518 or email coog@dos.ny.gov.

Online Phone Directory Search Options

Several free tools let you search Niagara Falls records online. The Niagara County Real Property Tax Service lets you look up property owners by name or address. Results include the owner's mailing address and assessment details.

The NYS Courts eCourts system covers Niagara County. You can search by party name to find civil, criminal, and family court cases. Case records often list the names and addresses of the parties involved. This is free and does not need a login.

For business searches, the NYS Division of Corporations database covers every business entity filed in the state. Search by name or DOS ID. Results show the entity name, status, filing date, county, and process address. This is useful when you want to track down a business owner's contact info.

The NYS Open Data portal has datasets that cover Niagara County. Business licenses, professional licenses, and other public data are available for free download. Some datasets include names and addresses that can help with a phone directory search.

For federal records, the Western District of New York covers Niagara County. The U.S. Courts PACER system has federal civil and criminal case records. There is a small per-page fee, but the records list names and addresses of all parties.

Nearby Cities

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