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Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County
Cattaraugus County sits in Western New York's Southern Tier, anchored by Little Valley (county seat) and Olean (largest city). The economy mixes oil refining and energy (Cuba, Allegany), St. Bonaventure University, Jamestown Community College Olean campus, agriculture, manufacturing (Cutco, Dresser-Rand legacy), and the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino. The County Clerk's office is in Little Valley.
Property in Cattaraugus
What every owner, heir, and investor should know.
Owning a home in Cattaraugus.
Cattaraugus is a low-cost rural Western NY market with both small-town and Allegheny Mountain housing.
- STAR / Enhanced STAR, senior, veteran, agricultural, and forest-tax exemptions apply.
- Property tax cycle: school bills September; county/town bills January.
- Equalization rates vary widely by town.
- Tax-foreclosure redemption under RPTL Article 11 (two-year window).
- Foreclosure surplus rights under RPAPL § 1361.
- Watch for oil/gas mineral rights and Seneca Nation territory boundary issues.
Investing in Cattaraugus.
Cattaraugus offers very low entry prices and modest rental demand around Olean and St. Bonaventure.
- Tax-foreclosure auctions run by the County Treasurer (typically annual, online via Auctions International).
- Judicial foreclosure auctions held at the Cattaraugus County Courthouse, Little Valley.
- Land records search via Cattaraugus County Clerk records portal.
- Real Property parcel lookup at cattco.org/real-property.
- NYSCEF case search for lis pendens.
- Watch for oil/gas leases, agricultural assessments, and federal/state forest land boundaries.
After a Cattaraugus foreclosure or tax deed sale.
Cattaraugus uses New York's judicial foreclosure process and runs in rem tax foreclosure under RPTL Article 11.
- Mortgage foreclosures filed in Supreme Court, 8th Judicial District.
- Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale executed by court-appointed Referee.
- Surplus money proceedings under RPAPL § 1361.
- County Treasurer holds annual tax-foreclosure auction.
- Post-Tyler v. Hennepin reforms require return of tax-foreclosure surplus to former owner.
- Notices published in the Olean Times Herald and Salamanca Press.
Courts and records in Cattaraugus.
- Cattaraugus County Center / Courthouse — 303 Court Street, Little Valley, NY 14755 — 8th Judicial District
- Olean Branch Courthouse — 1 Leo Moss Drive, Olean
- Supreme Court & County Court — Cattaraugus County Courthouse, Little Valley
- Family Court — 303 Court Street, Little Valley
- Surrogate's Court — 303 Court Street, Little Valley
- 8th Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming)
- Appellate Division, 4th Department — 50 East Avenue, Rochester
- County Clerk — 303 Court Street, Little Valley — (716) 938-2297 — cattco.org
- Real Property Department — 303 Court Street — (716) 938-2224
- County Treasurer — 303 Court Street — (716) 938-2256
- Sheriff — 301 Court Street, Little Valley — (716) 938-2240