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Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County is New York's far Western Tier on Lake Erie, anchored by Mayville (county seat) and Jamestown (largest city). The economy mixes manufacturing, agriculture and dairy, the Chautauqua Institution, Lake Erie wine country, and the Lucille Ball / Comedy Center tourism economy. The County Clerk (Larry Barmore) operates from Mayville.
Property in Chautauqua
What every owner, heir, and investor should know.
Owning a home in Chautauqua.
Chautauqua is one of New York's most affordable home markets with significant lake-frontage and Amish-country housing.
- STAR / Enhanced STAR, senior, veteran, and agricultural exemptions apply.
- Property tax cycle: school bills September; county/town bills January.
- Equalization rates vary widely between towns.
- Tax-foreclosure redemption under RPTL Article 11 (two-year window).
- Foreclosure surplus rights under RPAPL § 1361.
- Watch for lake-effect snow exposure, lake-shore septic, and Jamestown historic-district restrictions.
Investing in Chautauqua.
Chautauqua offers very low entry prices, Lake Erie waterfront upside, and modest urban rental demand in Jamestown and Dunkirk.
- Tax-foreclosure auctions run by the County Department of Finance / Treasurer (annual).
- Judicial foreclosure auctions held at the Chautauqua County Courthouse, Mayville.
- Land records search via Chautauqua County Clerk online records.
- Real Property parcel lookup at chqgov.com.
- NYSCEF case search for lis pendens.
- Watch for agricultural districts, Amish-community parcel patterns, and Lake Erie shoreline regulations.
After a Chautauqua foreclosure or tax deed sale.
Chautauqua 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 Department of Finance / Treasurer holds annual tax-foreclosure auction (historically via Auctions International).
- Post-Tyler v. Hennepin reforms require return of tax-foreclosure surplus to former owner.
- Notices published in The Post-Journal and The Observer.
Courts and records in Chautauqua.
- Chautauqua County Courthouse — 1 N. Erie Street, Mayville, NY 14757 — 8th Judicial District
- Jamestown Branch Courthouse — 3 N. Erie Street, Mayville (County offices)
- Supreme Court & County Court — Chautauqua County Courthouse, Mayville
- Family Court — Gerace Office Building, Mayville
- Surrogate's Court — Gerace Office Building, Mayville
- 8th Judicial District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming)
- Appellate Division, 4th Department — 50 East Avenue, Rochester
- County Clerk — Larry Barmore — 3 N. Erie Street, Mayville — (716) 753-4331 — chqgov.com
- Real Property Department — Gerace Office Building, Mayville — (716) 753-4221
- County Treasurer — Gerace Office Building — (716) 753-4233
- Sheriff — 15 E. Chautauqua Street, Mayville — (716) 753-2131