Divorce records in Tompkins County, New York, are available through several channels. TompkinsCourt.us allows you to quickly find publicly available information about divorce records in the county. Additionally, you can contact the court that issued the decision, the office of the county clerk, or the New York State Department of Health (NYS Department of Health), which maintains divorce certificates at the state level.
Tompkins Divorce Records Search
In New York State, divorce cases are handled by the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over matrimonial matters. The Tompkins County Clerk's Office keeps court documents filed in divorce cases, including judgments of divorce, property settlement agreements, and custody orders.
The New York State Department of Health maintains a separate registry of divorce certificates starting from January 1963. A certificate is a brief document confirming the fact of divorce, while a full court judgment contains details of property and alimony arrangements.
Main office for obtaining court records:
Tompkins County Clerk
To obtain a divorce certificate at the state level, contact:
NYS Department of Health — Vital Records Section
Where Divorce Records Are Filed in Tompkins
The document filing structure in New York has its own specifics. Here's what you need to know depending on the purpose of the request.
Supreme Court — Case Handling
All divorce cases in Tompkins County are handled by the New York State Supreme Court, Sixth Judicial District. After a judgment of divorce is issued, the original is filed with the Tompkins County Clerk's Office, where it becomes part of the public court archive. This is where you should go if you need a copy of the full court judgment, property settlement agreement, or custody order.
NYS Department of Health — Divorce Certificate
If a brief confirmation of the fact of divorce is sufficient — for example, for remarriage or name change — order a divorce certificate from the Department of Health. This document does not contain the terms of the agreement but officially certifies that the divorce took place. Records are available from 1963.
In brief:
- Full court judgment, agreement, custody order → Tompkins County Clerk
- Divorce certificate (from 1963) → NYS Department of Health
- Divorce before 1963 → only through the court office where the decision was issued
To search for public records at the local level, you can also use the public records search tool of the city of Ithaca, although it mostly covers municipal documents.
Divorce Record Search Fees, Copy Costs, and Processing Times in Tompkins
| Service | Fee | Typical Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce certificate (NYS Department of Health, by mail) | $30 | 6–8 weeks |
| Divorce certificate (NYS DOH, expedited processing) | $30 + additional delivery fee | 2–3 weeks |
| Copy of court judgment (Tompkins County Clerk, uncertified) | $1.25 per page (first 4 pages), $0.25 for each additional page | Usually on the day of request |
| Certified copy of court judgment (Tompkins County Clerk) | $5 for certification + cost of copies | 1–5 business days |
| Court archive search (Tompkins County Clerk) | $5 for every 2 years of search | Depends on the volume of the request |