Finger Lakes
Orleans County is home to 40,343 people in the Finger Lakes region. Eleven glacial lakes lined with waterfalls, gorges, and the state's biggest wine country.
How Orleans County works
County government does some local jobs, but not all of them. Cities, towns, villages, schools, and courts each keep their own work.
A parcel's value usually comes from the city or town assessor, while the county property office backs that up with tax maps and parcel details. Deeds and mortgages live with the County Clerk — and the tax bill itself may be collected by a different office again.
Most building permits in Orleans County start with the city, town, or village. County public health may join the job for a well, septic system, food business, or another health rule.
County offices are often the right place for health programs, benefits, family services, voting help, and emergency alerts. The office may be in another town, but it serves the whole county.
Ordinary example
The city, town, or village handles the building and zoning start. County public health may handle the septic work. The County Clerk keeps the deed, and the school district controls its own tax and enrollment line. The county name alone does not choose every office.
Property tax in Orleans County
The FY2025 source rows combine county + town/city + school on a full-value basis. On a $300,000 home, that is roughly $6,197–$9,894 a year before STAR, exemptions, village taxes, and special-district charges. This is not a county minimum or maximum bill; it is a broad comparison across different municipalities and school districts.
Who handles this here
New York divides everyday work among municipal, county, state, court, and City offices. This is the routing map. Confirm current forms, fees, hours, and deadlines on the official office page before acting.
Open the official Orleans County website ->County service directory
These links open the responsible county department, not a general homepage. A city, town, court, school district, or state agency may still own the final step.
County Clerk and land records
Orleans County ClerkDeeds, mortgages, recorded documents, copies, and the county's official records handoff.
Real property and tax maps
Orleans County Real Property Tax ServicesCounty tax maps, parcel resources, and assessment support. Check whether the county or local assessor owns the roll.
Elections and voter help
Orleans County Board of ElectionsRegistration, polling places, absentee or early-mail voting, and local election information.
Public health
Genesee and Orleans County Health DepartmentLocal public-health programs, environmental-health contacts, and current notices. Orleans County operates its health department jointly with Genesee County.
Social services
Orleans County Department of Social ServicesCounty-administered benefits, family services, adult services, and help finding the right program.
Emergency management and alerts
Orleans County Emergency Management OfficePreparedness, local emergency information, and the county's route to public alerts.
Official county pages reviewed 2026-07-13. Confirm current forms, fees, hours, and deadlines with the office before acting.
Probate, administration, and small estates
Orleans County Surrogate's CourtNew York Courts routes estate proceedings through the Surrogate's Court in the county of the person's domicile.
Driver and vehicle counter service
The serving DMV officeOffice ownership and available transactions vary. Use DMV's location finder before traveling, and check whether an appointment is expected.
Birth, death, marriage, and divorce records
The office that holds that event recordThe right owner depends on the event, date, and whether it happened in New York City. The records guide sorts those lanes first.
Confirm the current service arrangement on the responsible official page.
Local stories & notes
Short, sourced notes tied to this county, with the local color and the things worth knowing before you make a plan.
History & Culture
Medina's identity is built from Erie Canal movement, Orleans County quarries, red-brown sandstone buildings, lift-bridge country, and a durable preservation story.
History & Culture
Albion's Mount Albion Cemetery gives Orleans County a dramatic Civil War memorial, rural cemetery landscape, and Medina sandstone landmark.
History & Culture
Holley ties its Erie Canal origin to Public Square, Canal Park, a lift bridge, and trails down to the village waterfall.
Home & Property
Albion projects should check town building-permit rules and Orleans County Planning Board referral triggers before assuming a local approval is enough.
Home & Property
For an Orleans County parcel, start with Real Property for maps and rolls, then use the county tax-bill page for payment-cycle questions.
Money & Taxes
Albion property owners should use Orleans County real property, local assessor, and tax-bill pages before assuming the town handles every tax question.
History & Culture
Clarendon's town route and Orleans County sandstone memory give the place a local frame of hamlets, quarries, cemetery care, and town records.
History & Culture
Gaines has its own town layer around Albion-area roads, older settlement names, and Orleans County history.
History & Culture
Albion's Courthouse Square links county government, Medina sandstone buildings, Erie Canal growth, and a compact historic village core.
Official starting points
Start with the county website for departments and local services. Use ORPTS for assessor, equalization-rate, and municipal profile data. Exact forms and deadlines still come from the office that owns the work.
Use this carefully: The county website comes from New York State's locality directory. Follow any redirect and confirm the current department, form, deadline, and parcel-specific details before acting.
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020.
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