PROPERTY TAX RESEARCH, MADE SIMPLER
Tompkins County, New York
Where to look, which office to contact, and how to request records.
Where to obtain records
Tompkins County Department of Budget and Finance
Official tax-record access and jurisdiction guidanceHow to find the information
The Town of Lansing’s official tax FAQ directs unpaid prior-year taxes to Tompkins County Budget and Finance, 125 East Court Street, Ithaca, and says to call for the current balance. The Town of Ithaca separately directs returned unpaid town/county bills to county Finance after its local collection period. Use that staff route for an existing dated ledger; local assessment and taxlookup bill pages do not necessarily reflect later county collection.
For existing records, provide the municipality, parcel/Tax ID or SBL (BBL in NYC), tax years, taxing district and desired as-of date. Specify an unpaid collection ledger, dated filed delinquent list, tax-search certificate, foreclosure petition/judgment, auction result, redemption calculation or surplus/proceeds record. Ask which local, county, school, village and special charges are included, whether a charge was re-levied, and how later payments and costs are reflected. Confirm the records custodian and available inspection/electronic-copy process. Ask for existing reports; do not assume a custom countywide extract will be created. Confirm copy, search, certification and extraction charges before ordering.
What to ask for
“I am looking for publicly available delinquent real-property tax records for Tompkins County for [tax year]. Which office maintains these records? Is there an online search or downloadable list? If not, how can I request a copy, and what fees apply?”
Have the property address, parcel number, owner name, and tax year ready when searching for a particular property.
County-specific notes
Verified denotes reviewed published access instructions, including explicit staff-only balance/search routes. It does not certify a tested taxpayer query. Reviewed October 28, 2026. Current annual bills, returned unpaid taxes, re-levied school/village charges, dated filed lists, foreclosure proceedings, auctions of acquired land and surplus proceeds have different scope. Confirm recent payments and the exact record date with the custodian. No taxpayer search, public-credential login, account registration, request submission, payment or owner-list republication was performed.
Need help with your research?
Understand tax lists, prepare a records request and check whether a publication is current.