About

The OGS Bureau of Land Management is the descendant of a long history in the management of New York State's publicly owned lands dating back nearly four centuries to when the Dutch West India Company created the Surveyor General's Office in 1642. 

OGS Provides public access to thousands of New York State government land records and maps. OGS also provides research aid to New York State agencies, land surveyors, title searchers, attorneys, real estate professionals, historians, genealogists, and other members of the public. Our holdings include current and historic land records. 

Records

  • Maps from the Secretary’s Office, from the late 1700s to mid-1800s
  • Minutes of the Commissioners of the Land Office and Land Board
  • Lands Under Water Application Survey Maps, from 1786 to present
  • Lands Under Water Index Maps, from 1900 to present
  • State-owned waterbodies & related research
  • Card Index of Land Sales, from the 1650s to present
  • Transfer of Jurisdiction Maps
  • 1829 Surveyor General’s Atlas of Patents
  • Letters Patent
  • Miscellaneous Deeds and Title Papers
  • Military Patents

Request Land Records and Maps

To request maps, deeds, and/or patents, please fill out as much of the following information as possible and submit your request to the OGS Bureau of Land Management at [email protected] or 518-474-2195:

Please note: This office maintains survey maps for state-owned lands and does not file individual survey maps or provide land surveying services for private property. Please contact the county clerk for recorded survey maps or a local surveyor for land surveying services.

  1. What is your name and the person or company that you are representing?
  2. What is your contact information (phone number, address, email address)?
  3. What is your preferred method of contact?
  4. What county or counties is the request located in?
  5. What municipality or municipalities is the request located in (ex. town, village, city, and/or hamlet)?
  6. What tax map parcel or parcels does the requested cover (ex. 123.45-1-2.3)?
  7. What is the physical address of the request (ex. 123 Main Street)?
  8. What you are requesting (ex. map, deed, and/or patent)?
  9. What additional information or details do you have about the request?

Standards and Procedures Manual for Surveying and Mapping

The Standards & Procedures for Surveying and Mapping manual provides a standardized guide for consultant land surveyors in the performance of surveying and mapping projects for the Office of General Services.

Historic Maps Exhibit

The exhibit features highlights of the historic map collection maintained by the OGS Bureau of Land Management. 

 

View the Exhibit