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New York County
Clinton County, New York
Clinton County, New York - Plattsburgh's Lake Champlain shoreline and Air Force heritage - from Plattsburgh Air Force Base's closure and remarkable conversion to a mixed-use community and international airport to Lake Champlain's extraordinary Revolutionary and War of 1812 naval history, SUNY Plattsburgh, and a North Country county at the Quebec border where French-Canadian cultural influence is as strong as American.
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Office: Clinton County Office of Emergency Services – 16 Emergency Services Drive, Plattsburgh, NY 12903 | (518) 565-4791 | Hours: Dispatch 24/7; Office Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
Services: Emergency scene coordination (fire, EMS, hazmat, cause & origin investigation), 911 system coordination and public safety dispatch.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-87 (Adirondack Northway) serves Plattsburgh, the county seat, on the western shore of Lake Champlain near the Canadian border
Transit: CDPTA (Clinton County Public Transit) provides local bus service; Plattsburgh International Airport offers commercial air service.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clinton County Planning Department – 135 Margaret Street, Suite 124, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, (518) 565-4711 | Email: [email protected]
Notes: City of Plattsburgh Zoning – 151 Banker Road, Plattsburgh, NY, handles in-city permits separately; other towns (Champlain, Peru, Schuyler Falls) issue their own.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Clinton County Veterans Service Agency – Plattsburgh, NY
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Plattsburgh Public Library – 19 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901-2810
Services: Genuinely serves as the Central Library for the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System (CEFLS), a special designation under New York State Library standards that provides extra funding and a coordinating role serving all three counties; operates under a New York State charter, with its Board of Trustees appointed by the Mayor and Common Council of Plattsburgh.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Clinton County’s seat, Plattsburgh, was genuinely the site of one of the most consequential American victories of the War of 1812 – the Battle of Plattsburgh (also called the Battle of Lake Champlain), fought September 6–11, 1814, when a British invasion force of roughly 14,000 troops under Sir George Prevost advanced south from Canada intending to seize control of Lake Champlain and threaten the Hudson River valley; American naval commander Thomas Macdonough, aided by newly built ships including the Saratoga and Eagle, won a decisive victory over the British fleet in Plattsburgh Bay, while American ground forces under General Alexander Macomb simultaneously held off the British army; the loss of naval control forced Prevost to abandon the invasion entirely and retreat to Canada, a reversal historians consider one of the war’s genuine turning points – the victory strengthened the American negotiating position at the Treaty of Ghent, which formally ended the war that December, and Winston Churchill later called it one of the most decisive battles in history; the Clinton County Courthouse Complex itself, built in 1884–1889 in the Richardsonian Romanesque and Italianate styles, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Plattsburgh’s genuine status as the site of the decisive 1814 Battle of Lake Champlain – which turned back a major British invasion and helped shape the peace ending the War of 1812 – makes Clinton County one of the most historically consequential counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Clinton County GIS – accessible via clintoncountyny.gov
Parcel Search: Clinton County Real Property Tax Service – Plattsburgh, NY
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Clinton County Office of Emergency Services
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Elmore SPCA – 556 Telegraph Road, Peru, NY 12972 | (518) 353-7755 | Hours: Mon–Sat 12–4 PM
Services: A small, private no-kill shelter serving Clinton County; adoption applications can be submitted electronically via the shelter’s website, with processing taking 7–14 business days.
Related: City of Plattsburgh Police Department Animal Rescue – coordinates with contracted veterinary and shelter providers on cruelty investigations, notably a landmark case as the first New York law enforcement agency to successfully prosecute under current Agriculture and Markets animal-cruelty legislation.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) – dec.ny.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Plattsburgh, Clinton County’s seat, is genuinely the site of the decisive 1814 Battle of Lake Champlain, which turned back a major British invasion and helped end the War of 1812. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Clinton County
Heritage | Site of the pivotal 1814 Battle of Plattsburgh, where American naval and land forces defeated a British invasion during the War of 1812, helping secure the U.S.-Canada border still in place today; long history as a customs and trade gateway due to proximity to Canada Outdoors | Lake Champlain defines the county’s eastern edge, offering boating, fishing, and views toward Vermont’s Green Mountains; the Adirondack Park’s northern reaches, including High Peaks trailheads, lie within easy reach to the west; Point Au Roche State Park offers lakeside hiking and beaches Notable | Home to SUNY Plattsburgh and the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, a Cold War-era Strategic Air Command installation preserved at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base Museum Library | Plattsburgh Public Library is the county’s largest library, part of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System supporting small-town branches across the North Country
All Services
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Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
137 Margaret St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 565-4700
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clinton County Surrogate’s Court, Plattsburgh (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clinton County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clinton County Surrogate’s Court Clinton County Government Center, 137 Margaret Street, 3rd Floor, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518) 536-3820 Clinton County is in New York’s North Country along Lake Champlain, seated in Plattsburgh.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
New York probate and estate administration is governed by the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) and handled by the Surrogate’s Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled. New York has 62 counties, each with its own Surrogate’s Court.
Voluntary Administration / Small Estate Affidavit (SCPA Article 13) – available when the decedent’s PERSONAL property (not real property) has a gross value of $50,000 or less, excluding certain property automatically set aside for a surviving spouse or children under 21 (EPTL 5-3.1). Owning real property does NOT disqualify an estate from this process – only the personal property counts toward the $50,000 cap. The filing fee is just $1.00.
Probate – required when there’s a valid will and the estate exceeds the small-estate threshold or involves real property.
Administration – required when the decedent died intestate (no will); the Surrogate’s Court appoints an administrator following the statutory priority order under SCPA 1001.
Step 2: filing for probate or administration
File the will (if any) with the Surrogate’s Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled, along with a probate or administration petition.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will) to the appointed fiduciary.
The fiduciary notifies creditors and beneficiaries and inventories the estate’s assets.
Debts, expenses, and any required New York State Estate Tax are paid.
The fiduciary distributes the remaining assets according to the will or New York’s intestacy law and files a final accounting to close the estate.
What it costs
Voluntary Administration filing fee: $1.00.
Full probate/administration filing fees vary and generally scale with estate value.
UNIQUE TO NEW YORK: New York imposes its own separate state ESTATE TAX. For 2026, the New York basic exclusion amount is $7,350,000 – estates at or below that owe no state estate tax. New York has an unusual “cliff”: if the estate’s value exceeds the exclusion by more than 5% (over $7,717,500 in 2026), the ENTIRE estate becomes taxable from the first dollar. No portability between spouses. Rates range from about 3.06% to 16%.
New York has no separate state inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
25 McCarty Ave, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 565-4300
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
137 Margaret St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 565-4740
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
133 Margaret St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 565-4870
Social Services
15 Durkee St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 565-3300
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clinton County Health Department – 133 Margaret Street, Suite 307, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, (518) 565-4840
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Plattsburgh
Population: 80,000
Area: 1,118 mi²
Established: 1788
Public Records
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