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New York · Niagara Frontier · #353 Most Populous County in the US
Niagara County, New York
Niagara Falls - the most visited natural attraction in North America, 750,000 gallons per second of water over a 167-foot drop, the Maid of the Mist, and the border with Canada. Lockport's legendary Erie Canal locks that lifted boats 60 feet up the Niagara Escarpment. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Niagara County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Niagara County Emergency Services & Fire Coordinator – Warren J. Rathke Public Safety Training Facility, 5574 Niagara Street Ext., Lockport, NY 14095 | (716) 438-3171 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Services: Maintains the county’s hazardous materials response team, fire investigation team, and R.A.C.E.S. radio unit; trains and maintains records for roughly 1,400 volunteer firefighters countywide.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-190 serves Lockport, the county seat, near Niagara Falls in Western New York
Transit: NFTA Metro provides bus service; Niagara Falls International Airport offers limited commercial air service.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Lockport Building Inspection Department – One Locks Plaza, Lockport, NY 14094
Notes: Town of Lockport Building Department and other municipalities (Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda) issue their own separate building permits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Niagara County Veterans Service Agency – Lockport, NY
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lockport Public Library – 23 East Ave, Lockport, NY 14094 | (716) 433-5935 | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–8 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 10 AM–5 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Serves Lockport and surrounding Niagara County communities.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Niagara County is home to Niagara Falls, one of the great natural wonders of the world, and to Niagara Falls State Park, genuinely the oldest state park in America, established in 1885 as the Niagara Reservation, drawing more than 8 million visitors annually to view its three waterfalls (Horseshoe, American, and Bridal Veil Falls); the Niagara River has genuinely been harnessed for hydroelectric power since as far back as the mid-18th century, and today 50–75% of its water is diverted to power stations rather than flowing over the falls; the county seat, Lockport, owes both its name and its layout to a genuine engineering marvel – the Flight of Five Locks, a staircase lock system on the Erie Canal designed by former schoolteacher Nathan Roberts to lift boats 60 feet up the Niagara Escarpment; built between 1825 and 1847, the locks (numbered 67 through 71) constitute the largest intact section of the historic original Erie Canal still remaining anywhere, restored and reopened for public tours in 2014; nearby, Old Fort Niagara displays one of the oldest surviving American flags, captured by the British during the War of 1812, and the historic Village of Lewiston was the site of the war’s first battle and a genuine final stop on the Underground Railroad for freedom seekers heading to Canada
Notes: Niagara County’s genuine status as home to Niagara Falls, America’s oldest state park, and the Flight of Five Locks – the largest surviving stretch of the original Erie Canal – makes it one of the most historically and naturally significant counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Niagara County GIS – accessible via niagaracounty.gov
Parcel Search: Niagara County Real Property Tax Service – Lockport, NY
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Niagara County Emergency Services
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Niagara SPCA – 2100 Lockport Rd, Niagara Falls, NY 14304 | (716) 731-4368 | Hours: Mon/Wed–Fri 12–6 PM, Sat 12–5 PM (closed Sun–Tue, per some listings; confirm current schedule)
Services: A genuinely no-kill, adoption-guarantee shelter, not a county agency and not government-funded; also provides various levels of dog control for local municipalities; adopters must be at least 21 and provide photo ID with current address.
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
Niagara County is genuinely home to Niagara Falls, America’s oldest state park (1885), and Lockport’s Flight of Five Locks, the largest surviving intact section of the original Erie Canal. 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 Niagara County
Heritage | Lockport takes its name from the “Flight of Five” locks built for the original Erie Canal, a mid-1820s engineering feat that let boats climb the Niagara Escarpment; manufacturing boom powered by hydroelectric energy from Niagara Falls once made it a magnet for chemical, aluminum, and paper industries Outdoors | Niagara Falls State Park, the oldest state park in the United States, offers unmatched views of the Falls, boat tours, and Cave of the Winds; the Niagara Gorge trail system and Lake Ontario’s shoreline add hiking and fishing Notable | Niagara Falls has drawn honeymooners and daredevils since the 19th century; hydroelectric power stations remain among the largest in the eastern United States Library | Lockport Public Library and Niagara Falls Public Library anchor service, supporting both tourist-heavy Niagara Falls and Lockport’s canal-town neighborhoods
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
175 Hawley St, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 439-7022
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Niagara County Surrogate’s Court, Lockport (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Niagara 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
Niagara County Surrogate’s Court Niagara County Courthouse, 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094 (716) 280-6460
Niagara County is in Western New York along the Niagara River, seated in Lockport (though Niagara Falls is a major city in the county).
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
5526 Niagara St Ext, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 438-3393
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
20 E Ave, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 439-7032
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
5467 Upper Mountain Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 278-1900
Social Services
20 E Ave, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 438-4000
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Niagara County Department of Health – Lockport, NY
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lockport
Population: 212,000
Area: 523 mi²
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Niagara County facilities via Amazon.
