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New York · New York City · Staten Island · #141 Most Populous County in the US
Richmond County Government Offices
Staten Island — New York City's fifth and least populous borough, the only one accessible primarily by ferry — from the Staten Island Greenbelt's 3,000 acres of forest to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the Fresh Kills redevelopment, and the North Shore's historic districts. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Richmond County residents.
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Office: NYC Emergency Management (citywide), with a dedicated Staten Island Borough Command Center – established at the Petrides Complex, debuted 2022 | Dial 911 for emergencies, 311 for non-emergencies | nyc.gov/em
Services: The Borough Command Center serves as a local hub for NYC Emergency Management responders to mobilize and coordinate assets during large-scale emergencies specific to Staten Island; the Staten Island Borough President’s Office – 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301, (718) 816-2000 – plays a local coordinating role, alongside SI COAD (Staten Island Community Organizations Active in Disaster), a nonprofit coalition supporting emergency response planning.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Staten Island Expressway (I-278) and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connect Staten Island to Brooklyn
Transit: Staten Island Railway provides local rail service; the free Staten Island Ferry connects to Manhattan; extensive local bus service.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) – Staten Island Borough Office | dob.nyc.gov
Notes: All NYC building and construction permits route through DOB citywide systems.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Agency: NYC Department of Veterans’ Services – nyc.gov/veterans
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: New York Public Library (NYPL) – St. George Library Center, 5 Central Ave, Staten Island, NY 10301 | (718) 442-8560 | Hours: Mon–Thu 10 AM–7 PM, Fri–Sat 10 AM–5 PM (closed Sun)
Services: The largest library on Staten Island, a short walk from the Staten Island Ferry and Borough Hall; features a Children’s Room, dedicated Teen Center, an Adult Learning Center offering English classes, and a Staten Island History Collection with over 300 research volumes and a full run of the Staten Island Advance newspaper from 1921 to 2018 on microfilm; Staten Island’s 14 library branches are all part of NYPL, which also serves Manhattan and the Bronx (Brooklyn and Queens have their own separate independent library systems).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Richmond County is genuinely the site of one of the most significant unheralded moments of the American Revolution – on September 11, 1776, just weeks after the Continental Army’s defeat at the Battle of Long Island, British Admiral Lord Richard Howe met at the Billopp House on the southern tip of Staten Island with three delegates of the Second Continental Congress – Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge – in what became known as the Staten Island Peace Conference, the only in-person, direct diplomatic negotiation held between British and American leaders during the entire war; though the roughly three-hour meeting failed, since the Americans would accept nothing short of full independence, it strengthened Congress’s resolve and confirmed the colonies’ commitment to war; the house where the meeting occurred still stands in Staten Island’s Tottenville neighborhood, preserved today as the Conference House, a National Historic Landmark
Notes: Richmond County’s genuine role as host to the only face-to-face peace negotiation of the American Revolutionary War, attended by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, makes it one of the more historically significant counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: NYC GIS/NYC Planning – accessible via nyc.gov/planning
Parcel Search: NYC Department of Finance – Property tax and parcel records for all boroughs, nyc.gov/finance
Addressing/911: Coordinated through NYC Emergency Management and NYPD/FDNY dispatch
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) – Staten Island Care Center | General inquiries: (212) 788-4000
Services: One of ACC’s three full-service Animal Care Centers citywide (alongside Manhattan and Brooklyn), providing adoption, medical care, and surrender services (by appointment). Lost and Found pet checks available daily citywide.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) – nyc.gov/dep; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) – dec.ny.gov
Notes: NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) handles refuse collection and recycling; schedules vary by neighborhood – check nyc.gov/sanitation.
NOTES
Richmond County – the Borough of Staten Island – genuinely hosted the only in-person peace negotiation of the American Revolutionary War, attended by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge in 1776. All contact information above was sourced from official NYC and Staten Island Borough President pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Richmond County
Richmond County is one of the five boroughs of New York City and the 141st most populous county-equivalent in the United States. Staten Island — as it is universally known — is the most politically and culturally distinct of New York City’s five boroughs: the only one that voted for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, the only one without subway service, and the only one most New Yorkers visit primarily via ferry.
St. George (the county seat and ferry terminal) is Staten Island’s civic center — the Staten Island Borough Hall, St. George Theatre, and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal anchor the North Shore waterfront.
The Staten Island Greenbelt — 3,000 acres of contiguous forest, wetlands, and meadows — is one of the largest natural areas within any US city. Fresh Kills, the former landfill, is being transformed into Freshkills Park, a 2,200-acre park that will eventually be three times the size of Central Park.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge — connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn — was the world’s longest suspension bridge when completed in 1964 and remains the longest in the Americas.
Heritage | Long connected to the rest of New York City primarily by ferry until the 1964 opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge in the world, which reshaped the borough’s development almost overnight; the Staten Island Ferry remains a free, iconic ride offering close-up views of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan skyline Outdoors | The Staten Island Greenbelt preserves one of the largest expanses of natural open space remaining in New York City, with miles of hiking trails through forest and wetland; Historic Richmond Town preserves a restored colonial-era village open to visitors Notable | Home to the Alice Austen House, honoring the pioneering 19th-century photographer; the borough’s more suburban, lower-density character sets it apart culturally from the rest of New York City Library | The New York Public Library system does not serve Staten Island; the Staten Island Library operates its own system with a main branch in St. George, unique among the five boroughs
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
New York City property taxes are among the most complex in the United States. Class 1 properties (1–3 family residential homes — the most common type in Staten Island) are assessed at 6% of market value, with annual assessment increases capped at 6% per year and 20% over five years.
The appeal process: File with the NYC Tax Commission — the deadline is March 1 for Class 1 properties. If still dissatisfied, file a formal petition with the NYC Tax Appeals Tribunal or New York State Supreme Court. The NYC Department of Finance mails annual Notice of Property Value in January.
NY/NYC estate tax: Both New York State and New York City impose estate taxes. The combined threshold is $7.16 million (2025, indexed). NY State estate tax rates reach 16% at the high end, with a “cliff” provision — if the estate exceeds 105% of the threshold, the entire estate is taxed.
REAL PROPERTY TAX SERVICE
Address: NYC Department of Finance, Staten Island office: 350 St Marks Pl, Staten Island, NY 10301
Phone: (718) 285-8800
Website: nyc.gov/finance
Courts & Legal
Surrogate’s Court (Probate): Richmond County Surrogate’s Court, 18 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301, phone 718-675-8500, handles wills, estate administration, and guardianships.
Supreme Court: Richmond County Supreme Court at 18 Richmond Terrace handles major civil and criminal matters.
Civil Court: Richmond County Civil Court at 927 Castleton Avenue handles civil claims under $25,000.
City Register / County Clerk: Real property records are maintained by the Richmond County Clerk at 130 Stuyvesant Place, searchable through NYC ACRIS online.
SURROGATE’S COURT
Address: 18 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Phone: (718) 390-5400
Services: Wills, estates, guardianships
Website: nycourts.gov/courts/surrogates/richmond
SUPREME COURT / COUNTY COURT
Address: 18 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Phone: (718) 390-5300
Website: nycourts.gov/courts/13jd/richmond
Senior Services
The NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) funds and coordinates senior services across all five boroughs including Staten Island. The Staten Island Agency on Aging operates through the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City with multiple senior centers across the island. Staten Island University Hospital (Northwell Health) provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Staten Island — from the North Shore and St. George to the South Shore communities of Great Kills, Tottenville, and Annadale.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
130 Stuyvesant Pl, Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 675-7700
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Richmond County Surrogate’s Court, Staten Island (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Richmond County Clerk (Stephen J. Fiala Courthouse), 130 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island – holds land records (1884-1929) and naturalization records (1907-1960).
NYC Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, Manhattan – holds birth, marriage, and death records for all five boroughs.
Local societies
No dedicated Richmond 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
Richmond County Surrogate’s Court 18 Richmond Terrace, Room 201, Staten Island, NY 10301 (718) 675-8500
Richmond County (Staten Island) is one of New York City’s five boroughs, coextensive with the borough. The 1919 Richmond County Courthouse, part of the Staten Island Borough Hall complex in St. George near the ferry terminal, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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. Richmond County’s Help Center assists with procedural questions and permission to enter sealed residences. A satellite court also runs at Charleston Library in Staten Island on Thursdays for in-person assistance.
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 in Richmond County range from $45 for estates under $10,000 up to $1,250 for estates of $500,000 or more, per SCPA § 2402.
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
New York City Sheriff's Office (citywide, with Staten Island operations), 66 John St, New York, NY 10038
(212) 227-8100
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
NYC Board of Elections, Staten Island Office, 1 Edgewater Plaza, Staten Island, NY 10305
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene, Staten Island District Office, 51 Stuyvesant Pl, Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 816-2091
Social Services
NYC Human Resources Administration, Staten Island job centers 311
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) – citywide headquarters, Long Island City; nyc.gov/health
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: St. George
Population: 495,747
Area: 59 mi²
Established: 1683
Tier: 1
Public Records
TruthFinder
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