Union Divorce Decree Lookup

Union divorce decree records are held at the Broome County Clerk's Office in Binghamton. The town of Union is one of the larger communities in Broome County, but it does not maintain court records on its own. All divorce cases in the county go through the Supreme Court system, and the final divorce decree ends up at the county clerk. If you need a copy of a Union divorce decree, the Broome County Clerk is your starting point for a search, a request, or a certified copy of the judgment.

Broome County Clerk and Union Divorce Decrees

The Broome County Clerk's Office is located at 60 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY 13902. The phone number is (607) 778-2255. This is the office that stores all divorce decree files for the town of Union and every other municipality in Broome County. The 6th Judicial District covers Broome County, and all Supreme Court divorce cases from the district get filed with the county clerk once the judge signs the final judgment.

The Broome County Clerk website has information about office hours and the services they offer. The clerk handles court records, land records, and other public documents. For divorce decrees, you deal with the court records section of the office. Union is close to Binghamton, so getting to the clerk's office is not a long trip for most Union residents.

Bring a photo ID when you visit. You also need the names of both spouses and the year of the divorce. The index number helps speed up the search.

How to Get a Union Divorce Decree

In person is the fastest way to get a copy. Walk into the Broome County Clerk's Office at 60 Hawley Street, show your ID, and fill out the request. The staff will search the files and pull your case. Certified copies cost $5 for the first four pages and $1.25 per page after that. Plain copies are cheaper but usually not accepted for legal purposes.

The Broome County Clerk also has an online records search portal that lets you look up some county records from home. This can help you find index numbers or confirm that a case exists before you make the trip to Binghamton.

That search tool is a good starting point for anyone in Union who wants to check on a record before visiting the office.

Mail requests are accepted too. Write to the Broome County Clerk at 60 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY 13902. Include the party names, the year, your return address, and a check or money order for the fee. Allow a couple of weeks for the clerk to process the request and mail back your copy.

Union Divorce Decree Access Rules

DRL Section 235 keeps divorce files sealed in New York. Only the parties to the case or their attorneys can view the full divorce decree. This rule covers all Broome County cases, including those from Union. Third parties must obtain a court order to get access. There is no way around this requirement.

Anyone can request a certification of disposition. This short document confirms that a divorce happened and shows the outcome. It does not list the terms of the settlement or any private details. The fee is $5 for every two-year search period. Under Judiciary Law Section 255, the clerk must search and provide the document when the fee is paid properly.

Divorce Decree and Certificate in Union

The divorce decree is the full court judgment. It has every term the judge set. Property division, custody, support. All of it is in the decree. The Broome County Clerk holds the decree. The divorce certificate is a different document from the NYS Department of Health. It is a short form that just confirms the divorce happened, with names and dates. No details about the case terms.

The Department of Health has certificates for divorces from January 1, 1963 onward. For older cases, the decree at the county clerk is the only record. The mail fee for a state certificate is $30. Phone and online orders cost $45 plus a processing charge. The Vital Records line is (855) 322-1022. If you just need proof that a divorce took place, the certificate may be enough. But if you need the actual terms, you must get the decree from the clerk.

Filing for Divorce from Union

Union residents file for divorce in Broome County Supreme Court as part of the 6th Judicial District. You must meet the residency rules before filing. One spouse needs to have lived in New York for at least two years, or one year if the couple married in the state or lived here as a married couple. The NYSCEF electronic filing system may be available for some case types, though matrimonial cases often have separate rules.

Free forms and instruction booklets are available through the court system for people who want to handle the process without a lawyer. The New York State Bar Association runs a lawyer referral line at 1-800-342-3661. The Ask a Law Librarian service can help with basic legal research questions about divorce in Broome County.

After the judge grants the divorce, the decree is filed with the Broome County Clerk. A certificate of divorce gets sent to the NYS Department of Health for cases from 1963 onward.

Older Union Divorce Decree Files

Broome County has divorce records going back decades. Historical records may be in a different format or stored in an archive area at the clerk's office. The NYS Archives provides guidance on where to find very old divorce decree records. After 100 years from the final decree date, records become public. The New York State Library has resources for genealogy researchers working with older vital records.

For genealogy copies of vital records, the Department of Health charges $22 per copy. Send mail requests to the Vital Records Section, Genealogy Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602.

Nearby Cities

Other communities near Union in the Southern Tier also have divorce records managed at the county level.