Access Yates County Booking Reports
Yates County booking reports are maintained by the Sheriff's Office at 227 Main Street in Penn Yan. Sheriff Ronald D. Spike runs a jail that holds about 60 inmates, and all local arrests are processed through that facility. You can get booking records by filing a FOIL request with the Records Access Officer or calling the Sheriff's Office at (315) 536-4438. Yates County is one of the smaller counties in the Finger Lakes region. In-person requests are taken during regular business hours, and the County Clerk's office also handles court filings. State databases like the DOCCS inmate lookup and OCA criminal history search can help you find related arrest records from Yates County.
Yates County Booking Reports Overview
Getting Yates County Booking Reports
Booking reports in Yates County are available through the Freedom of Information Law. FOIL is found in Public Officers Law Section 87. It gives anyone the right to request records from a government agency. Send your written request to the Yates County Sheriff's Office Records Access Officer at 227 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. Include the full name of the person, their date of birth, and the arrest date if you have it. You can also fax your request to (315) 536-2961 or submit it by email or in person. The office has five business days to respond.
Copies are $0.25 per page. This is the standard fee under state law for records up to 9 by 14 inches. There is no charge to inspect records in person during business hours. Cash and checks are accepted for payment.
If you just need to know whether someone is in custody, a phone call to (315) 536-4438 is the fastest way. Jail staff can confirm if a person is being held and give you basic booking information.
Note: FOIL requests must be submitted in writing even if you first ask by phone, so follow up with a written request for official copies.
Yates County Jail Inmate Information
The Yates County Jail sits at the Sheriff's Office in Penn Yan. It can hold about 60 people at a time and houses both pre-trial and sentenced inmates. When someone is arrested in Yates County, they are taken to this facility for booking. Staff record personal details, take a mugshot, and log all charges. A booking ID number gets assigned to that specific arrest.
For people who have been sent to state prison, the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup covers all 44 state correctional facilities. Search by last name and birth year or by DIN number. The system runs around the clock except for a short maintenance break near midnight. It includes everyone in state prison since the early 1970s, minus youthful offenders and those whose convictions were reversed. Under Correction Law Section 9, DOCCS removes certain non-violent offenders from the database five years after they finish their sentence or parole.
The VINELink notification service is free and anonymous. Register to get alerts by phone, email, or text when an inmate is released, transferred, or their custody status changes. VINE covers both the Yates County Jail and all state prisons.
Booking Report Contents in Yates County
Each Yates County booking report lists the arrested person's full name, date of birth, address, and physical description including height, weight, eye color, and hair color. The record shows the arresting agency, the date and time of arrest, all charges filed, and the bail or bond amount. A photo is taken at the time of booking. If bail is posted or the person gets released on recognizance, that goes into the file. The booking ID stays linked to that arrest permanently.
These records are not the same as the state criminal history kept by the Division of Criminal Justice Services. DCJS records are fingerprint-based. They span the whole state and cover arrests, indictments, convictions, and sentences. Those records are not available through FOIL. You submit your own fingerprints to see your DCJS rap sheet. Third parties can only get access when a law specifically allows it. A Yates County booking report covers one event at one facility. It is a local record, not a statewide criminal history.
Yates County Court Records
The Yates County Clerk handles court records for criminal cases in County Court and Supreme Court. Civil filings and property records are also at that office. The WebCrims system has pending criminal cases you can search by defendant name or case number. It shows charges and next court dates. Data gets refreshed four times a day. Only active cases appear in WebCrims. Closed or disposed matters are not listed.
The NYS OCA Criminal History Record Search is a broader tool. It costs $95 per name and searches all 62 counties at once. You need an exact match on name and date of birth. Results include open cases, pending matters, and convictions. Sealed records are excluded. Results come back on business days between 9 AM and 5 PM. If the search finds a record, the entire request gets held for manual review before results are sent.
The screenshot below shows the Yates County Clerk website, which handles court filings and land records for the county.
The County Clerk's office can help with court record lookups and certified copies of case documents from Yates County courts.
State Databases for Yates County Searches
Several state tools can help you find arrest and booking records from Yates County. The Sex Offender Registry lets you search by name, county, or zip code. Level 2 and Level 3 offenders are in the online directory. Level 1 offenders can only be checked by calling 800-262-3257 with the person's name and one identifier like a date of birth or driver's license number. Registry staff are available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM.
The NYS Commission of Correction oversees the Yates County Jail and publishes inspection reports and facility data. The Committee on Open Government can help if you hit a wall with a FOIL request. They provide advisory opinions and guidance on appeals when an agency denies or delays your records request.
New York's Clean Slate Act started on November 16, 2024. The Office of Court Administration has up to three years to roll out automatic sealing for certain eligible old convictions. Sex crimes and non-drug Class A felonies like murder are excluded. Until the process is fully in place, older convictions from Yates County still appear in criminal history searches. The NYS Archives also holds historical correctional records, though most are incomplete before 1956 and only records over 75 years old are released without restriction.
Nearby Counties
Yates County borders several other Finger Lakes counties. Each has its own Sheriff's Office and jail that handles booking reports independently.