Ulster County Bankruptcy Records
Ulster County bankruptcy records are filed through the Northern District of New York Bankruptcy Court in Albany. Residents of Kingston, New Paltz, and other Ulster County communities file bankruptcy cases that end up at the Albany courthouse on Broadway. You can search for these records online using PACER or visit the courthouse in person. The Ulster County Clerk on Fair Street in Kingston has online records search tools and maintains state court documents going back centuries. This page details how to find and access Ulster County bankruptcy records.
Ulster County Bankruptcy Overview
Where Ulster County Bankruptcy Cases Are Filed
The Northern District of New York Bankruptcy Court handles all Ulster County bankruptcy filings. Cases go to the Albany courthouse at 445 Broadway, Suite 330, Albany, NY 12207. The phone number is 518-257-1661. The help desk is at 518-257-1616. The Northern District also has offices in Syracuse and Utica, but Ulster County cases are assigned to Albany.
The Northern District covers 32 counties. Ulster is one of the southernmost in the district. Public access terminals at the Albany courthouse let you search case data for free. Meetings of creditors for Ulster County cases are held in Albany. The drive from Kingston to Albany takes about an hour.
Attorneys file through CM/ECF. Case data in the system goes back to January 1986. Electronic documents date from December 2002 forward. Individuals filing without a lawyer can submit paper petitions during regular courthouse hours.
Ulster County Clerk and Court Records
The Ulster County Clerk's Office is at 244 Fair Street, Kingston, NY 12401. Call 845-340-3040. The County Clerk is Nina Postupack. Services include Supreme and County Court records, land records going back to the 1700s, naturalization records from 1843 to 1943, business certificates, and notary services.
Ulster County has an online records search through its website. You can look up land records, deeds, and mortgages. Historical records are available too. This is useful for bankruptcy research because liens and mortgages often play a role in the process. In-person access and written mail requests are both accepted. Fees apply for copies and certified documents.
The county is part of the 3rd Judicial District. State court judgments filed through the Supreme Court in Ulster County are maintained by the Clerk's Office. Foreclosure actions, contract disputes, and other civil matters that might connect to a bankruptcy case all get recorded here.
The Northern District Bankruptcy Court website provides filing information, local rules, and public access for Ulster County cases handled in Albany.
Electronic documents are available through PACER from December 2002 forward for all 32 Northern District counties.
Search Ulster County Bankruptcy Records Online
Use PACER to find Ulster County bankruptcy records. Create a free account. Then search by debtor name, case number, Social Security number, or tax ID. PACER shows the docket, all filed documents, and case status. Fees are $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per document. Charges under $30 per quarter are waived.
The PACER Case Locator searches all federal courts at once. This works well if someone filed in a different district before moving to Ulster County. Written opinions from judges are free on PACER.
VCIS at 866-222-8029 gives free phone access to basic case data around the clock. Search by case number or debtor name for the filing date, chapter, discharge date, and trustee name.
Note: The eCourts portal at iapps.courts.state.ny.us covers state court case tracking for Ulster County civil matters that may tie to bankruptcy.
Ulster County Bankruptcy Exemptions
Ulster County sits in the middle tier for the New York homestead exemption. Under Section 282 of the Debtor and Creditor Law, debtors can protect up to $170,700 in equity in their primary home. This is the same tier as Dutchess, Albany, Columbia, Orange, and Saratoga counties.
A motor vehicle is exempt up to $5,500 above liens. Retirement accounts are protected up to $1,711,975 per person for cases filed between April 2025 and March 2028. Social Security, veterans' benefits, unemployment, and workers' compensation are fully exempt. The Department of Financial Services updates these amounts every three years. To use New York exemptions, filers must have lived in the state for at least 730 days before filing.
How to Get Ulster County Bankruptcy Documents
PACER is the fastest way. Log in and download. Most records from the past 15 years or more are online. Parties in a case get one free copy of each electronic filing.
At the Albany courthouse, the Clerk's Office makes copies for $0.50 per page. Public terminals are free to browse. For older cases filed before June 2003 that are closed more than two years, check the National Archives. Get tracking details from the bankruptcy court. Then file a NARA request. A full file costs $90, selected documents are $35, and certification adds $15. Expect a few weeks for delivery.
Nearby Counties
Sullivan County borders Ulster to the southwest but is in the Southern District. Greene County is to the north in the Northern District. Dutchess County is to the east in the Southern District. Orange County lies to the south, also Southern District. Check each county page for the correct filing court.