Drivers licenses suspended over vision test requirement

Nearly 100 Cattaraugus County drivers have had their driver’s license suspended and may not even be aware of it.

The suspensions stem from a temporary waiver of NYS DMV’s vision test requirement during COVID, at which time those renewing their licenses were not required to retake eye exams. Those drivers who renewed their license between March 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 – and who “self-certified” their vision – received multiple warnings about their status. Finally, as of December 1 of last year, they were notified that their license had been suspended.

Because of their failure to submit proof of passing a vision test, these 96 county residents could face Aggravated Unlicensed Operation, a criminal offense that includes fines and a stiff increase in auto insurance, if pulled over.

“The penalties for getting caught can be serious,” said Cattaraugus County Clerk Darrell Klute, whose office oversees the county’s three Motor Vehicle offices. “So, we encourage these residents to act right away – especially when the remedy to get themselves out of trouble is relatively simple.”

Drivers can pass a vision test by a DMV-approved provider, who will then send the results directly on to DMV on their behalf. Drivers can also pass a vision test by a non-approved provider and then submit an MV-619 Vision Test Report to the DMV themselves. For a list of approved providers, or for instructions on how to submit an MV-619 yourself, go to dmv.ny.gov and click on the pink “Alert” at the top of the screen.

“Or, simply stop into a local DMV office and have your vision tested,” Klute said. “That is probably the quickest and easiest solution.”  

Signatures on the RP-5217

As you probably know, deed theft is a growing concern in New York State and across the country. We try to be as vigilant as possible in this fight and use every tool at our disposal to be the first line of defense. Part of tightening up our process is to ensure that we are following all applicable laws.

As such, we will no longer accept RP-5217s signed by anyone other than the principle parties unless we are presented with a signed Power of Attorney document.

 Instructions for completing the RP5217 state: 

“The Law requires the signature of BOTH the buyer and the seller and NOT agents to the transfer. Exceptions include:

· If the buyer or seller is unable to sign the form, the signature of a person who has been granted a “Power of Attorney” is acceptable. A copy should be presented with the RP-5217 form at the time the deed is filed."

Thank you for adjusting your process, as necessary.

New return policy -- June 1st, 2023

As of June 1st, 2023 the Cattaraugus County Clerk’s office will no longer return recorded documents that are not accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope [SASE] of adequate size and postage for the return of all documents. These documents must have a way of being returned to the appropriate party without the taxpayers of Cattaraugus County incurring the cost.

The Cattaraugus County Clerk's Office records are now available online!

We are pleased to announce that our office's records can now be accessed via a web portal hosted by our vendor, Cott Systems. You will be able to look at all of the indexing -- the who, what, when information of a document -- at no cost. If you need to view the document or obtain a copy, there is a fee schedule that is explained on the site. Click here to get started.

Please note that you will always be able to get copies of any of your documents directly through the clerk's office as well!

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions prior to contacting us.

Click here to see our Fee Schedule

**NOTE: As of March 13, 2020 there is a $10 increase to the cost of recording deeds for residential property in New York State. This increase allows for the notification of grantors that a transaction has taken place that affects their ownership of real property, as per an amendment to Section 291 of the Real Property Law. This increase will NOT apply to commercial or agricultural property.**