Estate Planning for Columbia County, New York Property Owners

For most Columbia County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.

Record a TOD deedWhere to recordLocal attorneys

For a Columbia County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Surrogate's Court. The two tools that keep a Columbia County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the County Clerk, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.

Without a recorded beneficiary designation or a trust, Columbia County property passes through the Surrogate's Court — even simple New York probates run 7+ months and start with $45 in filing fees.

Record a Transfer-on-Death Deed in Columbia County

A transfer on death deed names a beneficiary who receives Columbia County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the County Clerk during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.

Before recording, a New York transfer on death deed is signed with 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Aug 24, 2026View source witnesses and notary acknowledgmentN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Aug 24, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.

Create a New YorkTOD deed →Columbia Countysigning requirements →

Where to Record Property Documents

Deeds and other real property documents for Columbia County are recorded with the County Clerk, led by County Clerk Holly C. Tanner, at 560 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534. Phone: (518) 828-3339. Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM (closed 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM for lunch).

The County Clerk charges $45 per document plus $5 for every page. Recording a 2-page transfer on death deed in Columbia County comes to $55. A transfer on death deed is exempt from transfer tax.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk

Columbia County · County Clerk · Holly C. Tanner

Address

560 Warren StreetHudson, NY 12534

Fax

(518) 828-5299

Hours

Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM (closed 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM for lunch)
Visit recorder website →

Recording fees

Document fee (per document)$45
Each page$5
TP-584 Combined Real Estate Transfer Tax Return$5
RP-5217 Real Property Transfer Report (Residential/Agricultural)$125
RP-5217 Real Property Transfer Report (Commercial/Other)$250
Transfer tax on a TOD deedExempt

CPLR § 8021(a)(4) (county-adjustable); RPL § 333(3)(ii) (RP-5217 filing fee); county-published fee schedules

Open in Google Maps

Verified September 8, 2026 · Source

Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Columbia County

FirmCairo, NY

Esslie & Frenia, P.C.

Serves 4 counties

Cairo (Greene County) two-lawyer practice serving the Catskills — Coxsackie, Catskill, Windham, Hudson, Ravena and Kingston. Guides estate administrators and executors through probate, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health care proxies alongside Medicaid asset protection. Michael Esslie and Denise Frenia Esslie, a husband-and-wife team each with more than 16 years in practice, handle matters personally and offer free consultations, home visits and after-hours appointments.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationProbateElder LawMedicaid Planning

Office
550 Main StreetCairo, NY 12413
Free consultation

FirmHudson, NY

Hudson Valley Law Partners, PLLC

Serves 1 county

Hudson (Columbia County) firm practicing from Proprietor's Hall on North Seventh Street. Handles estate planning and probate — drafting wills and trusts, then estate filing, asset distribution and fiduciary representation — and covers elder law, real estate and municipal work across the Hudson Valley.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationProbateElder Law

Office
21 N. 7th StreetHudson, NY 12534

Solo PracticeHoosick Falls, NY

Law Offices of Edward J. Gorman

Serves 3 counties

Hoosick Falls and Troy practice guiding Rensselaer County executors and administrators through the Surrogate's Court, from the petition and citations to the final accounting and release of the fiduciary. Ed Gorman is the attorney retained by the Rensselaer County Public Administrator, handling estates where no executor or family member is available to step in.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationProbateMedicaid Planning

Office
5 Main StreetHoosick Falls, NY 12090

FirmLatham, NY

Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC

Serves 13 counties

Capital Region trusts and estates practice in Latham, with offices in New York City, Garden City, Hudson and Lake Placid and more than 280 years of combined attorney experience. Handles estate and trust administration, probate, estate and trust litigation, guardianship under Article 81 and 17-A, Medicaid and special needs planning, and tax planning.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationTrust AdministrationTrust Litigationand 5 more

Office
43 British American BoulevardLatham, NY 12110
Free consultationVirtual consultations

FirmLake Success, NY

Abrams Fensterman, LLP

Since 2000 · Serves 9 counties

Lake Success (Nassau County) firm guiding executors, administrators, trustees and beneficiaries through New York Surrogate's Court — probate, estate and trust administration, and contested estates and objections to a will or to fiduciary conduct. Also handles estate planning, retirement-distribution planning, Medicaid and elder law. Absorbed the Berwitz & DiTata estate practice.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationTrust AdministrationProbateand 6 more

Office
3 Dakota Drive, Suite 300Lake Success, NY 11042

FirmBinghamton, NY

Coughlin & Gerhart LLP

Since 1898 · Serves the whole state

Binghamton (Broome County) firm tracing its lineage to 1898, with seven New York offices from Ithaca to Walton. Its trusts, estates and elder law group counsels executors, administrators and trustees through estate and trust administration, obtains Letters Testamentary and Letters of Administration, and litigates disputed executor appointments in Surrogate's Court.

PracticesEstate PlanningEstate AdministrationTrust AdministrationProbateand 8 more

Office
99 Corporate DriveBinghamton, NY 13904
See all 8 firms serving Columbia County→

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Legal Sources

Data sourced from New York statutes and official state code. How we research.

New York Estate Planning Articles

Estate planning articles for New York.