Office of the Ulster County Comptroller

You may confidentially & discreetly send tips to the Comptroller at: (845) 481-0420  ulstertip@gmail.com
Ulster County Comptroller
P.O. Box 1800
Kingston, New York 12402
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News

Ulster County Contract Transparency Press Release

In accordance with her pledge to enhance transparency and accountability across County operations, Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher has begun sharing all contracts and contract amendments that the Ulster County Comptroller’s Office approves on a monthly basis. Information provided includes the contract amount, date of approval, department, and summary of the purpose...

Press Release on Ulster County Taxation of Real Property Transactions

Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher released a report on taxation of real property transactions in Ulster County. The Ulster County Clerk recorded 4,450 mortgages in 2019. As a result, the Clerk administered $1.85 million Mortgage Recording Tax revenues for New York State and the distribution of $4.19 million to the City of Kingston, and Ulster County towns and villages while Ulster County itself received only $175,036 in administrative fee revenue during this period...

Recent Reports

Short Term Rental Occupancy Tax Audit Report

Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher released a two-part report on the program and finance aspects of occupancy tax revenues for short-term rental transactions in Ulster County. Occupancy tax collections have increased from $1.2 million in 2014 to over $2 million in 2019. Airbnb, just one online short-term rental platform, reported $31.9 million in 2019 platform-generated revenues for Ulster County which should have resulted in $638,000 of occupancy tax, however, current methods of occupancy tax recordkeeping do not allow monitoring of short-term rental revenue separately.

2020 Mortgage Recording Transfer Tax Report

The Ulster County Clerk administers two property transfer taxes - a Mortgage Recording Tax (MRT) and a Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT). Ulster County does not charge a local MRT or RETT, but the county collects a fee for administering these taxes. The lion’s share of the revenues from each tax are distributed by the county to the state and local municipalities.