By Hank Russell
Nassau County Legislative Democrats, joined by local homeowners, held a press conference on February 18 to unveil legislation that would immediately reduce County Clerk filing fees. The Democrats called the fees excessive and the current structure an unlawful and unfair burden on homeowners that has left some residents paying more than $600 for routine paperwork.
The proposed local law would amend the Nassau County Administrative Code to reset the fee to $50 per block for recording and indexing documents, including satisfactions of mortgages and liens. Legislator Debra Mulé (D-Freeport) said the change is long overdue.
“Homeowners who do the right thing, pay off their mortgage, and walk into the Clerk’s Office with a two-page document should not be handed a $620 bill,” Mulé said. “That’s not a service fee, that’s a hidden tax. We are moving to end it immediately.”
One Oceanside resident, a homeowner since 1985, recently attempted to file a simple Satisfaction of Mortgage confirming that his home equity loan had been fully paid. He was told he would first need to pay a $270 “Tax Map Verification Fee” and then an additional $350.50 to file the document, a combined total of $620.50. “Appalled” by the charge, the resident researched the fee structure and discovered that the $350.50 includes a $300 “Block Fee” that Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Gregg Roth ruled excessive and unconstitutional on June 9, 2025, ordering the county to reset it within 60 days. Despite that directive, the fee remains in place.
Democrats further noted that in most other New York counties, the total cost to file a Satisfaction of Mortgage ranges between $50 and $60, making Nassau’s fee more than ten times higher.
Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said the county must comply with the courts instead of continuing to defend fees that have already been deemed excessive. “The courts have spoken clearly,” she said. “Instead of spending taxpayer dollars fighting to preserve a broken fee system, we should be fixing it. This legislation restores fairness and puts Nassau residents first.”
Deputy Minority Leader Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) added that Nassau and Suffolk are the only counties in New York that impose a separate Tax Map Verification Fee, further isolating Nassau as an outlier. “There is no justification for charging families hundreds of dollars for routine filings that cost a fraction of that elsewhere,” he said. “Government should not be profiting off basic administrative paperwork.”
Legislator Carrié Solages (D-Valley Stream) said the impact falls squarely on working and middle-class homeowners. “This is about basic fairness,” he said. “When residents pay off their mortgage, it should be a moment of relief, not another financial hit.”
Legislator Viviana Russell (D-Westbury) called the current structure a “textbook example of overreach.”
“We’re talking about ministerial acts, stamping and recording documents,” Russell said. “Charging over $600 for that is excessive by any reasonable standard.”
Legislator Scott Davis (D-Rockville Centre) said the proposal is also about restoring public trust. “When residents see fees ten times higher than neighboring counties, they lose confidence in their government,” he said. “This legislation corrects that.”
Legislator Olena Nicks (D-Uniondale) emphasized that compliance with the court order is not optional.
“The ruling required the county to reset the fee to align with actual service costs,” Nicks said. “This bill does exactly that.”
Legislator Cynthia Nuñez (D-Valley Stream) said the issue ultimately comes down to fiscal responsibility and ensuring county government operates within its proper scope. “This is about making sure government fees are not used as a revenue tool. A $600 charge on families who have already fulfilled their mortgage obligations goes beyond covering administrative costs. County fees should reflect the actual cost of providing a service — nothing more, nothing less. My colleagues and I are committed to ensuring residents are not treated as a source of excess revenue, but as taxpayers who deserve transparency, accountability, and responsible fiscal management.”
Democratic lawmakers said they are prepared to move swiftly to adopt the measure and ensure that Nassau residents are no longer forced to pay what they described as unjust and outrageous fees for routine filings.
“$620 for paperwork ends now,” Mulé said. “We’re cutting it to $50 and bringing Nassau back in line with the law, and with common sense.”
Long Island Life & Politics has reached out to the GOP legislative majority, but did not hear back as of press time.