Erie County Clerk: Discharge Recording, Thank A Vet Card and Peddler Permits

The County Clerk, at Old County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo (716-858-8785), runs the Clerk's veterans programme, called S.A.L.U.T.E.S. Recording discharges. Under Military Law 250 the Clerk records a DD-214, DD-256, NGB-22 or NOAA 5616 free and returns the original at once; certified copies are free to the veteran or immediate family whenever needed and stand in for the original. Record the last DD-214 if you have several, and correct errors before recording. File in person at the Old County Hall basement records office, or by mail. See the New York entry on discharge recording. The Clerk's page says to record in the county where you live; the statute lets a veteran record in "any one county". Thank A Vet card. When an Erie County resident who was honorably discharged files original discharge papers, the Clerk takes a photo and issues a free Thank A Vet card. More than 1,400 Erie County businesses offer their own discounts on it; the Clerk keeps a searchable list. Questions: 716-858-6787. Peddler permit. The Clerk issues the State's veteran's peddler permit free, with the application, a government ID, proof of honorable discharge and of residence, and two passport photos (the Clerk's outreach centres take them for $10). The Clerk's page describes it as for honorably discharged veterans and surviving spouses; General Business Law 32 also asks that the veteran served in a war or overseas and has lived in the county six months. See the New York entry on the peddler licence. Families and honours. The Honoring the Fallen card gives the mother, father and spouse of a service member killed in action discounts at participating businesses. A family can ask for an Honorable Service certificate for a veteran who has died, and an Erie County Purple Heart recipient or family can ask to be entered in the William J. Donovan Purple Heart Book of Merit; requests for the 2027 book close July 19, 2027.