For costs on vital records in NY, go to this site: http://vitalrec.com/ny.html Note that the "genealogical" fee is cheaper in some instances but if you are getting your own birth certificate, pay more and tell them you want it for getting a passport. That's the bc you'll need when you apply for social security. Might as well get it now. By the way, it has been faster to get from the county. I only apply to the state when I don't know which county! Pennsylvania has been different. Some counties don't even accept apps, just refer you to the state. It pays to know ahead of time which office handles what and to get their form online whenever possible. In fact, I tell them in my letter attached to the application that "according to such and such source, your office has such and such documents for the years such and such." I started doing this when the Scranton office referred me to the state for very old records that a reference had told me came from an office in Scranton. I got no apology but I did get the document the second time I tried. By the way, are you folks aware that the Mormans have made microfilms of many of the old vital records? I found the 1908-1926 Marriage Records for Chemung Co. on film. Go to the local FHL and get the numbers for the Index to the records so you will know which roll of film has the actual records. The index is also a quick way to know if they married there or you need to check another county. I got all my grandma's siblings' marriages that way. Wouldn't you know she married just before that time period, so I had to get hers the old fashioned way. By the way, they filmed the application for the marriage license which gives you all the genealogy goodies. The one you try to get when you apply for but often don't get. Nancy Long