Start here: identify the New York office and jurisdiction
New York's statewide systems provide useful starting points, but none retrieves every record about a person or property. The Unified Court System maintains court services; the Division of Criminal Justice Services maintains official criminal history information; and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maintains state correctional records. A case docket, DCJS criminal history response and prison lookup describe different parts of a person's record.
For vital records, establish where the event occurred before ordering. The state Department of Health handles birth and death certificates outside New York City. The New York City Health Department handles births and deaths in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Nassau and Suffolk counties are outside the city even though they are on Long Island. Marriage and divorce records have additional distinctions explained below.
Land records require another geographic check. County clerks maintain recorded documents in much of the state. New York City's Automated City Register Information System, ACRIS, covers Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; Staten Island land documents require the Richmond County Clerk route. Assessments and tax accounts are separate from the recorded deed, whether the property is in Buffalo, Albany or a city borough.
For businesses, use the Department of State's Corporation and Business Entity Database. For professional credentials, identify the regulator before searching: the Education Department, Department of State, Department of Financial Services and other offices maintain different license records.
SearchSystems has tracked official record custodians since 1997. Follow the office that created the record, and use the county pages when a statewide search does not cover the local file.
New York's Freedom of Information Law in 2026
New York's Freedom of Information Law, usually called FOIL, governs access to many state and local agency records. The Committee on Open Government's FOIL guidance and regulations explain the request process, fees and appeal rights. Send a request to the records access officer of the agency holding the material. A request to a county department is different from a request for a court file through the Judiciary's access procedures.
Within five business days, an agency must provide access, deny the request in writing or acknowledge receipt with an approximate decision date. An acknowledgment is not permission to leave the request open indefinitely. The stated date ordinarily falls within 20 business days after acknowledgment. If circumstances prevent that, the agency must give a written explanation and a reasonable date certain for responding.
The time needed depends on the actual New York records requested. A readily available contract and a large electronic extraction need not take the same amount of time. Failure to acknowledge, an unreasonable date or failure to meet the applicable response requirements can amount to a denial. Preserve the acknowledgment and any later extension, because those documents establish what the agency promised and why it said more time was needed.
Ordinary photocopies up to 9 by 14 inches may cost up to 25 cents per page unless a different statutory fee applies. Larger copies and other media can involve actual reproduction costs. An agency cannot generally charge for searching, ordinary administrative work or reviewing records to decide what may be disclosed. Electronic reproduction has separate rules: certain preparation costs may be charged when more than two hours of qualifying work is necessary. Ask for the estimate and basis before authorizing a substantial charge.
Inspection of accessible records is generally free. If the agency already maintains the requested material electronically, ask for that form. FOIL does not make a specialized certificate, court product or statutory filing service free simply because the information is public.
A requester generally has 30 days to appeal a denial to the agency's designated appeals officer. The agency must decide the appeal within ten business days by providing access or explaining the continued denial. After the administrative process, a requester may seek review through an Article 78 proceeding. The Committee on Open Government provides guidance; it is not the appeals officer for every New York agency and does not hold every local government's records.
Court records: Supreme Court is a trial court
New York court names can mislead a first-time researcher. The Court of Appeals is the state's highest court, while Supreme Court is a trial court with broad jurisdiction. County Court, Family Court, Surrogate's Court and local courts have different records and access routes. The Judiciary's court directory is the place to identify the actual court and clerk before ordering a file.
For civil cases, WebCivil Supreme and WebCivil Local serve different court levels. Search with the index number and county when available, then compare the parties and case type. The Supreme Court document search and Nassau Supreme Court decision collection can help locate particular decisions. A decision collection is not necessarily the complete docket or every document filed in the action.
For electronically filed cases, use the production New York State Courts Electronic Filing service, NYSCEF, and its guest case search. Do not use a training-system login as the public record source. Select the proper county and case, and distinguish public filed documents from sealed or otherwise restricted materials. An electronic filing system does not imply that every historical paper case has been digitized.
The Bronx County Clerk case search supplies a county-specific route. WebCrims provides criminal case and calendar information within its stated coverage. WebFamily serves Family Court information subject to its access restrictions; it is not an unrestricted public view of every family file. Older matters may require archival research, including Westchester County's court-record archives, rather than repeated searches in a current calendar system.
Public case searches and certified court products have different costs. For example, the Judiciary's current New York City Civil Court fee schedule lists $6 for certifying a paper and $15 for exemplification. Those are that court's listed products, not a universal price for every New York court document. Ask the originating clerk which document and authentication your transaction requires.
New York City's parking-ticket system is separate from a state court civil search. Federal civil, criminal and bankruptcy records use PACER, which generally charges 10 cents per page under its pricing rules. The quarterly charges are waived when the total is $30 or less, subject to PACER's rules. The New York court records directory connects these distinct state, local and federal sources.
Criminal history: the $95 court search and your DCJS record
The Office of Court Administration offers a public Criminal History Record Search, CHRS, for $95. Requests can be submitted through Direct Access or by the published mail procedure. The search uses an exact match of name and date of birth; variations are not automatically treated as the same person. Confirm both identifiers before purchasing a search.
CHRS covers public open or pending cases and convictions originating in County, Supreme, City, Town and Village courts across all 62 counties, subject to its stated reporting limits. Town and Village disposition coverage is limited, and sealed records are not disclosed. Family, civil and federal cases are outside this product. The report is not certified and must not be confused with a Certificate of Disposition issued by the originating court.
DCJS maintains the state's official criminal history record, often called a rap sheet. Its record review service requires fingerprints for a person to obtain their own record. The current instructions list $17.50 for the in-state fingerprint service as of February 2, 2026, and $57.45 for the listed out-of-state enrollment route. A separate card-submission option has its own instructions; do not assume every out-of-state method has the same total cost.
DCJS distinguishes suppressed and unsuppressed personal record-review responses. Choose according to the information you need to review, and follow the supplied instructions for challenging inaccurate or incomplete information. The department also provides a fee-waiver application process for people unable to pay the fingerprint-processing charge. A personal review response is not a public background report that anyone can order about someone else.
Employers and licensing entities need statutory authority or another legally authorized basis for access to DCJS criminal history information. Public court searching does not grant that authority. If the question is how a particular arrest ended, obtain the court's disposition and use it to address a missing or incorrect outcome. The criminal records directory separates public court records, correctional sources and the official personal record-review process.
Arrest records, local jails and state custody
New York custody research has at least three practical starting points. State prison information belongs with DOCCS and its incarcerated lookup. New York City jail information belongs with the city's Person in Custody Lookup. Other county jail information belongs with the county correctional agency. Searching the wrong system can produce an empty result even when a person is held elsewhere in New York.
For a DOCCS search, use the available department identification number or the requested name information and compare the identifying details. The separate parolee lookup concerns community supervision, not a current prison bed assignment. Published lookup coverage and removal rules can limit older entries. Confirm a time-sensitive custody or release question with the responsible agency rather than relying on a saved screenshot.
Local examples include the Monroe County Sheriff's jail information and Oneida County inmate list. Federal custody is a separate system again, through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. A jail entry, a state prison record and a court disposition may refer to different stages of the same matter. A booking does not establish a conviction, and a prison lookup does not reproduce the entire court file.
For an incident or arrest report, identify the police agency that created it. The Schenectady Police Department, Clarkstown Police, Fulton Police, Niagara Falls Police and NYPD are examples of distinct local custodians. A municipal home page should not be described as an active warrant database unless it actually provides that search. Police records can contain exempt investigative or personal information, so specify the report and request disclosable portions through the appropriate process.
Actual warrant resources include Chemung County warrants, Oneida County's warrant list, Ulster County warrants and Watertown warrants. Other starting points include the Rockland Sheriff, Warren County Sheriff, Westchester Public Safety and Orleans probation office. Use the New York warrants directory to locate the correct jurisdiction, and keep civil child-support notices separate from ordinary criminal wanted-person searches.
Birth, death, marriage and divorce records
For births and deaths outside New York City, begin with New York State Vital Records or the local registrar for the event. The state describes birth and death holdings dating from 1881 outside the five boroughs. For a city birth or death, use NYC Health. The location of the event controls the starting point, not where the person lives now.
The state's mail-order instructions list $30 per copy for birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Online or telephone ordering uses the state's designated vendor and can involve different charges. Follow the current instructions for the chosen method instead of sending the mail-order amount with an online transaction or assuming a local registrar has the identical fee.
New York City's birth and death fee schedule lists $15 per certificate. The published additional processing charges are $9.30 for online orders, $7.50 for premium mail orders and $2.75 for in-person orders. Non-premium mail requests are listed at $15 per certificate with a longer processing estimate. Delivery charges can be additional. Choose the method and document before paying, and do not treat expedited shipping as a guarantee of faster record processing.
Recent certified records require the applicable identity and eligibility documents. A birth certificate request, death certificate request and historical research inquiry do not have identical access rules. Use the application for that event and jurisdiction, and provide the relationship or legal-interest evidence it requires. If a New York agency cannot locate the record under the supplied details, correct the date, locality and identifying information before paying for repeated broad searches.
Marriage records outside New York City generally follow the place where the license was purchased, through the state or the relevant town or city clerk. New York City marriage records use the City Clerk's service rather than the Health Department's birth and death counter. Historical sources include Rochester's marriage records, Ulster's archival search and Westchester's marriage index. Their collection dates and document types differ from current certificate services.
Divorce is an important exception to the city-state split. The state's divorce certificate service covers Certificates of Dissolution of Marriage statewide from 1963, including New York City. The Department of Health's document guidance distinguishes that certificate from the decree and directs decree requests and pre-1963 divorce records to the county clerk where the decree was issued. The vital records directory connects these separate certificate and archival routes.
Property records: ACRIS, county clerks and local assessors
The Department of Finance's ACRIS explanation identifies four-borough coverage: Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn, with recorded-document images from 1966 forward. Use the ACRIS document search for deeds and other instruments in that coverage. A borough-block-lot number helps connect the recorded document to the parcel. Staten Island deeds require the Richmond County Clerk route rather than an assumption that every ACRIS search covers all five boroughs.
Outside that system, recorded-document sources include Albany County's online records, Dutchess County's document search, Erie County Clerk records, Schenectady County land records, Suffolk County's clerk kiosk and Monroe County's recorded-document system. Search the relevant parties and date range, then keep the instrument number or book and page. A clerk's index establishes that an instrument was recorded; the document itself supplies the terms and legal description.
Assessment information follows a different route. Use Nassau County Assessment, Monroe County property information, Erie County Real Property Tax Services or Dutchess ParcelAccess for the corresponding valuation and parcel questions. In New York City, the property tax public access system supplies another view of the property distinct from the deed in ACRIS. Compare the same parcel identifier and assessment year before combining information from different offices.
County resources extend well beyond the largest cities. The directory includes Allegany Real Property, Broome's property search, Chautauqua GIS, Chenango real property services, Madison's property search, Cayuga Real Property Services, Schoharie property records, Schuyler GIS, Tompkins GIS, Ulster's parcel viewer and Wayne's assessment data. Their maps, parcel cards and tax materials are useful for locating records, but do not replace a survey or a recorded easement.
Local assessor and mapping pages can answer questions that a county landing page cannot. Examples include Amherst property information, Eden GIS, Greece's assessor, Huntington GIS, Seneca Falls' assessor, Buffalo property resources, Jamestown's assessor and Rochester property maps. Jefferson County's town-assessor directory helps identify the local office, while Niagara County Real Property is the county route for places such as Wheatfield. Use the actual municipality shown in the record, not merely the nearest familiar city.
The New York property records category emphasizes parcels, assessments and taxes. The recorded documents category emphasizes deeds and recorded instruments. For a certified deed, give the clerk the recording identifier and ask for the applicable copy product. A tax balance, assessor owner field and recorded deed can have different update dates and should be described separately.
Business entities, assumed names and professional licenses
The Department of State's entity database provides a free starting point for corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and covered assumed-name filings. Search the legal name and preserve the entity's identification details. The department cautions that the database is not a determination of whether a proposed name is available. A similar name in the results does not establish that the entities are the same business.
The state's document-copy instructions list $5 for a plain copy and $10 for a certified copy of a filed document. The request should identify the entity, the document and whether certification is required. Current instructions permit written requests by mail, hand delivery or email with the specified payment process. Copies cannot be ordered by telephone, and the department does not provide copies by fax.
Assumed names require the correct filing route. The Department of State's assumed-name guidance applies to the entity types it handles; local business-certificate research may require the relevant county clerk. A trade name printed on a storefront is not necessarily the legal entity name that appears in the state database. Search both names where the official system provides them before ordering a filing.
Licenses are held by several New York regulators. The Education Department's Office of the Professions verification covers professions within its jurisdiction, while its enforcement actions provide disciplinary information. The Judiciary's attorney registration search is separate. The Department of State's licensing services, public license search and real estate search cover other regulated activities; New York Business Express supplies an additional state service entry point.
Financial credentials require Department of Financial Services sources, including institutions it supervises, insurance agent and broker searches, insurance company information and insurance enforcement actions. Liquor records belong with the State Liquor Authority's public query. Charitable organizations use the Attorney General's charities resources, while lobbying and ethics records belong with the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government.
Other specialized sources include the Appraisal Subcommittee registry, New York's horse racing licensing dataset, and the Health Department's nursing home information. For physicians, use the department's professional medical conduct resources rather than treating a general NY.gov login as a public disciplinary search. The licenses directory helps choose the regulator before ordering additional records.
The New York Sex Offender Registry
DCJS maintains New York's registry. Its registry explanation distinguishes the online directory from other public access. The public registry route provides information about people classified at Level 2 or Level 3, subject to legal restrictions affecting some entries. A missing online result does not establish that the person has no registration obligation.
For Level 1 registrants and people whose risk level has not yet been determined, DCJS provides information through 800-262-3257. A caller needs the person's name and one qualifying identifier, such as an exact address, date of birth, driver's license number or Social Security number. The state also describes NY-ALERT notifications for changes involving people in the online directory.
Risk classification, conviction details and current custody are separate facts. Use the court record for the underlying case and DOCCS or the appropriate jail for correctional status. Compare identifying information before associating a registry entry with someone who shares the name. DCJS states that registry information must not be used to harass people or commit a crime. Use the official contact process for an accuracy question rather than relying on an old third-party copy.
Unclaimed funds held by the State Comptroller
The Office of the State Comptroller operates New York's unclaimed funds program. The official claim search is free, and there is no time limit to claim funds held by the office. Search your name, previous names and business names, then compare the reported locality or address with your history.
A matching name is the start of a claim, not proof of entitlement. Follow the Comptroller's instructions for the claimant and property type, especially when the owner is deceased or the funds belong to a business. Keep the claim identifier and use the claim-status service to follow an existing submission. Starting another claim is not the same as supplying missing documentation for the first one.
New York also returns some funds without requiring a formal claim. The Expedited Payment Program began in January 2025, and the Comptroller announced in April 2026 that its payment cap increased from $250 to $5,000. Eligibility depends on verification; not all property qualifies, including estate claims. Continue searching even if you have not received a program letter.
If a check arrives unexpectedly, the Comptroller's check-verification page explains how to use its Claim ID. The program sends a notification letter before the check. Use the official verification service to establish what the mailing concerns, and do not pay a third party merely to access New York's free search and claim process.
Driving records and voter information
New York DMV offers Standard, Lifetime and Commercial Driver License abstracts through its driving-record service. The online fee is $7, and the purchased abstract remains available through MyDMV for five days. Save the official PDF during that period if you need to retain it. The record reflects the information at the time it was ordered.
The DMV also lists a $10 in-person route with the required identity documentation. Choose the type of abstract an employer, insurer or court has requested before paying. A lifetime abstract, standard abstract and supporting document are different products. A public court search for a traffic case does not substitute for the DMV's driver record, and access to another person's record requires an authorized basis.
For voting information, use the New York State voter lookup and Board of Elections. County offices handle local registration questions, with Monroe County's voter information illustrating that separate route. A lookup is useful for checking registration information; it does not reveal how someone marked a ballot.
The New York voter records directory connects the state and local sources. If the question concerns a recent registration change or a particular election record, identify the county and office responsible before sending a general FOIL request to an unrelated state agency.
Writing a New York FOIL request
Address the request to the records access officer of the New York agency holding the material. The Committee on Open Government supplies guidance, but a request for Buffalo purchasing records belongs with Buffalo, and a request for a county department's contract belongs with that county. Court documents and vital certificates should follow their own published access procedures rather than being sent indiscriminately to a FOIL mailbox.
Describe existing records with the identifiers the office uses. For a property-related municipal file, include the address, parcel identifier and permit or application number. For a contract, give the vendor, project, date range and requested documents. For correspondence, identify the officials or offices, subject and period. This gives the New York custodian something concrete to locate without asking it to create a new explanation of events.
Ask for existing electronic records in their available format when that meets the need. If a spreadsheet contains the requested data, explain that an electronic copy is preferable to printed pages. New York's FOIL rules address extracting electronic data with reasonable effort, and the cost analysis differs from ordinary paper copying. Request an estimate and approval before chargeable work exceeds a stated amount.
Track receipt and the five-business-day initial response point. If the agency acknowledges the request, record the promised decision date and any explanation for taking more than 20 business days after acknowledgment. A bare acknowledgment with no meaningful date should not be treated as a complete response. Ask focused follow-up questions about the identified records and the promised schedule.
If access is denied, preserve the written basis, the original request and proof of submission for an administrative appeal. Direct that appeal to the agency's designated appeals officer within the applicable 30-day period, and track the ten-business-day appeal response requirement. A letter asking the Committee on Open Government for advice does not itself replace the appeal to the agency that denied the records.
New York record guides on SearchSystems
The arrest records guide separates police and court information from New York's confidential criminal history system. The background check guide explains how to choose between personal DCJS review and other authorized screening routes.
Use the birth certificates guide to choose the correct city or state application. The death records guide follows the place of death into the appropriate certificate service.
The business search guide develops Department of State entity and document research. The inmate search guide explains the differences among DOCCS, city custody and county jail searches.
The people search guide combines New York sources for matching the correct person. The FOIL guide gives the fuller request and appeal workflow.
The sex offender registry guide explains risk levels and the information available through each access route. The unclaimed funds guide follows a Comptroller search result through proof of entitlement and claim tracking.
New York records by county
New York City's borough and county names must be matched correctly. Brooklyn uses Kings County; Manhattan uses New York County; and the Bronx and Queens retain those county names. Staten Island is Richmond County. A search filed under a borough name may need the corresponding county name in the court or recording system.
Long Island records outside the city use Nassau and Suffolk County. Neither belongs in the NYC birth-certificate system or the four-borough ACRIS land-record collection. For the lower Hudson Valley, Westchester County brings together current and archival local sources.
Upstate starting points include Albany, Erie, Monroe, Broome, Cayuga, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Essex County. Keep the town or city attached to local tax, permit and registrar questions. A county page helps identify offices, but it does not make the county clerk the custodian of every town's records.
What changed for New York records in 2025 and 2026
The Comptroller's Expedited Payment Program began in January 2025 and expanded its payment cap to $5,000 in April 2026. Eligible verified owners can receive certain unclaimed funds without submitting a formal claim. Estate claims and other ineligible property still require the appropriate claim route, so the change should not be described as automatic payment of every New York unclaimed account.
DCJS's current personal record-review instructions identify fingerprint-processing prices as of February 2, 2026. Use the current $17.50 in-state rate and the instructions for the actual out-of-state or card-submission route. Those prices concern personal fingerprint review, not the Office of Court Administration's separate $95 public CHRS product.
New York's Clean Slate implementation also affects how older criminal records should be discussed. The law took effect November 16, 2024, but gives the Unified Court System until November 16, 2027 to establish the required automatic-sealing processes. During 2025 and 2026, a researcher should not assume every potentially eligible conviction has already disappeared from all public searches. Some convictions are ineligible, and a person's actual sealing status must be checked through the appropriate court or DCJS procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New York's Supreme Court the highest court?
No. New York's Court of Appeals is the highest court. Supreme Court is a trial court, and its cases may be researched through the applicable civil, criminal and electronic-filing services. Identify the county and case type before choosing the search.
Can anyone buy another person's DCJS rap sheet?
DCJS criminal history information is not an unrestricted public product. A person can request their own fingerprint-based review, and other access requires an authorized basis. The $95 Office of Court Administration CHRS search is a separate public court-record service with defined coverage and exclusions.
Does FOIL require delivery of every record in five business days?
No. The five-business-day rule requires access, a written denial or an acknowledgment with an approximate decision date. Additional time must follow New York's response rules, including a written explanation and reasonable date when the agency cannot respond within 20 business days after acknowledgment.
Does ACRIS include every New York City deed?
ACRIS provides recorded-document images from 1966 forward for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Staten Island land records require the Richmond County Clerk route, and older records may require additional research. ACRIS also does not replace the city's separate assessment and tax information.
Where do I order a birth or death certificate for a New York City event?
Use the NYC Health Department for events in the five boroughs. Use state or local vital records services for events elsewhere in New York. The city lists a $15 certificate charge plus applicable processing fees; the state lists $30 per copy through its mail-order procedure.
Must I pay to search for New York unclaimed funds?
No. The State Comptroller's official search and claim service is free, and the funds have no claim deadline. Some eligible property can be returned through the Expedited Payment Program, but other property still requires a claim and proof of entitlement.