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New York public records: who holds what

In New York, deeds are recorded by the County Clerk in most places; birth and death certificates come from the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records; and requests for other government records fall under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in New York
  2. Public records law in New York
  3. Property and tax records in New York
  4. How New York organizes its records
  5. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  6. Counties in New York
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in New York

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty Clerk in each county outside New York City; in NYC, the Office of the City Register (NYC Department of Finance) for Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and the Richmond County Clerk for Staten Island1County Clerk: 65 cents per page, minimum $1.30, maximum $40 per record (CPLR 8019(f)); NYC City Register: $1.00 per page uncertified (printing from ACRIS on your own computer is free)2
Property recordsLocal assessors in each city and town (and assessing villages) outside NYC; NYC Department of Finance values property in the five boroughs3—
Court recordsUnified state court system (New York State Unified Court System, administered by the Office of Court Administration); records are kept by the clerk of each court or by the County Clerk, who acts as clerk/archive for Supreme and County Court files4Court clerks charge County Clerk rates under CPLR 8019(f) via Judiciary Law § 255 (copy 65 cents/page, min $1.30; prepare-and-certify $1.25/page, min $5); statewide criminal history search (CHRS) $954
Marriage recordsTown or city clerk where the license was issued (local copies); NYS Department of Health Vital Records (statewide since 1881, except NYC); NYC licenses: Office of the City Clerk (Marriage Bureau)5NYS DOH certified copy: $30 by mail; $45 plus vendor processing fee online/phone5
Divorce recordsDivorce decree (full judgment): County Clerk, usually in the county where the plaintiff lived; Certificate of Dissolution (divorces since January 1, 1963): NYS Department of Health6NYS DOH divorce certificate: $30 by mail; $45 plus vendor processing fee online/phone. County Clerk copies: CPLR 8019(f) rates6
Birth certificatesOutside NYC: NYS Department of Health Vital Records (since 1881) and the local Registrar of Vital Statistics where the birth occurred. NYC (five boroughs): NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; pre-1910 NYC births: NYC Municipal Archives7NYS DOH: $30 by mail; $45 plus vendor processing fee online/phone. NYC DOHMH: $15 per certificate plus processing fee ($9.30 online, $7.50 mail, $2.75 in person)7
Death certificatesOutside NYC: NYS DOH Vital Records (since 1881) and the local Registrar where the death occurred. NYC: NYC DOHMH (deaths after 1951 via DOHMH; older via Municipal Archives)8NYS DOH: $30 by mail; $45 plus vendor processing fee online/phone. NYC DOHMH: $15 per certificate plus processing fee8
Probate and willsSurrogate's Court in each county (probate records kept since 1787)9Certified copy of a will or any paper on file: $6.00 per page; authentication additional $20; record search and certificate $30 (under 25 years) or $90 (over 25 years)10

Public records law in New York

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) (N.Y. Public Officers Law, Article 6, §§ 84-90) Read the law11

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person (the public); no residency or purpose requirement is stated in the statute, but an agency may require a certification that name-and-address lists will not be used for solicitation or fund-raising12
Response time
5 business days to grant, deny, or acknowledge in writing with an approximate date; if granting, disclosure within 20 business days of acknowledgment or a written reason and a date certain13
Copy fees
Paper copies up to 9"x14": max 25 cents per photocopy, unless another statute sets a different fee; other records: actual cost of reproduction; no charge for search time or administrative costs14
If a request is refused
Written appeal within 30 days to the agency head/governing body, which must decide within 10 business days; then an Article 78 proceeding in court13
What is exempt
Agencies may withhold records that: (a) are exempt by state or federal statute; (b) would be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; (c) would impair contract awards or collective bargaining; (d) are trade secrets/commercial information causing competitive injury; (e) are certain law-enforcement records; (f) could endanger life or safety; (g) are certain inter- or intra-agency materials; (h) are exam questions/answers; (i) would jeopardize IT security; plus several traffic-camera image exemptions. Denials must have a particularized and specific justification14
Official guide
No Attorney General FOIL guide found; the official advisory body is the Committee on Open Government (Department of State), which issues advisory opinions and the FOIL regulations (21 NYCRR Part 1401)13

How to write a public records request

Property and tax records in New York

Who sets values
Local assessors in each city and town (and assessing villages) outside NYC; NYC Department of Finance values property in the five boroughs3
Tax collector
Property tax is local: levied and collected by counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and special districts (no state collector); the specific collecting officer varies by municipality15
Appealing a value
Administrative grievance first: file Form RP-524 with the assessor or Board of Assessment Review by Grievance Day (usually the fourth Tuesday in May; exceptions apply); then judicial review via Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) or tax certiorari in State Supreme Court. NYC: NYC Tax Commission (deadline March 15 for Class One, March 1 others); Nassau: Assessment Review Commission (March 1)3

How this works in other states: property and tax records by state.

How New York organizes its records

  • New York City: deeds for Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are recorded with the NYC Department of Finance Office of the City Register (ACRIS), not a County Clerk; Staten Island deeds are with the Richmond County Clerk1
  • New York City vital records are separate from the state system: NYC DOHMH issues NYC birth/death certificates and the NYC City Clerk handles NYC marriage records; NYS DOH does not hold them16
  • Albany, Buffalo and Yonkers: records before January 1, 1914 are only at the city's local registrar (births/deaths) or city clerk (marriages)16
  • Marriage licenses are issued by town and city clerks (not counties); copies are kept by the issuing clerk17
  • Property assessment is done by cities, towns and assessing villages (village owners may have two assessments); NYC and Nassau County use their own review commissions3
  • County Clerks act as the archive for Supreme and County Court files, and court records are governed by Judiciary Law § 255, not FOIL4

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) holds official fingerprint-based criminal history (rap sheets); these are not public records and are available only to the subject (personal review) or to employers/agencies authorized by law18
Personal review fee
$17.50 fingerprinting fee in NY (IdentoGo), $57.45 outside NY (as of 2/2/2026); fee waiver available18
Public name search
Office of Court Administration Criminal History Record Search (CHRS): statewide court-record name + date-of-birth exact-match search, $95, not certified, excludes sealed and certain dispositions19
Who may order
DCJS: only the record subject (or as authorized by law for employment/licensing). OCA CHRS: anyone (including companies) paying the fee19

Sex offender registry

Official registry
NYS Sex Offender Registry (DCJS): online directory of Level 2 and Level 3 registrants; Level 1 and unassigned via 800-262-325720

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
NYS DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup (search by DIN, name, or NYSID)21

Voter records

Public or restricted
Voter registration data is available on request (FOIL to the State Board of Elections or county boards) but may only be used for an election purpose under Election Law § 3-103(5); requester must certify election-purpose use22
Check your registration
Poll Site & Voter Lookup (self-lookup)22

Business names (DBA)

DBA individuals
Sole proprietors/partnerships (not corporations, LPs or LLCs) file assumed-name certificates with the County Clerk of each county where they do business23
DBA entities
Corporations, LPs and LLCs file assumed-name certificates with the Secretary of State (Department of State)23
Entity search
Department of State Corporation and Business Entity Database24

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
UCC Article 9 financing statements: NYS Department of State (UCC filings $40 paper / $20 electronic; debtor search $25; plain copy $5, certified copy $10). Co-op UCCs in NYC (4 boroughs): Office of the City Register via ACRIS25
Real property liens
Mortgages, liens and other real-property documents are recorded with the County Clerk (NYC: City Register / Richmond County Clerk); NYC City Register also files federal tax liens ($40) and issues federal tax lien search certificates ($25)1

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
NYS GIS Clearinghouse (gis.ny.gov), with the Statewide Parcel Map Program (public parcel data for 38 counties in one file; parcel centroids for all 62 counties)26

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
New York State Archives (NYSED): indexes to vital records, war service, land, court (incl. colonial wills) records; DOH vital records microfiche index (births 1881-1935, marriages 1881-1960, deaths 1880-1960; not NYC, not online)27
Nyc archives
NYC Municipal Archives: Historical Vital Records of NYC (over 9 million birth, death and marriage records)28

Counties in New York

22 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 62 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.29

Warnings from official sources

  • NYC Department of Finance: only VitalChek is authorized for online NYC birth/death orders; unauthorized vendors charge high fees30
  • NY Attorney General deed-theft warning: thieves forge deeds and file them with the county clerk; never transfer your deed without your own attorney31
  • NYC Department of Finance: deed fraud — check ACRIS yearly and sign up for free Notice of Recorded Document alerts1
  • DCJS: businesses selling 'background checks' do not get official DCJS records; they search public databases by name18

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any New York office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 32 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Deed FraudNYC Department of Finance
  2. CPLR § 8019 (county clerk fees; copies of records)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  3. Grievance proceduresNYS Department of Taxation and Finance (ORPTS)
  4. FOIL - Court RecordsNew York State Unified Court System
  5. Marriage CertificatesNew York State Department of Health
  6. Divorce CertificatesNew York State Department of Health
  7. Birth CertificatesNew York State Department of Health
  8. Death CertificatesNew York State Department of Health
  9. Getting Court Records (CourtHelp)New York State Unified Court System
  10. Surrogate's Court Procedure Act § 2402 (Surrogate's Court fees)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  11. Freedom of Information Law (incl. 21 NYCRR Part 1401 regulations)NYS Committee on Open Government (Department of State)
  12. Public Officers Law § 84 (FOIL legislative declaration)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  13. Public Officers Law § 89 (response times, privacy, appeals)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  14. Public Officers Law § 87 (access to agency records; fees; exemptions)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  15. Property tax basicsNYS Department of Taxation and Finance (ORPTS)
  16. Genealogy Records & ResourcesNew York State Department of Health
  17. Domestic Relations Law § 15 (marriage license; clerk fee)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  18. Requesting Your New York State Criminal HistoryNYS Division of Criminal Justice Services
  19. Criminal History Record Search (CHRS)New York State Unified Court System (Office of Court Administration)
  20. Sex Offender RegistryNYS Division of Criminal Justice Services
  21. Incarcerated LookupNYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
  22. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) RequestsNew York State Board of Elections
  23. General Business Law § 130 (assumed name certificates)New York State Senate (Open Legislation)
  24. Existing Corporations and BusinessesNYS Department of State, Division of Corporations
  25. Uniform Commercial CodeNYS Department of State
  26. Statewide Parcel Map ProgramNYS Office of Information Technology Services, Geospatial Services
  27. Genealogy (featured topic)New York State Archives (NYSED)
  28. Order historical records (Municipal Archives)NYC Department of Records and Information Services
  29. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  30. Birth and Death Records: Fees and Processing TimesNYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  31. Deed theftOffice of the New York State Attorney General
  32. Local assessment rolls / find your assessorNYS Department of Taxation and Finance (ORPTS)