New York Judgments & Liens Search

In New York, money judgments come from the Supreme Court, the county courts and the local civil courts. A judgment docketed with the county clerk is a lien on the debtor's real property in that county until ten years after the judgment-roll is filed, and a transcript of the docket filed with the clerk of any other county makes it a lien there too. UCC financing statements are filed with the New York Department of State.

Always confirm the official record by ordering a certified copy from the originating office when accuracy matters for closing, refinancing, or litigation.

WebCivil Supreme, from the New York State Unified Court System, gives past, present and future case information for civil Supreme Court cases, searched by index number or party name. The courts' free eCourts service also shows active and disposed cases in the local civil courts.

• WebCivil SupremeNew York civil Supreme Court case search
• New York State Courts eCourtsFree case information, local civil courts too
• New York court records guideCourts and clerks in New York on PublicRecordCenter

A money judgment docketed with the clerk of the county where the property is binds the debtor's real property there until ten years after the judgment-roll is filed (CPLR 5203). A judgment of a court other than the supreme, county or family court is docketed by filing a transcript with the county clerk, and a transcript filed with the clerk of any other county gives the judgment the same effect there (CPLR 5018). A mechanics lien notice is filed in the county clerk's office within eight months after the last work or materials, or within four months for a single family dwelling (Lien Law 10).

• CPLR 5203Docketed judgment as a lien on real property
• CPLR 5018Docketing a judgment in other counties
• Lien Law 10Filing a notice of mechanics lien

UCC financing statements are filed with the Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code of the New York Department of State, whose public inquiry system lets anyone search the UCC database.

• New York UCC searchDepartment of State online UCC search
• New York Uniform Commercial CodeDepartment of State UCC information

The lien lasts ten years after the judgment-roll is filed, and a court can extend it only for time the creditor was stayed or for a sale already under way (CPLR 5203). In the last year of those ten years the creditor can sue for a renewal judgment, whose lien takes effect when the first ten years end (CPLR 5014). A money judgment is presumed paid twenty years after the creditor could first enforce it (CPLR 211).

• CPLR 5014Renewal judgment and its lien
• CPLR 211Money judgment presumed paid after twenty years

New York's tools are in Article 52 of the CPLR. Under CPLR 5223 a judgment creditor may compel disclosure of all matter relevant to the satisfaction of the judgment by serving a subpoena upon any person, and CPLR 5224(a) gives the subpoena three forms: a deposition subpoena, a subpoena duces tecum for documents, and an information subpoena with written questions, which must be answered in writing under oath by the person served. The information subpoena is served on the debtor and on third parties such as banks and employers, and non-compliance or false swearing is punishable as contempt.

In New York the divorce file is no help to a stranger, because Domestic Relations Law 235 closes the matrimonial file, including the Statement of Net Worth and the judgment, to everyone but the parties and their attorneys for 100 years unless a court orders access. The bankruptcy file is the opposite: public under 11 U.S.C. 107 in all four New York districts, with Schedule A/B listing each deposit account by institution and Schedule I the employer by name. The New York asset search page covers both.

• CPLR 5223Subpoenas for disclosure to enforce a judgment

CourtHelp, from the New York courts, explains how to collect a judgment, how to find the debtor's money and property, and which enforcement officers, such as sheriffs and city marshals, collect it.

• Collecting a judgmentNew York CourtHelp
• NYC Civil Court, collecting the judgmentExecutions and enforcement officers in New York City

• PACER, federal court recordsFederal district, bankruptcy and appeals case files
• IRS, federal tax liensWhat a federal tax lien is and how it is released