Where to Look in New York
The six most productive places to start a people search in New York. Each links directly to the official record source.
Official New York Sources
State-level databases and agency record portals.
New York Courts
Dockets, civil & criminal case filings, judgments.
Property & Tax Records
Deeds, assessor data, owner history, liens.
Inmates & Offenders
State prison rosters, sex offender registries, jails.
New York FAQ
Laws, fees, turnaround, and common questions.
1Best Starting Points in New York
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/ecourtsMain
The unified portal for accessing civil Supreme Court cases across all 62 NY counties.
What it's useful for: Finding active and disposed civil litigation involving individuals and businesses.
https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/CP/
The Automated City Register Information System for property records in Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn.
What it's useful for: Tracing property ownership, deeds, and mortgages for individuals in NYC.
https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/
Official registry of corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships.
What it's useful for: Finding business owners, registered agents, and corporate addresses.
2Official State Sources
Secretary of State / State Government Portal
The NY Department of State is the central hub for state-level business and licensing filings.
State Archives
NY State Archives: https://www.archives.nysed.gov/ - Essential for historical public records, early court documents, and genealogical research.
Vital Records
NY DOH Vital Records: https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/ - Access to birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates (subject to state privacy laws; often requires demonstrating direct lineage or legal interest).
3Court Records
Statewide Court Search System
NY Unified Court System: https://www.nycourts.gov/ - The main portal for New York's judicial branches.
Federal Courts
Access federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy records via PACER for the Northern, Southern (SDNY), Eastern (EDNY), and Western Districts of New York.
Major County Courts
- Erie County Court
- Monroe County Court
- Onondaga County Court
- Albany County Court
- Westchester County Court
- Nassau County Court
- Suffolk County Court
- Queens County Court
4Property and Tax Records
State-level Property Info
Property assessments are generally handled at the municipal or county level in NY, not statewide.
Major County Assessor Links
For upstate counties (like Erie, Monroe, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk), property deeds and tax rolls are found on the individual County Clerk or Real Property Tax Service websites.
5Business and Licensing Records
Professional Licensing Boards
NY Dept of State Licensing: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/ - Verify licenses for real estate brokers, notaries, cosmetologists, and private investigators.
Other major boards (accessed via NYSED Office of the Professions) include Medical, Nursing, Accounting, and Engineering.
6Corrections & Inmate Records
https://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/
What it's useful for: Locating individuals currently or formerly incarcerated in NY state prisons.
https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor/
What it's useful for: Searching Level 2 and 3 offenders officially registered in the state.
7Voter Registration
New York voter registration rolls are public records but access is legally restricted to specific uses (e.g., political campaigns, journalism) and cannot be used for commercial purposes.
8Archives, Genealogy & Obituary Resources
Utilize the NY State Library and the Library of Congress (Chronicling America) for historic NY newspaper archives. Finding family histories often requires checking local municipal historical societies, especially in regions predating the 1880 state vital records mandate.
8Vital Records
New York handles vital records through two separate offices depending on where the event happened. For events in any of the five NYC boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island), records are held by the NYC Health Department. For events anywhere else in New York State, records are held by NYS Vital Records in the Department of Health.
NYS Vital Records holds birth records since 1881 and the equivalent for deaths and marriages. Records are restricted: birth records require the registrant's consent (or 75 years for genealogy), and most marriage and death certificates have similar privacy windows. Vital records are not available through FOIL — they are governed by separate state law.
https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/
The state office handling birth, death, marriage, and divorce records for events outside New York City.
What it's useful for: Ordering certified copies for events that happened anywhere in NY State outside the five NYC boroughs.https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-death-records.page
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene office for records of events in any of the five boroughs.
What it's useful for: Ordering NYC birth or death certificates — required when the event occurred within NYC limits.https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/adoption.htm
Registry that helps adoptees obtain non-identifying information about birth parents and facilitates registered reunions.
What it's useful for: Adult adoptees and birth parents seeking lawful access to sealed adoption-related vital records.More New York Record Tools
Combine a people search with New York-specific record searches for a complete profile. These companion directories are already live on PublicRecordCenter.com:
Search People in Other States
Every state's public records system works differently. Click any state for its dedicated people-search directory.
Frequently Asked Questions — New York
Can I access NY birth certificates online?
Only if you are the person named on the certificate, a parent, or have a documented lawful right. NY vital records are closed to the general public until a specific time has passed (usually 75+ years for births).
Why isn't a known lawsuit showing up in eCourts?
eCourts primarily covers Supreme Court cases. Lower courts (Town, Village, City courts) and some specific family/surrogate court cases are not universally integrated into the online WebCivil system.
How do I search New York court records?
Use the NYS Unified Court System's eCourts and WebCivil tools at iapps.courts.state.ny.us. Civil, criminal, family, and surrogate cases are searchable by name or index number; some courts require an attorney login for full document access.
Where do I order New York vital records?
Two separate systems: the NYS Department of Health at health.ny.gov/vital_records covers everywhere outside New York City. NYC events (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) are issued separately by the NYC Health Department at nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-death-records.page.
How do I find a New York inmate?
DOCCS (the NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) runs an Inmate Lookup at doccs.ny.gov for state prison inmates. NYC inmates in Department of Correction custody are searchable separately at nyc.gov/site/doc/inmate-lookup.
How do I look up New York property records?
Property records in NY are kept at the county level by the County Clerk (deeds and mortgages) and the City/Town Assessor (valuations). NYC uses ACRIS (a1.nyc.gov/aris) for all five boroughs. Most upstate counties publish indexed records online for free.
Is the New York sex offender registry public?
Yes. The NY State Division of Criminal Justice Services Sex Offender Registry is searchable by name, address, or ZIP code at criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor, free of charge.
Can I run a New York background check on a job applicant?
Only through an FCRA-compliant Consumer Reporting Agency. New York also has the Fair Chance Act (NYC) and statewide "ban-the-box" rules that restrict timing and use of criminal history in employment decisions.
Final Takeaway: Mastering New York people search means recognizing the divide between the five boroughs of NYC and the rest of the state. By leveraging ACRIS for downstate property, WebCivil for litigation, and the DOS for corporate footprints, researchers can build highly accurate profiles without relying on inaccurate commercial data brokers.
How do I search New York court records?
Use the NYS Unified Court System's eCourts at iapps.courts.state.ny.us. WebCivil Local covers civil matters; WebCrims covers criminal cases with future appearance dates; WebFamily covers Family Court.
What is the New York Freedom of Information Law?
FOIL — Article 6 (§§ 84-90) of the New York Public Officers Law — gives the public the right to access records of NY state and local agencies. The Committee on Open Government publishes guidance and advisory opinions.
How do I find a New York inmate?
Through the NYS DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup at doccs.ny.gov/incarcerated-lookup. NYC's Department of Correction (Rikers) has its own separate tool at a073-ils-web.nyc.gov.
How do I run a statewide NY criminal history search?
The NYS Office of Court Administration runs the Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) for $95 per name, available at ww2.nycourts.gov/apps/chrs. Results cover criminal convictions across the state's unified court system.
Where is the New York sex offender registry?
The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services runs the registry at criminaljustice.ny.gov/SomsSUBDirectory. Level 2 and Level 3 offenders are publicly searchable by name or county.
How do I verify a New York business?
Use the NY Department of State, Division of Corporations entity search at apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry. The free search covers corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and DBAs.