New York Court Records
How New York's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
New York's court system is famously complicated. The state's highest court is the Court of Appeals, while the Supreme Court is actually the main trial court. On top of that, New York City has its own civil and criminal courts, and there are more than 1,000 town and village courts upstate.
The Unified Court System offers several free online searches, and the electronic filing system (NYSCEF) lets the public read documents in many civil cases. For a statewide criminal history search of court records, the court system sells an official report.
How New York's courts are organized
New York has a layered system of appellate and trial courts.
Court of Appeals
New York's highest court. Seven judges hear appeals in civil and criminal cases, mostly by permission.
Appellate Divisions and Appellate Terms
The four Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court hear appeals from the trial courts. Appellate Terms hear appeals from local courts in some parts of the state.
Supreme Court
The general jurisdiction trial court in every county. It hears major civil cases, divorce and, in New York City, felonies.
County Courts
Outside New York City, County Courts hear felonies and some civil cases.
Family, Surrogate's and Court of Claims
Family Court handles custody, support, juvenile and abuse cases. Surrogate's Court handles wills and estates. The Court of Claims hears lawsuits against the state.
Local courts
New York City Civil Court and Criminal Court, plus city, district, town and village courts elsewhere, hear misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, evictions and smaller civil cases.
Searching New York court records online
New York's court system offers several free search tools, each for a different kind of case.
- WebCivil SupremeFree search of civil cases in the Supreme Court.
- WebCrimsSearch pending criminal cases in many New York courts.
- NYSCEFThe e-filing system; anyone can search and read documents in most e-filed civil cases for free.
- eCourtsHub for New York's WebCivil, WebCrims, WebFamily and other case searches.
Getting records from the clerk's office
In New York, the county clerk serves as clerk of the Supreme Court and County Court in each county, so civil case files in those courts are kept by the county clerk. Criminal case files are kept by the court's chief clerk. Local court records come from those courts directly.
Copies and certified copies are available for set fees. Many county clerks also keep deeds.
- New York Courts: Court locationsFind any New York court.
What is public, and what is not
Most New York court records are public, but Family Court, matrimonial (divorce), juvenile, adoption, mental health and sealed criminal records are not.
New York seals records of criminal cases that end in the defendant's favor and allows sealing of some convictions. Under the Clean Slate Act, many older convictions will be sealed automatically after a waiting period. Sealed records are not public.
- NY CourtHelp: SealingHow sealing works in New York.
Older and archived records
Historical court records are held by the New York State Archives (Court of Appeals and some state courts), by county clerks, and in New York City by the Municipal Archives, which holds historical court records from the city.
- New York State ArchivesHistorical state and court records.
- NYC Municipal ArchivesHistorical court records for New York City.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
New York's court system sells an official Statewide Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) of court records. The Division of Criminal Justice Services keeps fingerprint-based records, which are not open to the public.
- OCA Statewide Criminal History Record SearchOfficial statewide search of New York court records for criminal convictions, for a fee.
- New York sex offender registryPublic search of Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders.
- DOCCS incarcerated lookupFind people in New York state prison custody.
Federal court records in New York
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in New York's state courts. New York is divided into 4 federal judicial districts, and each has its own clerk's office:
- Northern District of New York
- Southern District of New York
- Eastern District of New York
- Western District of New York
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from New York's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Remember that the Supreme Court is a trial court in New York; the highest court is the Court of Appeals.
- For civil cases, try NYSCEF first. Many documents can be read for free without an account.
- Upstate town and village courts keep their own records and may have limited hours.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- NY CourtHelpOfficial self-help from the New York courts.
- LawHelpNYFree legal information and a directory of legal aid.
- New York State Library: Law collectionPublic law collections in Albany.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.