Learn How to Access the New York Public Records

According to the dictates of the Freedom of Information Act adopted by the US states, all civil and criminal records will be considered public unless they have been sealed by the court, expunged, deemed confidential, or whose disclosure might threaten national security. The Act thus makes it compulsory for all US states to put these records in the public domain and enable easy access to them. The state of New York also complies with the dictates of this law and so New York public records are easy to access.

Sources of NY Public Records

There are many commercial web sites that claim to store authentic New York public records. But it is recommended that you source these records from a government agency, so as to ensure that they are up-to-date and true to facts. The New York Department of Corrections, the various courts of the state, and the New York Department of Motor Vehicles are some government agencies that maintain meticulous records and these are, barring a few selected ones, are accessible.

Records about births, deaths, and marriages are housed with the departments of Records and Health and at the Office of the City Clerk. The Municipal Archives stocks information on the births before the years 1910 in the five boroughs of New York City (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island). The vital records for all other regions of the state are held by the New York State Department of Health and are put up at http://NYC.gov/health.

You may access these vital records either by filling out and submitting the forms available at http://www.nyc.http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/gov/html/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/records/html/vitalrecords/home.shtml or by using the self-service microfilm facility at the Municipal Archives office. This service costs USD 5 daily.

The information about offenders housed in the many correctional facilities of the state is documented by the New York Department of Corrections and is posted on their web site, http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/kinqw00. The Inmate Look up tool lets you access this information, which includes the records of all convictions and sentences of offenders who are presently or have been previously incarcerated. The information dates back to the early 1970s. Records about youthful offenders are not open for public viewing. You can use this tool at all times of the day, except for 15 minutes duration every night starting from 11:45 pm (Eastern Standard Time). It is also out of operation from 11:30 pm Saturday to 12:30 am Sunday.

As per the rules of the Megan Law, states must make public all information on registered sex offenders residing within the boundaries of the state. This information is stored at the Dru Skidding National Sex Offender Public Website (NOPE) that is maintained by the US Department of Justice. The web site address is http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. 

If you need to check your driving or the status of your driving license, search public records in New York. The state Department of Motor Vehicles allows you to obtain a driver abstract that contains personal information like your name, address, and date of birth; the endorsements and restrictions applicable to your driver’s license; the present status of the license and its expiration date; and also mentions any accidents you have been involved in, suspension or revocation of the license or whether you have been charged of committing any drunk driving offense. To obtain this information you will have to fill out the respective forms at http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/abstract.htm.

New York Court Case Records

You can view records of all ongoing civil and criminal cases using the New York State Unified Court System. Visit http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/ecourtsMain to access the many tools like Web Civil Local, Web Civil Supreme, Begrimes, Web Family, and Web Housing to access information using the Index Number of the particular case, the name of the plaintiff or the defendant, or the name of the attorney or the law firm.

When you search public records in NY, you can be sure that you will reap results in no time at all.