Search New York Court Records by Name Without Using the Wrong Database
New York does not use one public name-search system for every court record. Civil Supreme Court cases, local civil matters, criminal cases, Family Court matters, Surrogate’s Court files, e-filed documents and statewide criminal-history searches use different official tools.
Choose the New York Court-Record System Before You Search a Name
The main challenge in New York is routing. The Unified Court System operates several public case-information services because the state has Supreme Court, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, New York City Civil and Criminal Courts, District Courts, City Courts, and Town and Village Courts.
New York’s Supreme Court is a trial court, not the state’s highest appellate court. The Court of Appeals is New York’s highest court. This naming difference matters when you are trying to locate a civil Supreme Court case by party name.
WebCivil Supreme
Use WebCivil Supreme for supported active and disposed Supreme Court civil case information. Search the official eCourts system first, then use the case number or index number to obtain the actual record when needed.
Open WebCivil SupremeWebCivil Local
Use WebCivil Local for supported local civil matters. Coverage and online display rules vary by court and case type; landlord-tenant records can have especially limited display windows.
Open WebCivil LocalWebCriminal
WebCriminal provides information on criminal cases with future appearance dates for selected New York courts of criminal jurisdiction. It is a case-information tool, not a complete statewide criminal-history report.
Open WebCriminalNYSCEF Guest Search
NYSCEF allows public guest searches for cases and documents that are available in the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system. E-filing is authorized only for certain case types and courts, so NYSCEF is not a complete index of every New York case.
Search NYSCEF as guestWebSurrogate
Use WebSurrogate for public estate proceedings and other Surrogate’s Court filings. It includes a name search, file search, historical index tools and available document images.
Open WebSurrogateOCA Criminal History Record Search
The Office of Court Administration offers a statewide Criminal History Record Search based on an exact match of name and date of birth. The current fee is $95 per search, and the result is not certified.
Open CHRS informationHow to Search New York State Court Records by Name in 7 Steps
New York Court Search Tools at a Glance
| What you need | Official starting point | Name-search note | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court civil case information | WebCivil Supreme | Use supported party/case search fields | Some cases or documents can be sealed, confidential, not yet entered, or unavailable online. |
| Local civil case | WebCivil Local | Search supported party information | Coverage and display windows vary; landlord-tenant cases have special display rules. |
| Current selected criminal case | WebCriminal | Defendant-name search is available in supported courts | Focuses on selected courts and future appearances; sealed/closed or otherwise excluded cases may not display. |
| Statewide criminal-history search | OCA CHRS | Exact name + date of birth | $95; not certified; excludes civil, Family and federal cases; sealed records are not disclosed. |
| E-filed Supreme Court case/documents | NYSCEF Guest Search | Search available e-filed cases and documents | Only authorized/e-filed matters and publicly accessible documents are available. |
| Estate or probate file | WebSurrogate | Party/decedent name by selected Surrogate’s Court | Not every historical record or document image is online. |
| Family Court case | WebFamily / court clerk | Public person-name search is not the standard WebFamily route | Family records have stronger privacy rules; online information is limited. |
| Federal case | PACER | Party-name search through federal PACER tools | Federal records are separate from New York State court systems. |
Search New York Civil Court Records by Name
For civil matters, begin by deciding whether the case belongs in Supreme Court or a local civil court. New York’s Supreme Court is the statewide trial court of broad original jurisdiction, while New York City Civil Court, District Courts, City Courts and other lower courts handle different categories of limited-jurisdiction civil matters.
Use WebCivil Supreme first
Search the official civil Supreme Court system when the dispute is a Supreme Court civil matter. Once you identify the case, save the index number and county because the County Clerk or court clerk that maintains the file may need both to locate documents.
Use WebCivil Local for supported lower-court matters
Local civil searches can include civil cases in supported courts. If a landlord-tenant matter seems to disappear, New York Courts notes that WebCivil Local does not display an LT case until it has been calendared and keeps it online only for 14 days after the last appearance.
Search New York Criminal Court Records by Name
New York has two different official routes that users often confuse: WebCriminal for case information in selected criminal courts and CHRS for a paid statewide Office of Court Administration criminal-history search.
WebCriminal
Use WebCriminal when you are trying to locate a current supported criminal case or future appearance. The system is not a complete statewide background report and does not mean that a missing name has no New York criminal court history.
OCA Criminal History Record Search
CHRS costs $95 for each exact name/date-of-birth search. The Office of Court Administration says it covers public open/pending cases and convictions originating from County/Supreme, City, Town and Village courts in all 62 counties, subject to stated limitations.
What the $95 CHRS search does not include
- Family Court case information.
- Civil court case information.
- Federal court cases.
- Sealed records.
- Every historical Town and Village Court disposition; OCA identifies gaps and limited older data.
- A certified Certificate of Disposition.
CHRS uses an exact match of the person’s name and date of birth. Each alias or additional date of birth counts as another search. OCA also states that a CHRS result is not certified; a Certificate of Disposition can only come from the court of original jurisdiction.
Family Court Records Are Not a Normal Public Name Search
New York Family Court information is more restricted than ordinary public civil case data. WebFamily is designed around file or docket numbers, attorney/law-firm searches and court calendars rather than a broad public person-name search.
New York law also limits indiscriminate public inspection of Family Court records, and adoption records are sealed. If you are a party or otherwise authorized to access a Family Court record, use the court’s official instructions and contact the relevant clerk when the online system does not provide what you need.
Open eCourts family resourcesSearch New York Probate and Estate Records by Name With WebSurrogate
WebSurrogate is one of New York’s strongest true name-search tools. It provides free public access to estate proceedings and other Surrogate’s Court filings that are available online.
How the name search works
- Select the Surrogate’s Court first.
- Enter a last name or organization name.
- Add a first name when useful.
- Use date of death to narrow a decedent search.
- Use exact-match controls when a common surname produces too many results.
Historical and document limits
WebSurrogate includes old-index and index-book tools where a court has supplied those records. The system states that document-image links are provided only for documents filed on or after February 19, 2014; earlier unrestricted documents may require courthouse public-access computers.
Use NYSCEF Guest Search When You Need E-Filed Case Documents
NYSCEF is New York’s electronic filing system. The public can search as a guest without creating an e-filing account, and New York Courts specifically points users to the guest search for Supreme Court cases and documents that were e-filed.
Do not read “not in NYSCEF” as “no case exists.” E-filing is authorized only for certain case types and courts, and older or non-electronic filings may still be maintained by a Clerk or County Clerk.
Use the Court Locator When You Do Not Know Which Court Has the Case
The New York Courts Court Locator lets you narrow by case type, court type and county, and it can include Town and Village Courts. This is especially useful outside New York City, where a criminal, traffic or small civil matter may be in a County, City, District, Town or Village Court rather than Supreme Court.
Use the locator before calling random clerks. Once you identify the court, note its exact name, county, address, phone number and the case type it handles.
Find the correct New York courtGet the Actual Court Record or a Certified Copy
New York Courts says case-record requests should be made directly to the Clerk of the Court or the County Clerk that has the record. This is different from a Freedom of Information Law request for agency administrative records.
| What you have or need | What it means | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| Search result | Case-index information that helps identify the court and case number. | Open the docket or contact the record-holding clerk for the underlying filing. |
| Docket / case history | Chronology of filings, events, appearances and status entries. | Locate the exact document title/date before requesting a copy. |
| NYSCEF document | Public e-filed document available electronically. | Use the court or County Clerk if official certification is required. |
| Certificate of Disposition | Official criminal case disposition issued by the court of original jurisdiction. | Request it from that court; a CHRS report is not a substitute. |
| Certified copy | Copy authenticated by the responsible court/clerk. | Ask the record-holding clerk about current fees, payment methods and delivery options. |
No New York Court Record Showing? Use This Recovery Sequence
1. Wrong search system
Move Supreme civil matters to WebCivil Supreme, local civil matters to WebCivil Local, selected criminal matters to WebCriminal, estate files to WebSurrogate and e-filed matters to NYSCEF.
2. Wrong court or county
Use the Court Locator. A person can live in one county while the case was filed in another county or in a city, town or village court.
3. Too many filters
Remove optional year, court, case-type or middle-name filters and search the simplest accurate version of the name.
4. Case is too new
New York Courts notes that recently entered information can take time to appear in eCourts. Confirm urgent matters directly with the court.
5. Case has no future appearance
Some eCourts products focus on future appearances. WebFamily and WebCriminal can omit matters that do not meet their current display criteria.
6. No RJI yet
New York Courts lists the absence of a Request for Judicial Intervention as one reason a Supreme civil case may not yet appear in WebCivil Supreme.
7. Record is restricted
Sealed, adoption, youthful-offender, confidential matrimonial and other protected records may be unavailable to the general public.
8. Landlord-tenant display expired
WebCivil Local landlord-tenant cases are displayed only after calendaring and remain online for 14 days after the last appearance.
Older New York Court Records Often Require the Local Clerk or Archive Route
Online court systems are not complete historical archives. If an older case does not appear online, identify the court and county, then ask the Clerk of Court, County Clerk or Surrogate’s Court about archived, off-site, microfilmed or non-digitized records.
For probate and estate research, WebSurrogate’s old-index and index-book tools can help, but availability varies by court. New York Courts also advises that older probate records may require courthouse access and that appointments or fees may apply.
- Give the full party or decedent name.
- Provide the approximate filing year or date of death.
- Include the county and court if known.
- Provide the index, docket or file number when available.
- Name the exact document you need instead of requesting “everything.”
- Ask whether the file is on-site before making a special trip.
Public Access Does Not Mean Every New York Court Record Is Public Online
New York Courts explains that many court papers are public, but statutes and court orders can restrict entire cases or particular documents. Adoption records are sealed, matrimonial records are confidential from indiscriminate public inspection, and Family Court records have separate access limits.
Other protected categories can include sealed criminal matters, youthful-offender records, grand jury material, certain mental-health records, probation reports, juror-identifying information and victim information protected by law.
How to Verify a Same-Name New York Court Result
A name is not a unique identifier. Before treating a search result as the correct person, compare several independent case details.
Court and county
Confirm the case was filed in the location you expected. New York has many courts with overlapping subject areas.
Party role
Check whether the person is listed as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, decedent, beneficiary or another participant.
Case type
Confirm civil, criminal, landlord-tenant, probate, family or another category matches the matter you intended to find.
Dates
Compare filing dates, event dates and any available date-of-birth information only through official systems that lawfully display or require it.
Case number
Save the index, docket, indictment or file number and use it for later verification with the clerk.
Final disposition
Read the final status or order. A filed allegation, charge, petition or complaint is not the same as a conviction or judgment.
Federal Court Records in New York Use PACER, Not New York eCourts
Federal district, bankruptcy and federal appellate cases are separate from the New York State Unified Court System. If the matter is federal, use PACER and the appropriate federal court instead of WebCivil, WebCriminal or NYSCEF.
The site’s PACER Court Records guide explains federal party-name searches, court-specific searching, docket access and current PACER fees.
Read a New York Court Record in Context
- A criminal charge is not proof of conviction.
- A civil complaint is not proof the plaintiff won.
- A motion is not proof the judge granted the request.
- A future appearance can be rescheduled or changed.
- A docket entry is not always the underlying filing.
- A NYSCEF image is not automatically a certified copy.
- A CHRS result is not a certified Certificate of Disposition.
- A same-name result is not identity proof.
Use Court Record Types Explained when deciding whether you need a docket, order, judgment, decree or certified copy. The Court Records Glossary explains common terms such as disposition, motion, order and sealed record.
Frequently Asked Questions About New York State Court Records
Can I search all New York court records by name in one database?
No. New York uses different official systems for different courts and record types. eCourts links to WebCivil Supreme, WebCivil Local, WebCriminal, WebFamily and WebSurrogate, while NYSCEF covers supported e-filed matters and CHRS is a separate statewide criminal-history search.
What is the best official starting point for a New York civil case by name?
Use WebCivil Supreme for supported Supreme Court civil matters and WebCivil Local for supported local civil matters. If the case was electronically filed, NYSCEF Guest Search may provide public documents.
How do I search a New York criminal case by name?
Use WebCriminal for case information in selected New York criminal courts when the matter falls within its coverage. For a statewide OCA criminal-history search, CHRS uses an exact name and date-of-birth match and currently costs $95.
Does New York CHRS include every court record?
No. CHRS does not include civil, Family or federal court cases. Sealed records are not disclosed, Town and Village Court historical data has limitations, and the CHRS report is not certified.
Can I search New York probate records by name?
Yes, for records supported by WebSurrogate. Select the Surrogate’s Court, then search by party/decedent name or organization name. Older files and documents may require historical index tools or courthouse access.
Can I search New York Family Court records by a person’s name?
WebFamily is not designed as a broad public person-name search. It provides supported case information using file or docket numbers, attorney/law-firm searches and calendars, and Family Court records have additional privacy restrictions.
How do I get a certified New York court record?
Contact the Clerk of the Court or County Clerk that maintains the case. Ask what type of certification is required, what the current fee is, and whether the document can be requested by mail, online or in person.
Why can a New York case be missing from eCourts?
Possible reasons include the wrong search system, a sealed or confidential case, a case not yet entered, no future appearance in a system that depends on future dates, no Request for Judicial Intervention in a Supreme civil matter, an adoption or youthful-offender matter, or a local civil display limit.
Where do I search a federal court case filed in New York?
Use PACER or the relevant federal court clerk. Federal district, bankruptcy and appellate records are not part of the New York State eCourts systems.
Official Source Verification
Fact-checked: September 23, 2026. Search routing, CHRS pricing and limitations, WebSurrogate access rules, NYSCEF guest access, court structure, privacy limits and court-locator guidance were checked against current New York State Unified Court System sources.
- New York Courts — Getting Court Records & Case Information
- New York Courts — eCourts
- New York Courts — Criminal History Record Search
- New York Courts — WebSurrogate
- New York Courts — Court Locator
- New York Courts — Privacy of Court Cases
- New York Courts — Confidential Records
- New York Courts — Clean Slate Act