New York Public Records
New York citizens have the right to seek out, obtain, study, and use public records held by government agencies, municipal bodies, and law enforcement authorities. This right is presented to them by both New York’s and the United States’ Freedom of Information Law, which states that any record generated by a government authority is considered public unless officially sealed.
These records are available to all members of the general public, who are able to access these records in a concise and immediate manner, and without requiring the divulgence of personal information unless such information is required to access confidential information.
Criminal records, court records, vital records, and arrest records from over 330 million transparent public records are available on this website.
Records for New York were created from as far back as 1850, and include information from all 62 counties in New York State. The digitization of public records has become the standard over the last 30 years, allowing websites both governmental and third party to offer these records online. This fulfils the mission of Freedom of Information Laws from a country, state, county and municipal level, which is to offer transparency to further assure a fair and just society for all.
