Access New York County Clerk Records

What the New York County Clerk Does

The New York County Clerk is the filing office for the Supreme Court in Manhattan. Cases are commenced by filing initiating papers under the CPLR with the County Clerk, except in e-filed matters. The Clerk takes in both paper and electronic documents that start a case, then keeps the official case file. This office is the repository for all Supreme Court records, Civil and Criminal Term alike.

The job goes well beyond court files. The County Clerk serves as Commissioner of Jurors for New York County and supervises jury summonses and postponements. The office issues passports, certifies records, maintains business filings such as certificates of doing business, and keeps the judgment and lien docket. It also records matrimonial judgments, holds naturalization records, and appoints notaries and commissioners of deeds. The main office sits in Room 161 at 60 Centre Street, reachable at 646-386-5955.

One point trips people up. The County Clerk is not the same as the court's Chief Clerk. The Chief Clerk and Executive Officer manages the court clerks, back offices, daily operations, and programs. The County Clerk handles records, filings, and certifications. For the court division clerks who run courtroom calendars and parts, see the court division chief clerks page.

New York County Clerk Records Department

Hard-copy Supreme Court case files are kept in the Record Room, Room 103B, in the basement at 60 Centre Street. Older files are stored elsewhere. The Records Department retrieves files for inspection, copying, and certification. Staff can also tell you whether a file is onsite or must be ordered.

The fastest lookup needs an index number. The Clerk gives examples such as 12345/1985 or 123456/2010. Without an index number, a party name and an approximate filing year may still work, but older files take longer to pull. Bring valid identification. For certain record examinations, the clerk holds a state- or country-issued ID while the file is in your hands.

The Records Department can be reached by email at county-clerk-records@nycourts.gov for availability questions before you visit.

New York County Clerk Records Requisition Form

The front counter uses a short requisition form to pull a file. Filling it out fully speeds up retrieval, and the more party detail you give, the faster staff can find the right case. The fields the Clerk asks for are listed below.

New York County Clerk Fee Schedule

The County Clerk charges set fees for filings, copies, and certifications. Filing fees apply when a case is started or moved along. Copy and certification fees apply when you want paper or certified records. The main rates from official County Clerk sources are below.

How to Request a New York County Clerk Certified Copy

Certifications are handled in Room 141B at 60 Centre Street, reachable at 646-386-5935. A certified copy carries the Clerk's seal and is the version courts and agencies accept. The steps below cover a standard court-case certified document.

1. Gather the case details. You need the party or company name, the index number or approximate year, and the document title or docket document number.
2. Bring valid identification. Divorce judgment requests by a party or attorney need a non-expired government photo ID.
3. Pick the right counter. Certifications go to Room 141B; file pulls and inspection go to the Records Department in Room 103B.
4. Fill out the request. Provide the document title or docket number so staff certify the correct paper.
5. Pay the fee. Certification runs $8 plus $0.25 per page; a mail request for a certified copy is $8.
6. Collect or wait. Many certifications are same-day, while exemplified documents are generally ready for pickup in about two weeks.

Access rules tighten for sealed and matrimonial files. A non-party seeking a divorce record needs an original notarized authorization letter from a party or attorney of record, naming the bearer, the parties, and the index number or approximate year. Name-change certified copies need a government ID plus the filing name and the index, docket, or year. For the underlying divorce and matrimonial files themselves, see the New York County marriage and divorce records page.

Exemplifications and Mail Requests

An exemplification is a triple-certified copy used for out-of-state and federal filings. The Clerk needs the case caption, the index number, and the document title or docket document number to prepare one. In-person exemplification costs $33 plus $0.25 per page.

Mail requests work for people who cannot come downtown. Send an original letter, the payment in an accepted form, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The official page notes exemplified documents are generally ready for pickup in two weeks, so plan ahead for any court deadline. For broader agency records that the Clerk does not hold, the FOIL route is covered on the New York County public records page.

The Clerk also issues a few specialized certificates that come up in litigation and business deals. A Search Certificate costs $5 for each two-year span searched. A Certificate of Non-Appeal is $5, and a Certificate of Disposition of Judgment is $10. Business records have their own certified copy rate of $10 plus $0.25 per page. Each of these needs the same core details: a name, an index or filing number where one exists, and the time frame to search.

NYSCEF E-Filing and the New York County Clerk

Most new Supreme Court civil cases in Manhattan are e-filed through the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system, NYSCEF. When a case is e-filed, the documents reach the County Clerk electronically instead of over the counter. The Clerk still keeps the official record; the filing path just changes. Matrimonial actions follow their own e-filing track with extra privacy controls.

The state explains matrimonial e-filing through a dedicated guide. The official walkthrough at the link below lays out how divorce and other matrimonial cases move into NYSCEF.

That guide matters because matrimonial filings carry tighter access than ordinary civil cases, even inside NYSCEF.

The procedure is set by court rule. The matrimonial e-filing rule, 22 NYCRR 202.16-c, governs how these actions are filed and served electronically in Supreme Court, and the official rule text is shown below.

Reading the rule helps a self-represented party know which documents go in electronically and which stay confidential under matrimonial sealing rules.

Related New York County Clerk Resources

For the Supreme Court case files the Clerk maintains and the WebCivil search portals, see the New York County court records page. For the trial court itself, see the Supreme Court page. For the courtroom division clerks who run calendars and parts, see the court division chief clerks page. For matrimonial judgments and certified divorce copies, see the marriage and divorce records page. For FOIL agency records, see the public records page.