To run a New York court case search by name, start with the Unified Court System’s free online portals at iapps.courts.state.ny.us. Different portals cover different case types, so the one you pick depends on what you’re looking for: civil lawsuits, criminal cases with future court dates, or estate proceedings. For a certified criminal history that covers convictions across the entire state, the Office of Court Administration runs a separate Statewide Criminal History Record Search that costs $95 per name and date of birth.
Pick the Right Portal for the Case Type
No single free search covers everything. A housing dispute, a felony arraignment, and a will filing each sit in a different database, and searching the wrong one just returns nothing.
Civil Cases in Supreme Court
WebCivil Supreme covers civil matters filed in New York’s Supreme Courts. Despite the name, these are trial-level courts that handle the state’s larger civil disputes, including personal injury claims, contract cases, and divorces. The system provides past, present, and future case information.1New York State Unified Court System. WebCivil Supreme – eCourts You can search by party name, index number, attorney, or justice. Each result opens into a case summary showing status, motion history, and scheduled appearances.
Civil Cases in Lower Courts
WebCivil Local covers City Courts, District Courts, and the New York City Civil Court. Small claims, landlord-tenant matters, and consumer debt lawsuits generally live here, and the portal shows past, present, and future case data.2New York State Unified Court System. WebCivil Local
Criminal Cases
WebCriminal is narrower than most people expect. It only displays cases with future court appearance dates.3New York State Unified Court System. WebCriminal Once a case is resolved and no more appearances are scheduled, it drops out. Searching someone’s name here will not surface old convictions. For anything historical, you need the paid Criminal History Record Search covered further down.
Estate and Probate Records
WebSurrogate searches estate proceedings across New York’s Surrogate’s Courts. You can search by party name and narrow by date of death, and document images are available for filings made on or after February 19, 2014.4New York State Unified Court System. WebSurrogate A separate Will Search feature lets you look up wills filed for safekeeping by the testator’s name, but those documents cannot be viewed online. Older records and less populated counties may not be fully digitized; if the estate you’re researching predates recent years, expect to call the court.
Actual Filed Documents
The New York State Courts Electronic Filing system, NYSCEF, is often overlooked but useful. It searches by party name across all 62 counties plus the Appellate Divisions and the Court of Claims, and it lets you read the documents themselves rather than just the docket.5New York State Unified Court System. NYSCEF Case Search Where WebCivil Supreme tells you a motion was filed, NYSCEF often lets you open it. The two systems pair well.
Running the Name Search
Each portal has a Party Search or Name Search option. Enter the name as it would appear on legal documents. Common names produce huge result lists, especially in New York City, so filter by county whenever you can and add a filing year if you have one. Some portals show a CAPTCHA before results load.
A few things save time. Try the last name with just a first initial rather than the full first name; court data entry isn’t always consistent. Search “Jr” and “Junior” separately for suffixed names. Search maiden names and former names as separate queries, because the system won’t cross-reference them. Businesses file under their legal entity name, which may not match a storefront or brand name.
Why Some Cases Don’t Appear: Town and Village Justice Courts
New York has roughly 1,250 Town and Village Justice Courts scattered across the state, handling traffic tickets, minor criminal matters, and small civil disputes. These courts operate largely independently, and their records are generally not integrated into the eCourts online tools.6New York Courts. The Courts Someone searching for a DWI case from a rural town won’t find it on WebCriminal even if appearances are pending. The Unified Court System’s website has a directory to look up individual justice courts by town name; from there you contact the court directly.
When You Need a Certified Criminal History
The free portals are good for spotting active litigation, but they don’t produce a certified criminal record. For that, the Office of Court Administration runs the Statewide Criminal History Record Search (CHRS), which returns a verified report of convictions and open criminal cases across the state. The fee is $95 per name and date of birth, and each alias or additional date of birth counts as a separate search.7New York Courts. Criminal History Record Search
You can submit through the Direct Access portal online or mail in a CHRS application with a check or money order payable to the New York State Office of Court Administration. Online requests come back by email the following business day. Mailed requests take longer. The report does not include Family Court, civil, or federal court records.7New York Courts. Criminal History Record Search
This is the report employers, licensing agencies, and landlords rely on when they want documented proof of a criminal history search. It carries certification that a WebCriminal printout does not.
Requesting Records From the Clerk in Person
New York Judiciary Law 255 requires court clerks to search their files when someone asks and pays the applicable fee.8New York State Senate. New York Judiciary Code 255 – Clerk Must Search Files Upon Request and Certify as to Result The clerk can provide certified transcripts or confirm on the record that a document cannot be found. This matters when you need an official copy of a judgment or order that predates electronic filing or isn’t available online.
Fees vary by court but typically run around $0.25 per page for regular copies, with extra charges for certification. Bring the person’s full name and, if you have it, the index number or approximate filing date.
Records You Won’t Find
If you know a case exists but a name search returns nothing, sealing is often the reason. New York has several mechanisms that keep records out of public view.
Automatic Sealing After a Favorable Outcome
When a criminal case ends in dismissal, acquittal, or similar disposition, the record is sealed automatically under CPL 160.50.9New York State Senate. New York Criminal Procedure Law 160.50 – Order Upon Termination of Criminal Action in Favor of the Accused Adjournments in contemplation of dismissal are sealed once the dismissal becomes final. The case disappears from public search results.
Sealing by Application
Under CPL 160.59, someone with up to two eligible convictions (no more than one felony) can apply to seal them, but only after at least ten years have passed since sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later.10New York State Senate. New York Criminal Procedure Law Section 160.59 – Sealing of Certain Convictions Sex offenses, violent felonies, and Class A felonies are not eligible. The applicant must have no pending charges and no later convictions. Sealed records aren’t destroyed and can be unsealed in limited circumstances, such as a firearms license application or a new arrest.
The Clean Slate Act
New York’s Clean Slate Act took effect on November 16, 2024. Misdemeanor convictions become eligible for automatic sealing three years after sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later. Felonies become eligible after eight years.11New York Courts. New York State’s Clean Slate Act The person must not be on probation, parole, or post-release supervision, and must have no pending cases. A new conviction resets the waiting period. Most Class A felonies, sex offenses, and murder convictions are excluded.
There’s a timing catch. The Office of Court Administration has until November 16, 2027 to fully implement the law. Until then, the Division of Criminal Justice Services will continue reporting convictions that will eventually be sealed but haven’t been yet. A CHRS report pulled today may still show convictions that are technically eligible for sealing but haven’t been processed.
Youthful Offender Adjudications
When someone aged 16 to 18 receives a Youthful Offender adjudication, the record becomes confidential under CPL 720.35, and the adjudication is not treated as a criminal conviction.12Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Detailed Instructions These records won’t surface in any public name search, online or through the CHRS.
Family Court
Family Court records covering custody, child protective proceedings, juvenile delinquency, and related matters are generally restricted from public access. The CHRS report explicitly excludes Family Court information.7New York Courts. Criminal History Record Search Access typically requires being a party or obtaining a court order.
If an Employer Uses What They Find
Two layers of protection apply when an employer runs a background check that turns up court records: one federal, one specific to New York.
Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, when an employer uses a third-party company to compile a background report, they must give you written notice, get your written permission, and provide you with a copy of the report and a summary of your rights before taking any adverse action such as declining to hire you.13Federal Trade Commission. Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know After adverse action, you’re entitled to the reporting company’s contact information and the right to dispute inaccurate information within 60 days.
New York’s Article 23-A of the Correction Law goes further. It prohibits employers from automatically disqualifying someone based on a criminal conviction. The employer must weigh eight specific factors, including how much time has passed, the seriousness of the offense, the person’s age at the time, evidence of rehabilitation, and whether the conviction has any direct relationship to the job’s duties. Employers are required to post the text of Article 23-A in the workplace and provide a copy to any applicant who undergoes a background check. A conviction appearing in a court record search does not by itself give an employer grounds to reject you; if the eight-factor analysis was skipped or the FCRA procedures weren’t followed, there’s room to challenge the decision.