New York City Court Docket
New York City court docket records span five boroughs, each with its own county court system. Searching for a case in the city means knowing which borough handled the filing. Manhattan uses New York County, Brooklyn uses Kings County, Queens has its own county, the Bronx falls under Bronx County, and Staten Island uses Richmond County. The NYC court system is the largest in the state by a wide margin, and the volume of cases filed each year is staggering. You can search most docket records online through state portals, or visit the clerk's office in the right borough to get copies in person.
New York City Overview
NYC Court Docket Office
The Office of the City Clerk handles vital records for all of New York City. But court docket records are a different story. Each borough has its own county clerk who maintains Supreme Court and County Court filings. The City Clerk's main office is at 141 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013. You can reach them at (212) 639-9675. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
The City Clerk keeps marriage records from 1930 to the present. For court docket records, though, you need to go to the county clerk in the right borough. That is an important distinction. Many people call the City Clerk expecting to get case files, but the office does not have those. Court docket records sit with each borough's county clerk.
| Office | NYC Office of the City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 141 Worth Street New York, NY 10013 |
| Phone | (212) 639-9675 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
| Website | nyc.gov/cityclerk |
The NYC Office of the City Clerk's website has info on marriage licenses, domestic partnerships, and other vital records services the office provides.
Above is the main page for the NYC City Clerk's Office, which handles marriage records and other city-level services.
Court Docket Records by Borough
Each of New York City's five boroughs operates as its own county for court purposes. This is not just an organizational quirk. It means each borough has a separate county clerk, a separate Supreme Court, and separate docket records. A case filed in Brooklyn will not show up in the Manhattan clerk's records.
Manhattan is New York County. The County Clerk's Office at 60 Centre Street handles all Supreme Court filings for the borough. Kings County covers Brooklyn, with the clerk at 360 Adams Street. Queens County has its clerk at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica. Bronx County operates out of 851 Grand Concourse. And Richmond County, which is Staten Island, has its clerk at 130 Stuyvesant Place in St. George.
Under Judiciary Law § 255, each of these county clerks must maintain and provide public access to all court docket records filed in their respective courts. The law is clear on this point. You have the right to see case filings, and the clerks must make them available during business hours.
If you are not sure which borough handled your case, the online search tools can help. The WebCivil Supreme system lets you search all five boroughs at once by party name. That is often the fastest way to find a case when you do not know the county.
Search NYC Court Docket Records Online
New York City court docket records are available through several online portals. The state runs most of these. They are free to use.
The WebCivil Supreme portal covers civil Supreme Court cases across all five boroughs. You can search by index number, party name, or attorney name. Results show case status, filing dates, and docket entries. This is the tool most people use first when they need to find a court docket record in NYC.
For criminal cases, the WebCriminal system shows pending criminal matters in NYC courts. It covers arraignments and upcoming court dates. Keep in mind this system only shows active cases, not closed ones.
E-filing through NYSCEF is mandatory for new civil Supreme Court cases in all five NYC counties. Once a case is e-filed, all the documents become part of the court docket and you can view them through NYSCEF's Guest Search. No account needed for viewing.
NYC also has its own property records system called ACRIS. While not a court docket system per se, ACRIS records often relate to court judgments and liens that came out of court cases.
The ACRIS system lets you search property records, judgments, and liens recorded in all five boroughs.
The Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) covers all 62 New York counties. The fee is $95.00 per name. Results come by email the next business day. This is a statewide search, so it will pick up cases from NYC and everywhere else in the state.
Note: The NYS Court Records Information page explains all the online tools and how to request records when online access is not enough for what you need.
NYC Housing Court Docket
New York City Housing Court is a division of the NYC Civil Court. It handles landlord-tenant disputes, housing code violations, and eviction proceedings. The court operates in all five boroughs and generates its own set of docket records separate from Supreme Court.
Housing Court cases are a big part of the NYC court system. Thousands of cases move through these courts each month. If you need to search for a Housing Court docket record, the process is different from a Supreme Court search. You may need to visit the Housing Court clerk in the borough where the case was filed.
The NYC Housing Court website has locations, forms, and information about how cases are processed in each borough.
Surrogate's Court handles probate and estate matters in each borough. You can search estate case docket records through the WebSurrogate system online. Each borough has its own Surrogate's Court with its own set of records.
Get Copies of Court Docket Records
To get copies of NYC court docket records, you have a few options. For Supreme Court cases, visit the county clerk in the borough where the case was filed. Uncertified copies run about $0.65 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 per page. Bring the index number if you have it. Staff can also look up cases by party name, but it goes faster with the index number.
You can also get copies through NYSCEF for e-filed cases. Documents in the system can be downloaded and printed for free. This covers most recent civil Supreme Court filings in NYC.
For older records or cases that were not e-filed, an in-person visit to the clerk's office is your best bet. Some borough clerks also accept mail requests. Call ahead to check what the specific office needs. Each borough has its own procedures, and they are not all the same. The fees follow the same state schedule, but the process can vary from one clerk to the next.
Under CPLR § 8019, the standard fees for copies apply across all courts. But some NYC courts, like Civil Court and Housing Court, have their own fee schedules that may differ slightly. Always confirm the fee before you send a check or money order by mail.
Borough County Pages
Each borough has its own county page with detailed court docket information. Visit the county page for the borough where your case was filed.
Nearby Cities
These cities are close to New York City. Court docket records for each are handled by their own county clerk.