NYC Criminal Record Lookup

Match the record to the question

For an NYC criminal case, choose among three products: WebCrims for a pending case, a Certificate of Disposition from the deciding court for the outcome, or the Office of Court Administration’s statewide Criminal History Record Search (CHRS). A statewide report is non-certified and does not replace the certificate issued for a particular case.

Keep the borough and actual court with your search. New York, Kings, Bronx, Queens and Richmond are different filing counties. Before paying for a report, decide whether the recipient wants a specific court outcome or a statewide name-and-birth-date search; the wrong product can leave the underlying question unanswered.

Use WebCrims for a case still in progress

New York Courts directs users to WebCrims with the defendant’s name or docket number. Its pending-case lookup does not show finished cases, sealed cases or warrants. Preserve the docket reference, county and next listed event. A disappearing entry does not tell you whether the case ended in dismissal, conviction, transfer or another disposition.

If you need a hearing date that is missing online, check the court notice and contact the handling court’s central clerk. Do not use another county’s help number simply because it appears on a general WebCrims instruction page. A calendar or scheduled appearance is a lead to the proceeding, not proof of its final result.

Request the Certificate of Disposition from the deciding court

NYC Criminal Court’s FAQ instructs a requester to bring picture ID and the docket number, or the defendant’s full name with date of birth or arrest date, to the central clerk in the filing county. It lists $10 and exact change for the in-person request. For a sealed defendant’s case, the FAQ requires a notarized permission letter from that defendant.

A matter decided in Supreme Court goes to that court’s criminal clerk. The statewide disposition form allows submission in person or by mail and costs $10 per certificate in the five NYC boroughs. Ask the selected court which payment methods it accepts; never mail cash. Select mailing or pickup when notified as the delivery choice.

Supply a case identifier and the correct authorization

The disposition form requires at least one primary case identifier from requesters other than the defendant or the defendant’s agent. Examples include a docket, indictment or SCI number, arrest number, complaint number or ticket number. It also asks for the defendant’s names, aliases and birth date. An agent must provide the defendant’s written authorization.

The form’s identifier rule is more specific than the Criminal Court FAQ’s shorthand name-and-date instructions. Third-party requesters should obtain a primary case reference before ordering. If you need sealed information, tell the clerk your role and supply the required authority; a public search or a paid fee does not grant unrestricted access.

Prepare the separate $95 statewide CHRS search

CHRS uses an exact name and date-of-birth match, with the full name including middle initial where applicable. Each alias or additional birth date counts as a separate search. It costs $95 per search and can be requested through OCA Direct Access or by mailed application. Name variations are not automatically searched.

The report covers eligible pending cases and convictions from New York courts, but excludes sealed, federal, family and civil cases and certain non-disclosable outcomes. It is not a national or FBI check. Older Town and Village Court data has gaps, including unavailable dispositions for May 1991–2002 and limited data for 2002–2007. A no-match does not establish that no criminal event occurred.

Use OCA’s current mailing instructions and retain the result

OCA currently directs mailed CHRS applications to the Criminal History Record Search Unit, 25 Beaver Street, Room 940, New York, NY 10004. NYC 311 still lists Room 830; use the receiving agency’s Room 940 instructions. OCA states there is no in-person CHRS service at 25 Beaver Street.

Pay by check or money order to N.Y.S. Office of Court Administration; cash is not accepted. Include an email address for emailed results or a self-addressed stamped envelope for mail. OCA publishes next-business-day processing after receipt, while Direct Access no-result responses can be immediate. Mail transit is additional. General CHRS questions go to 212-428-2943.

For your own rap sheet or an error, use the appropriate custodian

New York DCJS provides fingerprint-based personal Record Review and does not supply another person’s rap sheet through a public request. New York residents schedule through IdentoGO or 877-472-6915, using 15464Z for a suppressed response or 15465F for an unsuppressed response; requesting both requires separate requests. DCJS lists $17.50 for the in-state service and $57.45 for an out-of-state enrollment-center appointment, effective February 2, 2026. Follow the separate manual-card route if no center is available.

DCJS publishes a three-to-four-week mailed response after receipt and provides a fee-waiver application for people unable to pay the fingerprint-processing fee. For incorrect arrest details, ask the arresting agency to submit the correction; for a missing or wrong disposition, obtain a certified disposition from the deciding court and send it to DCJS. An ordinary photocopy without the court’s raised seal is insufficient.

For a wrong court disposition or suspected name mix-up, contact the deciding court with the case reference and request the actual outcome document. For a CHRS discrepancy, contact OCA’s CHRS Unit and identify the report and case. A charge alone does not prove conviction, and an identical name without matching identifiers does not prove the record belongs to the person.

Ask Municipal Archives about older NYC criminal files

NYC 311 identifies Municipal Archives as a route for criminal-court and district-attorney records created before 1966. Contact the Archives about the specific record and arrange an appointment before visiting. This archival route answers a historical-file question; it does not expand WebCrims coverage or turn an old file into a current statewide background check.