New York Public Criminal Records

Three New York record products answer different questions

Use OCA’s Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) for a public statewide search of qualifying criminal court information. Use the court of original jurisdiction for a particular filing or Certificate of Disposition. Use DCJS fingerprint-based personal record review to inspect your own state criminal-history repository record. A CHRS response is not certified, and DCJS does not offer a public search of another person’s rap sheet.

Submit a CHRS request with the exact identifiers

Prepare the full first and last name and correct date of birth. CHRS matches name and birth date; an incorrect date or different name can produce no result. The FAQ explains special handling for punctuation, dual names and suffixes, and says the middle initial is not part of the matching mechanism. Save the precise input with the response. Each additional alias or birth date is a separate search, so confirm the intended spelling before paying.

The statewide search is $95. Direct Access offers a public account with debit/credit-card payment and up to five searches in a request; its guidance also identifies a separate convenience fee without publishing an amount on the information page. Review that charge before submitting. Businesses with eligible corporate accounts have additional payment options; do not assume the public-account workflow accepts ACH.

Use the mail route or check an existing request

For mail, complete the CHRS application and send it to NYS Office of Court Administration, Division of Technology and Court Research, Criminal History Record Search Unit, 25 Beaver Street, Room 940, New York, NY 10004. Include $95 by check or money order payable to the N.Y.S. Office of Court Administration. Cash is not accepted. Supply email for an emailed response or a self-addressed stamped envelope for postal delivery. There is no in-person CHRS service at that address.

Direct Access can return “No Results Found” immediately; a request containing a possible record is held for review. OCA generally processes requests by the next business day after receipt, with results sent during business hours. If a request is pending or a submission has a technical error, check its receipt/status and contact CHRS rather than paying for a duplicate. General inquiries: 212-428-2943.

Understand what an empty or incomplete result means

CHRS covers qualifying pending and conviction cases in all 62 counties, with important exclusions: sealed records, civil and Family Court cases, federal cases, noncriminal offenses, some youthful-offender matters and pardoned dispositions are not a complete public-history inventory. The published misdemeanor-redemption policy also suppresses a sole misdemeanor conviction older than ten years. A blank response does not establish that the subject has never been arrested or prosecuted.

Town and Village Court dispositions are unavailable for May 1991 through 2002 and limited for 2002–2007. OCA’s overview and FAQ differ on whether universal reporting began in April or May 2007, so ask the originating court about an affected transition-period case. The FAQ describes roughly daily NYC updates and average weekly updates outside NYC; a very recent outcome can lag. Unresolved cases with five years of inactivity may also be omitted unless an open arrest warrant exists.

Get certified proof from the court that handled the case

A Certificate of Disposition carries the court seal and states the charge, conviction information and sentence or case outcome. Contact the originating court with the docket or indictment number, defendant’s name and identification. The statewide request form lists $5 per certificate outside New York City and $10 within its five boroughs. Court payment methods and mail requirements differ; a person on public assistance who cannot pay may be eligible for a waiver.

Access to a sealed case is different from ordinary public access. The defendant needs photo identification and may need a notarized statement; a representative needs the defendant’s notarized authorization. Ask for the document and certification the recipient actually requires. Neither an internet case printout nor a $95 CHRS report automatically replaces this court-issued certificate.

Review your own DCJS record when identity accuracy matters

DCJS personal review requires fingerprints. Choose service code 15464Z for a suppressed record or 15465F for an unsuppressed record; both versions require separate requests. Its current instructions list $17.50 for in-state enrollment and $57.45 at an out-of-state IdentoGo location, effective February 2, 2026. Bring acceptable identification. A mailed fingerprint-card option and a fee-waiver application route are described on the DCJS page.

DCJS publishes a three-to-four-week mailed response after it receives the request and does not offer pickup. The response includes challenge instructions. It can include information absent from CHRS, but it cannot be ordered as someone else’s public background check. Employment and licensing fingerprint access requires legal authorization through the appropriate agency.

Send an error to the office that can correct it

For a missing court outcome on your DCJS history, obtain a certified disposition from the court and send it to DCJS. For incorrect arrest information, ask the arresting agency to submit a written correction. A sealing problem requires the certified sealing order. If a CHRS entry is incomplete, keep its case reference and contact the court or CHRS Unit rather than treating another paid search as a correction request.

Check sealing status rather than predicting it

New York’s Clean Slate implementation period runs through November 16, 2027. The court’s current page says the systems are still being developed and eligible convictions will be sealed within that period. Do not assume that a potentially eligible conviction is already sealed or that a current public search proves eligibility. For your own record, verify its actual status through the official review and court processes.