To run a New York case search for free, use the Unified Court System’s eCourts portal and pick the database that matches the court where the case was filed: WebCivil Supreme for civil lawsuits in Supreme Court, WebCivil Local for lower civil courts, WebCrims for pending criminal cases, WebSurrogate for estates and probate, WebFamily for Family Court, NYSCEF for actual filed documents, and Court-PASS for the Court of Appeals.1New York State Unified Court System. eCourts Every one of those tools is free. What trips people up is choosing the wrong one, or expecting to find records that state law keeps off the public internet.
Pick the Tool That Matches the Court
The court that handled the case decides which database has the record. Guess wrong and you’ll get zero results for a case that exists.
Civil Lawsuits in Supreme Court
WebCivil Supreme covers civil cases filed in all 62 county Supreme Courts, which is where significant civil matters (personal injury, commercial disputes, larger money claims) are handled. Search by index number, party name, or attorney or firm name. Results show the filing date, case type, assigned judge, and case status.2New York State Unified Court System. WebCivil Supreme
Smaller Civil Cases, Landlord-Tenant, Small Claims
WebCivil Local handles the courts below Supreme Court: all 61 city courts across the state, the district courts in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the New York City Civil Court (which covers civil claims up to $50,000 in the five boroughs, plus its small claims and housing parts).3New York State Unified Court System. WebCivil LocalNew York City Courts Rent nonpayment cases, holdover proceedings, and small claims actions live here.
Actual Case Documents
WebCivil shows you the docket. NYSCEF, the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system, lets you view and download the actual filings as PDFs: complaints, motions, decisions, orders. No account needed. Click “Search as Guest” on the NYSCEF site.4NY CourtHelp. Getting Court Records5New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) System. User Manual for Supreme Court and Court of Claims Cases
Not every case has electronic documents. NYSCEF availability depends on whether the case type requires e-filing in that county. As of early 2026, mandatory e-filing has expanded statewide for Supreme Court civil cases and is rolling out in additional courts, including New York City Civil Court landlord-tenant cases.6NYCOURTS.GOV. Rules – E-Filing Older paper-filed cases don’t appear. And documents marked “secure” before April 15, 2013 can only be viewed at public-access terminals inside the courthouse.7New York State Unified Court System. Frequently Asked Questions
Criminal Cases
WebCrims (labeled WebCriminal on the eCourts portal) shows pending criminal cases with a future court date in selected courts of criminal jurisdiction. Search by defendant name or case number.8NYCOURTS.GOV. WebCrims – 9th Judicial District Read that carefully: pending, with a future appearance. Once a case is disposed, it drops off WebCrims. For anything historical, you need the statewide search or a Certificate of Disposition, both covered below.
Estates and Probate
WebSurrogate covers Surrogate’s Court files statewide. Search by party name (with an optional date-of-death filter) or by file number. Results include the file history and links to scanned documents where those exist.9Unified Court System. Web Surrogate Document images are only online for filings made on or after February 19, 2014. Guardianship proceedings, confidential files, and wills filed for safekeeping are not publicly viewable.10Unified Court System. WebSurrogate Help Guide
Family Court
WebFamily covers active Family Court cases in all 62 counties, plus Integrated Domestic Violence Court cases where those exist. You can search by file or docket number, or generate a list of pending cases for a specific attorney or firm.1New York State Unified Court System. eCourts What the general public can actually see is limited, because Family Court records carry the strictest confidentiality rules in the system (more on that below).
Court of Appeals
Court-PASS is the public access system for New York’s highest court. Search by party name, docket number, or slip opinion number, and filter to civil, criminal, or both. You can also browse alphabetically or by date range.11New York State Court of Appeals. Public Search Page – Court-PASS12NYS Court-PASS. NYS Court-PASS Counsel Filing Court-PASS covers only the Court of Appeals. Intermediate appeals (the four Appellate Division departments) each run their own separate search systems, so go to the website of the department covering the county where the case was tried.13New York State Unified Court System. Appellate Divisions
Search by Name, or by Case Number if You Have One
A party name search is the usual starting point when you don’t have a case number. It returns every record tied to that person or business in the database. Common names produce a lot of noise, so narrow by county, year, or case type when the tool allows it.
If you have the number, use it. The index number (assigned when a civil case is filed) is unambiguous: one case, one number. Criminal cases use a docket or case number. Surrogate’s Court uses a file number. The number is usually printed near the top of any letter or filing you already have. Most search tools also accept attorney or firm names, useful when you remember the lawyer but not the parties.
When the Free Tools Aren’t Enough: Criminal History
The eCourts portals are built for looking up specific cases. They won’t give you a full statewide criminal history for a person, and they won’t show closed criminal cases. Two paid options fill those gaps.
OCA Statewide Criminal History Search
The Office of Court Administration runs a statewide criminal history record search covering court records across the state. The fee is $95 per name, payable by check or money order (no cash, no credit cards). Each alias or additional date of birth counts as a separate search. Submit online through the Direct Access program (real-time results when no records are found) or by mailing the application form. Results are informational, not certified, which matters if an employer, licensing board, or court is asking for the record.14NYCOURTS.GOV. Home – CHRS
Certificate of Disposition
A Certificate of Disposition is the official court document showing how a specific criminal case ended. Employers, licensing agencies, and immigration attorneys commonly ask for one. You get it from the clerk’s office of the court where the case was resolved, typically for $5 to $10 per certificate. Bring photo ID and the docket number for each case. If you receive public assistance and can’t pay, ask the court about a fee waiver. For sealed cases, the defendant (or an authorized representative with a notarized statement) can still request one, though the court may want extra ID verification.15NY CourtHelp. Certificate of Disposition
Records You Won’t Find Online
Plenty of cases exist that no free search will surface. Knowing the categories saves time.
Sealed Criminal Records
Criminal records are sealed automatically when a case ends in the defendant’s favor: dismissal, acquittal, or resolution to a violation or infraction.16New York State Attorney General. Sealing Your Criminal Record17New York State Senate. NY CPL 160.50
The Clean Slate Act, effective November 16, 2024, goes further. It requires automatic sealing of most misdemeanor and felony convictions after a waiting period: three years for misdemeanors and eight years for felonies, measured from sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later. The person must have no pending criminal charges and must have completed any probation or parole. Sex offenses and most Class A felonies (except drug offenses) are excluded. The Unified Court System has until November 2027 to complete the sealing process for all eligible records.18New York State Unified Court System. New York State’s Clean Slate Act
The practical effect: cases that would have appeared in search results a few years ago may now be sealed. An OCA search or a WebCrims lookup won’t return sealed records.
Sealed Civil Records
Civil cases can be sealed by court order on a written finding of “good cause” under 22 NYCRR 216.1, typically to protect trade secrets, proprietary business information, or sensitive personal data.19NYCOURTS.GOV. Part 216 Sealing of Court Records in Civil Actions in the Trial Courts Sealed civil files won’t appear in the public search results.
Family Court
Family Court records are the most restricted. Access is generally limited to the parties, their attorneys, child protective agencies, probation services, guardians ad litem, and authorized court-appointed advocates. Prosecutors and defense attorneys can reach certain order-of-protection records only when there’s a related criminal case, and even then must keep them confidential.20Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Privacy of Family Court Records Members of the public can’t browse Family Court case details the way they can Supreme Court or criminal cases.
Older Filings
NYSCEF document images generally start where e-filing started in that court. WebSurrogate document images begin February 19, 2014. Pre-cutoff filings, and cases from courts that never digitized, exist only in paper form at the courthouse.10Unified Court System. WebSurrogate Help Guide
Town and Village Courts
Town and village justice courts handle traffic tickets, small claims, and minor criminal matters across most of the state, and they are the hardest to search. They’re not consistently included in the statewide databases, and many have no electronic filing. The eCourts court locator lists these courts as a directory, not as a searchable case database.4NY CourtHelp. Getting Court Records For records, contact the specific town or village court clerk directly.
Going to the Courthouse
Some records only exist on paper or on courthouse-only computer terminals. If you’re chasing an older case, a secure NYSCEF document from before April 15, 2013, or a pre-2014 Surrogate’s Court filing, you’ll need to visit. Supreme Court records are held by the county clerk’s office; other courts have their own clerk’s offices.7New York State Unified Court System. Frequently Asked Questions
Bring as much identifying information as you can: index or docket number, party names, approximate filing year. Clerks can locate records and answer procedural questions, but they can’t give legal advice.
What It Costs
Online searches through WebCivil Supreme, WebCivil Local, WebCrims, WebSurrogate, and WebFamily are free. Viewing and downloading NYSCEF documents is also free.5New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) System. User Manual for Supreme Court and Court of Claims Cases Fees come in when you want physical copies, certified copies, or the statewide search.
- Photocopies at the courthouse vary by court. The New York County Clerk charges $0.25 per page for photocopies and $8 plus $0.25 per page for certified copies made in person. Suffolk County District Court charges $0.65 per page with a $1.30 minimum and a $40 maximum.21NYCOURTS.GOV. Filing Fees22NYCourts.gov. Fee for Copies
- OCA statewide criminal history search: $95 per name, each alias or additional date of birth counted separately, check or money order only.14NYCOURTS.GOV. Home – CHRS
- Certificate of Disposition: $5 to $10 per certificate, with possible fee waivers for people on public assistance.15NY CourtHelp. Certificate of Disposition
Courthouse payment methods vary. Cash, check, money order, or card are common, but not every court accepts all of them, so call ahead if you’re making a special trip.