Start with the right New York criminal-record system
New York criminal records are split across several official systems. A current criminal court case, statewide Office of Court Administration background search, fingerprint-based DCJS rap sheet, jail record, prison record, appellate decision and federal case are not the same thing. Choosing the right system first can save both time and money.
Which New York criminal record do you actually need?
New York uses several different systems because “criminal record” can mean different things. One system may show a current court appearance while another provides conviction history, fingerprints, custody status or an official court-certified disposition.
Current criminal case
Use e-Courts / WebCriminal for selected current criminal cases and upcoming appearances.
Statewide public court history
CHRS searches public criminal court data by exact first name, last name and date of birth.
Your official rap sheet
The Division of Criminal Justice Services maintains New York’s official fingerprint-based criminal-history records.
Certificate of Disposition
An official court-sealed document showing charges, conviction, disposition and sentence information for a case.
Prison / parole record
Use New York State corrections search tools for current or former state prisoners and parole supervision.
Local jail record
Recent custody and jail bookings are generally maintained locally, not by the state-prison database.
How New York criminal courts are organized
New York’s court structure matters because the correct courthouse depends on both location and offense level. New York City and the rest of the state use somewhat different trial-court arrangements.
| Court | Where | Typical criminal role |
|---|---|---|
| NYC Criminal Court | Five boroughs | Misdemeanors, violations, arraignments and preliminary felony proceedings. |
| Supreme Court, Criminal Term | New York City | Felony prosecutions after indictment and other felony matters. |
| County Court | Counties outside NYC | Generally handles felony prosecutions and can hear other criminal matters. |
| City Court | Cities outside NYC | Misdemeanors, violations and preliminary stages of felony cases. |
| District Court | Nassau and parts of Suffolk | Misdemeanors, lesser offenses and preliminary felony proceedings. |
| Town & Village Justice Courts | Most towns/villages outside NYC | Misdemeanors, violations, traffic matters, arraignments and preliminary felony hearings. |
Use the official New York Court Locator to find the correct criminal court by county, court type or case type.
How to search current New York criminal cases with WebCriminal
New York Courts provides criminal case access through its e-Courts page. WebCriminal is designed primarily for criminal cases with future court appearances in participating courts.
New York Courts specifically lists current criminal case access for New York City, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, County Courts in the Ninth Judicial District, Erie County Court and Buffalo City Court, with coverage subject to change as courts are added.
Open New York e-Courts
Choose WebCriminal from the criminal case-search options.
Choose how to search
Depending on the available interface and court, you may search using defendant name, docket or case number, or court calendar information.
Review the court and next appearance
Confirm the borough, county, court part, case number and scheduled court date before assuming you found the correct defendant.
Contact the court if information is incomplete
WebCriminal does not replace the clerk’s official file. If the case appears to be current but details are missing, contact the appropriate court directly.
New York statewide Criminal History Record Search (CHRS)
The New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA) operates the Criminal History Record Search, commonly called CHRS.
CHRS is a public statewide court-history search covering criminal cases from County/Supreme, City, Town and Village courts across New York’s 62 counties, subject to the limitations explained below.
Online Direct Access
OCA’s Direct Access service is available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Payment can be made through the online system, and searches producing “No Results Found” can be returned in real time. Searches producing records are reviewed before release.
Mail-in CHRS request
You can also complete the official CHRS application and mail it with payment 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
Checks or money orders should be made payable to the N.Y.S. Office of Court Administration. Cash is not accepted for mailed requests.
Exact-match rule
CHRS does not conduct a broad “similar name” search. OCA requires the individual’s full first name, full last name and date of birth. A variation in name or DOB is not treated as the same person.
The person’s middle initial is not used as part of the CHRS matching process. An alias or different date of birth generally counts as an additional search and can generate another search fee.
What New York CHRS does — and does not — show
| Record or case type | CHRS coverage | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| Open / pending criminal cases | Generally included | Subject to statutory and OCA disclosure restrictions. |
| Criminal convictions | Generally included | Only public records within CHRS coverage and retention/disclosure policies. |
| Sealed cases | No | Sealed records are not disclosed. |
| Federal cases | No | Use PACER for federal court matters. |
| Family Court cases | No | Family matters are outside CHRS. |
| Civil cases | No | Use civil court-search tools instead. |
| Violations / infractions | Often excluded from final CHRS reporting | OCA states that non-criminal offense dispositions are not included. |
| Youthful offender information | Restricted | Youthful-offender law limits disclosure. |
| Town / Village Court history | Incomplete for older periods | Historical reporting gaps exist, particularly before full statewide reporting. |
| Certified criminal record | No | CHRS results are not certified court documents. |
Town and Village Court data gap
This is a particularly important New York limitation. OCA states that Town and Village Court criminal disposition data are unavailable for part of the period from May 1991 through 2002, and coverage from 2002 through 2007 can be limited. All Town and Village Courts began reporting to OCA by May 2007.
Misdemeanor Redemption Policy
CHRS also applies OCA disclosure policies that can prevent certain older misdemeanor information from appearing. OCA states that a person whose only conviction is a single misdemeanor more than ten years before the search may fall under its Misdemeanor Redemption Policy.
How to get your official New York DCJS rap sheet
The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) maintains the state’s official fingerprint-based criminal-history records.
DCJS calls the process for obtaining your own record a Personal Record Review. The response may contain your New York criminal-history record, commonly called a rap sheet, or a “no record” response.
Current in-state fingerprint process
DCJS currently directs New York residents to schedule fingerprinting through IdentoGO. When making the appointment, select the correct Record Review service code.
Service code 15464Z
The response excludes specified sealed or suppressed criminal-history information.
Service code 15465F
The response includes specified sealed or suppressed information that the record subject is allowed to review.
Choose suppressed or unsuppressed
Decide which Personal Record Review response you need. If you want both, DCJS requires separate requests.
Schedule fingerprinting
Use the current IdentoGO process and the service code corresponding to the response type.
Bring accepted identification
Follow IdentoGO’s current identification requirements for the fingerprint appointment.
Wait for the mailed DCJS response
DCJS’s current instructions say the response is returned by U.S. mail and cannot be picked up in person.
Review the record for errors
The response includes information explaining how to challenge inaccurate or incomplete criminal-history data.
Start at the official DCJS Record Review page.
Suppressed vs. unsuppressed New York criminal-history record
New York gives the record subject a choice between two types of Personal Record Review. This distinction is useful when you are checking whether sealed information has actually been handled correctly.
Suppressed Personal Record Review
This version leaves out qualifying sealed or suppressed information, including categories covered by specific Criminal Procedure Law provisions.
Unsuppressed Personal Record Review
This version includes qualifying sealed/suppressed records that the person is legally entitled to inspect, including certain dismissed matters and youthful-offender information.
How to get a New York Certificate of Disposition
A Certificate of Disposition is different from CHRS. It is an official court document bearing the court seal that states what happened in a particular criminal case.
New York Courts says a Certificate of Disposition can show:
- the offense charged
- the offense of conviction, if any
- conviction date
- sentence
- case disposition
- official court certification
Identify the sentencing court
The certificate must come from the court that handled the criminal case.
Find the court using the statewide locator
Use the New York Court Locator to find the correct clerk’s office, phone number and hours.
Provide identifying case details
Courts may ask for the docket, indictment or SCI number, defendant name, date of birth or date of arrest.
Provide identification if necessary
If the case is sealed and you are the defendant, photo identification is generally required. A representative may need notarized authorization from the defendant.
New York state prison records and incarcerated-person lookup
The New York State DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup provides public information about current and certain former people in New York State prison custody.
Useful search information can include:
- name
- Department Identification Number (DIN)
- NYSID where supported
- custody status
- assigned or releasing facility
- county of commitment
- release information
- selected conviction and sentence data
New York parole and community-supervision records
DOCCS also operates an official Parolee Lookup for individuals under or formerly under state parole supervision.
Search options include:
- NYSID
- DIN
- first and last name
- last name only
- name plus birth year
The DOCCS lookup itself cautions that the department does not guarantee the accuracy of every result generated by the online service. Important information should be verified directly with DOCCS.
New York City jail records are separate from state prison records
New York City operates its own jail system through the New York City Department of Correction. A person held at Rikers Island or another NYC DOC facility will not necessarily appear in the New York State DOCCS incarcerated-person database.
NYC’s Department of Correction provides an inmate lookup tool showing the current location of a person in city custody and basic case information.
County jail and sheriff records outside New York City
County jail information is generally local. Each sheriff can have its own roster, incarcerated-person search, booking system or public-record request process.
For someone arrested outside NYC:
How to find New York criminal appeals and appellate decisions
A criminal case does not necessarily end in the trial court. Convictions and other rulings can be reviewed by the Appellate Division and, in qualifying cases, the New York Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals public-search system allows searches of civil and criminal appeals, including searches by party name, decision date, citation and other case fields.
Official search: New York Court of Appeals Public Search.
Published appellate decisions
The New York State Law Reporting Bureau provides free access to officially published decisions of the Court of Appeals, Appellate Division and selected trial courts.
Search official New York decisionsSealed and expunged criminal records in New York
New York generally relies on sealing rather than traditional expungement, although certain marijuana-related convictions were specifically vacated, dismissed and expunged under state law.
New York Courts explains that sealed records remain in existence but are hidden from ordinary public access. Access can remain available to the person and specified government or law-enforcement entities where the law permits it.
Cases automatically sealed after a favorable result
Certain cases ending favorably for the accused are automatically sealed under New York law. Youthful-offender adjudications and qualifying violations also receive special confidentiality treatment.
CPL 160.59 — sealing after 10 years
Separate from Clean Slate, New York CPL 160.59 allows some people to apply to a court to seal qualifying older convictions.
New York Courts currently explains that an applicant generally must:
- have no more than two eligible convictions
- have no more than one felony among those convictions
- remain crime-free for the required period
- have no current criminal case pending
- meet offense eligibility rules
Certain sex offenses, violent felonies and serious felonies are not eligible under this procedure.
New York Clean Slate Act: what changes in criminal-record searches
New York’s Clean Slate Act creates automatic sealing for many eligible convictions after statutory waiting periods. However, implementation is still in progress.
Generally 3 years
Eligible misdemeanor dockets can qualify after three years from sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later, subject to the statute’s conditions.
Generally 8 years
Eligible felony dockets can qualify after eight years from sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later, subject to eligibility conditions.
The person generally must not be on probation, parole or post-release supervision and must not have a pending misdemeanor or felony case.
Most Class A felonies, murder and sex offenses are excluded, although drug offenses have special treatment.
Official guidance: New York State Clean Slate Act.
How to correct an inaccurate New York criminal record
First determine which record is wrong. An incorrect court docket, OCA CHRS report and DCJS rap sheet are maintained through different systems.
Contact the criminal court
If the disposition, charge or judgment itself is incorrect, begin with the clerk of the court that handled the case.
Use the challenge process
A Personal Record Review includes instructions for challenging inaccurate or incomplete information.
Confirm the court order
If a case that should be sealed still appears, obtain court documentation and follow the correction/seal-verification procedure.
DCJS Record Review contact: 518-457-9847 or 518-485-7675, Monday through Friday during published agency hours.
Federal criminal records in New York
New York state court systems do not include federal prosecutions. Federal criminal cases in New York are filed in one of the federal district courts and are accessed through PACER.
New York has four federal judicial districts:
- Northern District of New York
- Southern District of New York
- Eastern District of New York
- Western District of New York
Use PACER Case Locator when you do not know which federal district handled the prosecution.
New York City criminal courthouse example
For New York City misdemeanor cases and early felony proceedings, one of the state’s busiest criminal courthouses is New York County Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street in Manhattan. This map is included as a practical NYC example only; it is not the correct courthouse for every New York criminal case.
New York County Criminal Court
100 Centre Street
New York, NY 10013
This location handles New York City criminal matters including misdemeanors, arraignments and preliminary felony proceedings.
For every other county or borough, use the official New York Court Locator rather than traveling to this courthouse.
New York criminal-record search tips that save time
Know whether you need CHRS or DCJS
CHRS is a public name-and-DOB court-data search. DCJS Personal Record Review is your fingerprint-based official rap sheet.
Do not pay $95 if you only need one known case
If you already know the court and docket number, contact that court or use the available case-search system first.
CHRS needs exact name and DOB
A nickname, alternate DOB or different surname can produce no match even when another record exists.
Older Justice Court record?
Historic Town and Village Court reporting gaps can make direct contact with the local court necessary.
Current case and CHRS are not interchangeable
WebCriminal may be useful for an upcoming appearance even when your goal does not require a $95 statewide history search.
Use the disposition, not the arrest headline
A later dismissal, acquittal or reduced charge can completely change how the case should be described.
NYC jail is not DOCCS
Rikers Island and other city custody records belong to NYC DOC, not the New York State prison lookup.
Check appellate history
A conviction can later be modified or reversed. Search appellate decisions for older or significant cases.
Clean Slate is still being implemented
Public visibility can change as eligible records are sealed through the statewide implementation period ending in 2027.
Using New York criminal records for employment or background screening
A New York court search is not automatically the same as a legally compliant employment or tenant-screening background report. Different laws govern who can obtain fingerprint-based DCJS information and how criminal-history information may be used.
DCJS states that criminal-history records it maintains are not public records and cannot simply be obtained by private companies or members of the public through FOIL. Fingerprint-based access for employment or licensing requires specific legal authorization.
New York criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is there a free New York criminal-record search?
Some New York court case information can be searched through e-Courts and WebCriminal without paying for a statewide background search. However, OCA’s statewide CHRS currently costs $95 per search, and fingerprint-based DCJS Personal Record Review has fingerprinting costs.
2. How much does the New York statewide CHRS search cost?
The New York State Office of Court Administration currently charges $95 for each statewide Criminal History Record Search.
3. Does New York CHRS show every criminal case?
No. CHRS has important limitations. It does not disclose sealed cases, federal cases, Family Court cases or civil cases, and historical Town and Village Court reporting is incomplete for certain years.
4. Can I obtain another person’s official New York DCJS rap sheet?
No, not simply for general background research. DCJS says its official fingerprint-based criminal-history records are not public records. Individuals can request their own Personal Record Review, and attorneys can request records for their clients.
5. What is the difference between CHRS and a DCJS rap sheet?
CHRS is an OCA public court-data search based on exact name and date of birth. A DCJS Personal Record Review is a fingerprint-based official New York criminal-history record maintained by DCJS.
6. How do I get a certified New York criminal court disposition?
Contact the court that handled the case and request a Certificate of Disposition. New York Courts currently states that the fee generally ranges from $5 to $10 depending on the court.
7. Can I find someone in a New York State prison online?
Yes. Use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Incarcerated Lookup. For a person held in a county jail or NYC jail, use the appropriate local correctional agency instead.
8. Does WebCriminal show sealed or finished criminal cases?
WebCriminal is primarily designed for selected current criminal cases and future court appearances. It is not a complete statewide historical or sealed-record database.
9. When will New York Clean Slate records be sealed?
New York Courts states that the Unified Court System has until November 16, 2027 to complete sealing of eligible convictions under the Clean Slate Act. Eligible misdemeanor and felony records have different waiting periods and statutory conditions.
10. Does New York CHRS include federal criminal cases?
No. OCA states that CHRS does not include federal court cases. Federal criminal cases should be searched through PACER.
Official New York sources used for this guide
- New York Courts — Criminal History Record Search
- New York Courts — CHRS Frequently Asked Questions
- New York Courts — e-Courts / WebCriminal
- New York Courts — Court Locator
- New York Courts — Criminal Records Basics
- New York DCJS — Personal Criminal History Record Review
- New York Courts — Certificate of Disposition
- New York Courts — Criminal Records & Sealing
- New York Courts — Clean Slate Act
- New York DOCCS — Incarcerated Lookup
- New York DOCCS — Parolee Lookup
- New York State Law Reporting Bureau — Official Court Decisions
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search