The County Clerk is Clerk of the Supreme and County Court records. Under this authority; the office is the official repository of both civil court cases and criminal records. Our court documents date back to 1791 and are often used for historical research.

Public documents include civil court cases such as lawsuits, foreclosures, real property disputes, and money judgments. While court records are usually public record, some records such as divorces, adoptions, and guardianship are placed under seal by law. These documents are not accessible to the public. If you wish to search our public records, you may do so in our office or online at your own convenience. To sign up for access to our online records, please click here.

Civil Actions

A civil action must start with an index number. A civil action file may include court orders, affidavits, summons, complaints or any document pertaining to that action and bearing the assigned index number.

Divorce Records

Divorce records are considered sealed, and require photo identification to view. ONLY the persons named in the case or their attorney of record may access a divorce. You may obtain your divorce record one of two ways:

In Office: Must provide ID that contains both photo and signature (e.g. Driver’s License). The fee is $5 for a certified copy up to four pages; plus a $1.25 per page over four (caps at 32 pages or $40.00).

By Mail: You will need to send a letter of request along with your notarized signature, a self-addressed stamped envelope and an in-state check (with phone number) or money order for payment.

Index Numbers

An index number must be purchased at the County Clerk’s Office to start a civil action proceeding. The fee for an index number is $210 (except for mortgage foreclosure actions, for which the fee is $400). Index numbers open a file where all later papers are kept and which bear this same index number.

Notice of Appeal

The fee for filing a Notice of Appeal is $65.00. Our requirements for filing are: Original, plus two copies of the Notice of Appeal, original plus one copy of the Initial Informational Statement and the order or judgment appealed from.

The “Initial Informational Statement” required to be filed in all civil matters with the clerk of the court of original instance can be found on the court’s website at http://www.nycourts.gov/ad3.

E-Filing

Mandatory e-filing took effect Wednesday, November 20, 2019. All legal papers must be filed by electronic means, unless they qualify for special exemption. For more information and e-filing FAQs, click here or visit www.nycourts.gov/efile.