Get Information About New York Public Records Search

By Claire Dowell


The records in the US are open to the public by following a procedure set by the country's state and federal regulations. The New York public records are documents of individuals of their birth, marriage, divorce, death, property, etc. The public can get hold of records that have been filed by the federal, state, city or county agencies. The documents are determined by the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. There is more than one agency that takes care of the recording task; therefore it takes numerous agencies to maintain the records as well.

Public information at the local level is generally related to public agency records such as local building permits, ballot applications, ordinances and city council meeting minutes. The majority of personal records such as birth and marriage certificates are handled at the county or state level. Apart from city records, churches and cemeteries may have local records you are looking for.

For events that occurred recently, the county clerk's office may be the first place to go to. These records are issued at the county level but they get transferred to the state eventually. The state is your next stop if you need to find older records of birth, death or marriage. For instance, if the person whose birth certificate you are looking for was recently born in New York, you would have to search the county clerk, assessor or recorder in New York.

Every state has an office that handles public information. The Office of Vital Statistics is a part of the state's public health department. You will need to fill out an application request in order to get a copy of public documents such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, etc. You may have to verify if you qualify to request a record. For example, if the birth information you are looking for is not in the public domain, you must provide proof that you have legal right to access it.

If you are the person named on the birth certificate, or the person's legal guardian or representative, then you qualify to request the record. Expect to pay a small amount for the search fee and document copy. Federal records include immigration records, federal court records, military records and other files related to federal issues. Like county and state records search, you will need to contact the specific agency involved.

Trying to figure out who is in charge of the records you need can be the hardest part about looking for public information. US residents have other options to do a free public records search. The internet delivers public data online through numerous online records providers. State and federal agency sites, genealogy sites and membership sites are among the several options for finding public records in the United States including New York City. A good way to find the records is to use the services of a records provider on the internet with its guaranteed fast results.




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