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Are Birth Records Public In New York

Finding A Criminal Court Or Other Public Record In New York City

NYC Adding Nonbinary ‘X’ Designation to Birth Certificates
  • New York Public Records
  • Finding Public Records
  • Thanks to freedom of information laws, finding a criminal, court, or any other kind of public record in New York City is possible, though the process of how to obtain these documents can be varied and difficult. Your local court building is a good place to start, and online resources make it easier than ever to find the record youre looking for. But if you decide to find the records yourself, knowing where to look is a good first step.

    Indexes To The Vital Records Of New York State

    Copies of the microfiche index to vital records certificates held by the NYS Department of Health are located at the following locations:

  • New York State Archives, Cultural Education Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230. Telephone 518-474-8955; email . Available Monday through Friday 9:30-4:30 and Saturday 9:30-4:30 except State holidays. No appointment is needed to use the indexes. Researchers must produce identification, sign a registration form, and comply with the rules of the research room. Several microfiche readers are available for use, though researchers will be limited to one hour’s use if other persons are waiting.
  • For a telephone message with ordering options for genealogical or certified vital records call:

    788-4520

    For records for births through 1909, deaths up to and including 1948, and marriages up to and including 1930 contact:

    31 Chambers Street, Room 103 New York, NY 10007 639-9675

    These are the years for which you may obtain records for genealogical purposes. The phone message gives options.

    For records for births 1910 to present, deaths 1949 to present, and marriages 1931 to present contact a place below:

    New York City Department of Health 125 Worth Street, CN 4, Room 133 New York, NY 10013 or City Clerk

    Are Marriage Records Public Information

    In most U.S states, are public information. However, U.S. public record laws prohibit the dissemination of identifying information to members of the public. As such, public marriage records often exclude sensitive information pertaining to the registrants including birth dates, current addresses, and social security information. To be eligible to access full marriage record information, the requester must be named on the record or be a legal representative of either party.

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    What Is A Lawful Right Or Claim

    If the applicant is not the spouse, parent or child of the decedent, a lawful right or claim must be documented. An example of a lawful right or claim would be a death record needed by the applicant to claim a benefit. Documentation would consist of an official letter from the agency verifying that to process the claim they require from the applicant a copy of the requested death record.

    To obtain a copy in person:

    • Bring a completed and signed Application for Copy of Death Record Formto the City Clerks office: 1 West Chester Street, Room 307, Long Beach, NY 11561.
    • Payment of $10.00 per copy.;Cash and money orders , and credit cards are accepted for payment.;
    • One of the following forms of valid photo-ID:

    ·;;;;;;;Driver license

    Issuance Of Apostille Or Certificate Of Authentication

    NYC Proposal to Further Restrict Access to Vital Records ...

    The third step in the process is the issuance of the apostille or certificate of authentication by the New York State Department of State. An application form must be completed. The documents in question, properly authenticated, must be attached and a fee paid. The fee is $10.00 per apostille or certificate. For access to the application form, information on acceptable payment methods, and other information, see www.dos.state.ny.us .

    The documents may be submitted to the Department of State in person at the following address:

    New York State Department of StateDivision of Licensing Services

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    Historical Birth Death And Marriage Records For The Five Boroughs Of New York City

    31 Chambers Street, Room 103New York, NY 10007Hours: MonThurs. 9 am to 4:30 pm and Friday 9 am to 1 pm

    Birth Records prior 1910Queens 184749, 18811909Staten Island 184749, 18811909

    Death Records prior to 1949Manhattan 1795, 18021804, 1808, 18121948Bronx 18981948Brooklyn 18471853, 18571948Queens 184749, 18811948Staten Island 184749, 18811948

    Please note; the boroughs of Brooklyn , Queens, Staten Island and areas of the Bronx did not become part of New York City until 1898.

    *The Bronx did not exist as a separate Borough until 1898. New York City annexed the area west of the Bronx River in 1874 and annexed the area east of the Bronx River in 1895. For vital records in those areas after the date of annexation through 1897, search Manhattan records.

    Birth records after 1910 and Death records after 1949125 Worth Street, CN-4, Room 133New York, NY 10013.

    Are Death Records Open To The Public

    More often than not, death records are open to the public. Pursuant to federal statutes, general death-related information may be disseminated to persons who are 18 or older. Sensitive information such as the cause of death may be excluded unless the requester is either of the following:

    • The deceaseds parent, legal guardian or spouse
    • Adult children, grandchildren, and siblings of the decedent
    • Individuals who can demonstrate a tangible interest
    • Persons authorized by court order
    • Legal representatives of the eligible parties.

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    How To Access New York Public Records

    Open FOIL NY is the place to start when you need copies of public records. The state of New York has set up a dedicated website to serve the public, and more than 55 government agencies take part in this initiative. If one of those offices is where you need records, then the process is easy. Simply follow the steps below.

    • Visit the FOIL NY website.
    • Fill out the form. Be sure to select the government agency you wish to pull records from.
    • Pay the fees.
    • Submit the form and await a response.

    If the records you require are not on the FOIL NY website, you can visit the government agency in person to request them.

    Index To New York State Births 1881

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    The New York State Birth Index is now online

    You can browse through the images online at the Internet Archive, totally free. The records for 1881-1935 are online now, and the remaining records for 1936-1942 will be added within the next week or two. At least sixty-six pages for the year 1905 are currently missing and will hopefully be added within the next few months.

    In September 2017, Reclaim The Records made a new FOIL request of the New York State Department of Health , asking for the first-ever public copy of the basic index to all births in New York State . In September 2018, after a year of working and waiting and e-mailing and finally receiving the records, we went public with the news that we had won, and published the records online.

    Heres how we did it.

    This is the text of the original request we sent, via its page on MuckRock.com:

    This statewide birth index was previously only available to researchers who were sitting in a small number of upstate New York public libraries, as well as the Manhattan branch of the National Archives . And even then, it was only available in an old-fashioned and difficult format, scratched-up and faded microfiche sheets. And you had to hand in your drivers license to be held hostage by the librarian just so you could see a single sheet at a time. So yeah, they were technically public records, but in practice they were not public public records.

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    Whats In The Index And Whats Not In The Index

    This birth index is sorted by year, and then alphabetically by surname within each year. The town of birth is listed, although sometimes shown as an abbreviation, as is the certificate number.

    There are handwritten additions on many of the sheets, sometimes even notating the date of death. And several of the years have a supplemental section at the very end of the year, so if you cant find someone try skipping to the end of the year to check there, too. Weve also identified a few missing images here and there, including at least sixty-six missing microfiche sheets from the beginning of the alphabet for the year 1905, and were in contact with the New York State Department of Health to have them provide re-scans where needed.

    Note that this index does not contain lists of births from New York City. New York City is considered to be an entirely separate vital records jurisdiction from the rest of New York state, and consequently the city has its own birth, marriage, and death indices. However, a small number of NYC birth listings are found scattered throughout this index, either because the births happened in towns that were previously independent before the consolidation of the city in 1898 or because there was a late birth registration.

    Births From 1881 Thru 1897

    Prior to 1898, the towns in the counties of Queens and Richmond kept birth records according to New York State laws. Starting in 1881, New York required that village, town, and city clerks record births. After New York City consolidated in 1898, many of these records were sent to the New York City Municipal Archives.

    STEP ONE: Find Birth Information

    The New York Archives as well as nine other repositories in New York hold copies of microfiche indexes to birth certificates. Contact one of these ten repositories to search the index. If you do not find your ancestor’s birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, contact the New York City Municipal Archives.

    STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate

    With an exact date , you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:

    To Order Birth Certificates

    See list of restrictions for ordering birth records

    If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search other records with birth information.

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    Births From 1847 Thru 1849

    In 1847, New York State passed a law requiring that doctors and midwives report births, marriages, and deaths to the trustees of local school districts. Due to the complexities of this law, it quickly fell into disfavor and few communities reported births after 1850 . Most records that exist for this time period have been collected by the New York City Municipal Archives.

    PART A: You know the village, town, or city of birth

    Try 1st: Most of the records for Manhattan as well as the towns in Kings, Queens, and Richmond counties have been microfilmed by FamilySearch. Search the Catalog for the name of village, town, or city to see if it is available at your local FamilySearch Center.

    Try 2nd: Order a copy of the birth record from New York City Municipal;Archives.

    If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search other records with birth information.

    PART B: You do not know the village, town, or city of birth

    If you do not know the village, town, or city of birth, learn more about the family using census, land, probate, and church records.

    White Plains Birth Records

    10,000 vital records of central New York, 1813

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    New York Map

    Westchester County shown in red

    About New York Birth Records

    Statewide registration of births in New York began in 1880 with complete records by 1915. A few cities began keeping birth records before 1880. Copies of recent birth certificates can be obtained from the local town or city clerk or from the New York State Department of Health.

    Help with Birth Records

    Note: Affiliate links are used within the directory on this site and a small contribution goes to the website for some purchases made. LDSGenealogy.com is privately owned and is not an official site of FamilySearch International or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .

    Copyright 2008-2021 LDSGenealogy.com

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    Find New York Birth Records

    New York Birth Records are documents relating to an individual’s birth in NY. These can include birth certificates, birth indexes, and birth databases. Some states may also have paternity registries and affidavits of parentage for children born to single parents. Birth Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or the County Clerk’s Offices, which may be run by the New York state government or at the local level.

    Find Birth Records, including:

    • Certified copies of birth certificates
    • What birth records are used for

    Are Divorce Records Public Information

    Divorce Records are usually public information unless otherwise deemed by a court. Like marriage records, there are also restrictions on the information available to the public. However, all requesters above 18 years old can obtain general divorce information excluding details of the partys property inventory, financial information and settlement costs. Nonetheless, restricted information can be accessed by either of the parties named in the record, their immediate family members and legal representatives.

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    New York City Department Of Health And Mental Hygiene: More Recent Birth And Death Certificates

    More recent collections of birth and death certificates in New York City are;maintained by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene .;

    After a certain period of time, these records are transferred from DOHMH to the DORIS and stored at the Municipal Archives, where they can be accessed by any member of the public.

    Currently, records are transferred to DORIS and made fully public on the following schedule:

    • Birth Certificates: 125 years after the event
    • Death Certificates: 75 years after the event

    Researchers should note that this is a new rule that was passed relatively recently;and took;effect in 2019if youre interested, read more about our efforts to fight against it, and how we were able to secure an amendment to the rule.

    Vital certificates that are still at the Department of Health can be accessed, but not by everyone.

    Individuals with one of the following relationships to the subject of the certificate can obtain copies of birth records from DOHMH :

    • Spouse/domestic partner

    Police And Arrest Records

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    There are a number of other records available through New York Cities online presence and third party record search engines. Of these, Police Records and Arrest Records are some of the most sought after. Police and arrest records document the going ons of law enforcement agencies in New York City, including all interactions with they have with the public. This includes traffic stops, arrests, investigations, and more. Per the NYPD, the Departments Public Inquiry and Request Section, Criminal Records Section, and Aided Unit provide these records on request.

    Some reports are only available online, while others must be requested in person at the Police Headquarters during normal business hours between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additionally, some records are available through FOIL laws.

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    Who Is Eligible To Obtain A Birth Certificate Copy

    • The person named on the birth certificate.
    • A parent of the person named on the birth certificate .
    • Only by order of a New York State Court may a spouse, child or other persons obtain a copy of a birth certificate.

    ;To obtain a copy in person:

    • Bring a completed and signed Application for Copy of Birth Record Form to the City Clerks office: 1 West Chester Street, Room 307, Long Beach, NY 11561.
    • Payment of $10.00 per copy.;Cash and money orders , and credit cards are accepted for payment.;
    • One of the following forms of valid photo ID:

    ·;;;;;;;Drivers license

    ·;;;;;;;Other government issued photo ID

    Please Note: Failure to include necessary identification will result in rejection of your application.

    To make a request by mail:

    • Enclose a money order for $10.00 for each copy made payable to City Of Long Beach.;Do not send cash.
    • A completed and signed Application for Copy of Birth Record Form. Your signature MUST be notarized!
    • A copy of the applicants driver’s license with his/her current name and address along with his/her relationship to the person named on the certificate
    • If the applicant’s return address is a Post Office Box, with no street address, or the return address is to a third party, a notarized signed consent of the person named on the birth certificate or other person eligible to obtain the copy is always required.
    • Send application to:

    Records are available online from the New York State Vital Records Web page.

    Birth Marriage And Death Certificates

    Vital Records:

    Birth, marriage, and death certificates are not filed in the Broome County Clerk’s Office.; They’re recorded in;the City, Town or Village;where the event took place.

    These vital records can also be ordered online through the NYS Department of Health by visiting www.health.ny.gov/vital_records or by calling 1-877-854-4481.

    Pennsylvania birth, death and marriage records can be ordered online through the Pennsylvania Department of Healths Division of Vital Records at;www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Vital%20Records.aspx.;

    Officiating Weddings:

    The Broome County Clerk’s office does not register marriage officiants.

    According to the New York State Department of Health’s website , there is no requirement for officiants to register if the marriage is performed in New York State outside of the five boroughs of New York City.

    We would encourage you to contact the City, Town or Village where the marriage license was issued to see if they have any other requirements.;

    Their contact information is below:

    Municipal Clerks;in Broome County:

    City of Binghamtons Registrar of Vital Statistics:

    • Phone: 772-7029

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