NYS Criminal History Record Search

Choose a court search or your own fingerprint record

New York OCA’s Criminal History Record Search, or CHRS, is a public court-data product. DCJS personal record review is a fingerprint-based review of your own state criminal history. Neither should be described as an unrestricted national search. If an organization asks for a specific certified court disposition, use that court’s certificate procedure instead of paying for another broad name search. Keep these three products separate when deciding what to order.

Prepare the name and birth date carefully

CHRS uses the first and last name with date of birth; the middle initial is not part of its matching mechanism. The FAQ explains limited formatting variants for dual or hyphenated names and apostrophes. A suffix search also checks without the suffix, but searching without a suffix does not automatically retrieve suffixed names. These rules do not turn the service into a broad alias search. Each additional alias or birth date is another charged search.

Retain the exact submitted identity pair with the receipt and report. Do not quietly change the query when presenting the result to someone else. If a result concerns a similar name, use the court’s case identifiers and underlying disposition to resolve the mismatch. A returned no-match means no reportable match under that request’s criteria, not that the person has never been arrested or involved in a case.

Order once and track the request

OCA charges $95 per statewide CHRS search. Apply through Direct Access or mail the application and check or money order payable to NYS Office of Court Administration to the CHRS Unit, 25 Beaver Street, Room 940, New York, NY 10004. There is no in-person service there. Supply an email address for email delivery or a self-addressed stamped envelope for postal results.

Direct Access can return a no-result response immediately; requests requiring review are normally returned the next business day. Mail requests are processed the next business day after receipt, excluding postal transit. If a result is delayed or a submission encounters an error, check Direct Access Receipts and contact CHRS before resubmitting. A processing status is not a reason to buy a duplicate search.

Understand what a statewide report omits

CHRS reports eligible pending criminal matters and convictions from all 62 counties. It excludes federal, civil and Family Court cases, sealed material and certain noncriminal or non-fingerprinted offenses. Town and Village disposition data for May 1991 through 2002 is unavailable. Cases without a final disposition and with no activity for five years may be omitted unless an arrest warrant remains open. County data-start dates and reporting delays also matter when interpreting an older or very recent event.

OCA’s misdemeanor-redemption policy generally suppresses a history consisting of one misdemeanor conviction more than ten years old, but the policy lists exceptions, including specified impaired-driving, official-misconduct and sexual offenses. It does not apply to the courts or DCJS. Separately, New York’s Clean Slate implementation period runs to November 16, 2027. As of this guide’s October 2026 review, do not assume every otherwise eligible conviction has already been sealed, or that an absent CHRS entry proves deletion from all government records.

Request a personal DCJS review

DCJS does not let you order this personal response to investigate someone else. Choose suppressed service code 15464Z or unsuppressed code 15465F; unsuppressed review includes sealed/suppressed information, and obtaining both requires separate requests. Schedule through IdentoGo or 877-472-6915 and bring acceptable identification. Fees effective February 2, 2026 are $17.50 at a New York appointment and $57.45 for the listed out-of-state enrollment-center route.

When an enrollment center is unavailable, DCJS describes FD-258 fingerprint-card and IdentoGo Cardscan submission; the Cardscan charge is $17.50, with local fingerprint-taking costs potentially separate. Follow the official barcode, signature and mailing instructions. Responses arrive by U.S. mail in approximately 3–4 weeks after DCJS receives the request, with challenge instructions. For inability to pay, request the fee-waiver packet from DCJS Record Review; international requests must select an international purpose for the signed document needed for an apostille.

Obtain proof from the court that decided the case

CHRS results are not certified. A Certificate of Disposition is a sealed court document reporting the charge, outcome and sentence. Contact the court of original jurisdiction, provide the docket number and photo ID, and ask which additional identifiers it needs. New York Courts lists a $5–$10 fee per certificate and notes possible fee relief for people on public assistance. Court-specific payment and delivery methods vary.

For a sealed case, the defendant needs photo identification and may need a notarized statement. A representative must provide the defendant’s notarized permission. Certification authenticates the case disposition; it does not expand access to sealed details or certify the completeness of a statewide history. If the requesting organization named a particular case, order that case’s certificate rather than assuming a CHRS printout will be accepted.

Correct the underlying error

If your DCJS history fails to reflect sealing, obtain the court’s Certificate of Disposition. New York Courts instructs that when it shows the case is sealed, send the original certificate with a correction-request letter to DCJS. If the certificate lacks a sealing mark, ask the clerk to check the actual file first. When the file itself is not sealed, ask the court about the applicable procedure; correcting a transcription error is different from requesting new sealing relief. Keep copies of what you submit.