Search Westchester County Clerk Records

About the Westchester County Clerk's Office

The Westchester County Clerk is an elected county officer. The official elected-officials page lists County Clerk Timothy Idoni, based at the White Plains courthouse complex. An outside encyclopedia entry says Thomas Roach took the post in 2026, but the county's own pages still name Idoni, so the office's own listing is used here. The Clerk's office runs several divisions. The Legal Division is the one most people use for court records. It serves as the Clerk for both the Supreme Court and the County Court.

The office does far more than hold court files. It runs the Land Records Division, processes UCC filings, registers business names, takes passport applications, issues notary and authentication services, and handles Westchester County IDs, Veterans Services, and Domestic Partnerships. For court records, the Legal Division is the office that matters. All Supreme and County Court records are filed there.

The official homepage below lists the full set of services and the hours of operation.

Visit the Westchester County Clerk homepage to see every division and service the office offers.

From that page you can reach the Legal Division, the search-records guide, and Westchester Records Online.

What the Westchester County Clerk Legal Division Does

The Legal Division is the heart of the Clerk's court-record work. Its own page says the County Clerk serves as Clerk for the Supreme and County Courts, and that all records for those courts are filed there. People come to the division to look up legal records, judgments, liens, lis pendens, and business records. Staff can search files and produce copies when a record is open and the fee is paid.

The division also handles a set of non-court legal functions. You can register a business, file a lien, get notary commission information, register a domestic partnership, file veterans' military discharge papers, and submit Small Claims Assessment Review petitions. The mix of court and non-court work all runs through one office.

• Acts as Clerk for the Supreme and County Courts.
• Keeps judgments, liens, lis pendens, and legal records.
• Records land documents and processes UCC filings.
• Registers business names, or DBAs, under General Business Law § 130.
• Provides notary commission and authentication services.
• Takes passport applications and Small Claims Assessment Review petitions.

The division's own page spells out the full scope of these duties.

See the Westchester County Clerk Legal Division page for the complete list of records and services.

That page also points to the mail address and the rules for sealed records.

How the Westchester County Clerk Holds Court Records

The Clerk's "Search Court Records" page sets the ground rules. All legal records filed in the office are open for public inspection unless sealed under New York law. Matrimonial files are the main exception. Those are sealed and given only to the parties or their attorneys of record. Other cases can be sealed by court order, but most legal records stay public.

You have four ways to reach a record. Search in the office at a public terminal. Order a copy from the office staff. Request a record by mail. Or search online with Westchester Records Online. The path you pick depends on whether you need a quick look or a certified document.

Criminal cases carry a clear marker. In the Clerk's online system, criminal matters show the letters "DA" before the index or indictment number. That tag helps separate them from civil filings at a glance.

The official search-records guide walks through each request method.

Read the Westchester County Clerk Search Court Records page for the rules on inspection and copies.

It also lists the search fees and the mail address for the Legal Division.

Westchester Records Online and the County Clerk

Westchester Records Online, or WRO, is the Clerk's web portal. It replaced the old Public Viewer. The office says users can search records ranging from 18th-century deeds to judgments entered by the Legal Division last week. One portal covers Land Records, Legal Records, Maps, and Trades.

Searching for information is free. Viewing or printing document images is not. A County Clerk release sets image access at $20.00 for one day or $1,200 for a full year, paid online by credit card. In-office terminals show document images from 2002 to the present at no charge. Older case documents may need an off-site archive pull.

Coverage runs deep for case data. Civil cases appear online from 1980 to the present. Criminal cases appear from 1978 to the present, with that "DA" prefix on the index or indictment number. Matrimonial files are not public online; authorized people must visit in person with identification.

The fields below show what the WRO login and search screen ask for.

Start at the Westchester Records Online portal to run a free search or to register for image access.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court-stamped record you can use for legal purposes. Plain online prints are fine to read but may not be accepted in court. Most people need a certified copy for a judgment, a lien matter, or a divorce decree. The Clerk's Legal Division produces these for Supreme and County Court files.

1. Find the index or file number, the document name, the party names, and the rough filing date. The more you list, the faster the search.
2. Write a request letter to the Legal Division, or visit in person. By mail, no special form is needed; just include the case details.
3. Add a check payable to "Westchester County Clerk." Cash is not accepted by mail. A $10.00 search fee applies if you cannot give an index or file number.
4. Mail the request to the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, Legal Division, Room 330, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601.
5. Pick up the copy in person or wait for it to arrive by mail.

For a divorce decree, the rules are tighter. Under Domestic Relations Law § 235, matrimonial files are sealed. Only a party or an attorney of record may get the decree, and the Clerk asks for proper photo ID before releasing it.

Certificates of Criminal Disposition From the Clerk

A certificate of criminal disposition shows the charge and the outcome of a case. The Westchester County Clerk issues these for convictions in Westchester County Court. You can request one in person or by mail. The certified copy fee is $5.00.

By mail, give the defendant's name and the approximate date of the case. If you do not know the indictment number, an added $5.00 search fee applies. Some criminal records are sealed under the Criminal Procedure Law, the Civil Rights Law, or other statutes, so not every case can be released. People often need this certificate first when they apply to seal an old conviction.

The official disposition page lists the request steps and the mail rules.

See the Westchester County Clerk criminal dispositions page for how to order a certificate of disposition.

It also notes which records may be sealed and how the search fee works.

Mail Requests to the Westchester County Clerk

Mail is a solid option when you cannot visit White Plains. The Legal Division accepts written requests for unsealed legal records. Send a letter with as much detail as you can. The office uses that detail to find the file and to set the fee.

Each request should list the index or file number, the specific document name such as a judgment, the party names, and the filing date. Include a check payable to "Westchester County Clerk." A $10.00 search fee applies when no index or file number is given. The first legal record is handled with the search and copy request; each added legal record by mail costs $5.00. Cash is never accepted by mail.

The office also keeps a lobby drop box for in-person submissions. You can leave a request there during business hours instead of waiting at a counter. Mail the rest to the Legal Division, Room 330, 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601.

Records Request Fields for the County Clerk

There is no rigid form for a mail request, but the more fields you fill, the faster the result. The table below covers the details the Legal Division and Westchester Records Online use to locate a file.

Judgments, Liens, and Business Filings

The Westchester County Clerk keeps judgments and liens as permanent public records. An entry can hold the original filing details plus later satisfactions or renewals. You can search monetary judgments, mechanic's liens, broker's liens, and notices of pendency in White Plains or through Westchester Records Online.

The Clerk also handles a range of business and legal filings. DBA business certificates fall under General Business Law § 130. UCC filings, notary services, SCAR petitions, domestic partnership registrations, and veterans' military discharge papers all run through the office. Some of these carry privacy limits, so not every detail is open.

UCC work has its own fee set. A paper UCC financing statement, amendment, assignment, termination, or continuation costs $40. A UCC lien search runs $25 per debtor. A certified UCC copy is $10 per document, and an uncertified copy is $5.

FOIL Versus Court Records at the County Clerk

People often reach for a FOIL request, but court files do not work that way. New York's Freedom of Information Law covers government-agency records under Public Officers Law Article 6. Court files held for the Supreme and County Courts are exempt from FOIL. The County Clerk's own guidance says so.

Court records are reached under Judiciary Law § 255 instead. That statute requires clerks to search files and provide copies when a record is open and the fee is paid. So a court file goes through the Legal Division's direct request process, not a FOIL letter. FOIL still applies to the Clerk's non-court agency records.

The Clerk's FOIL page explains where the line falls.

Read the Westchester County Clerk FOIL page to see which records use FOIL and which use direct court-record access.

Westchester County Clerk Fees

The Clerk charges set fees for searches and copies. Most are small flat amounts. Online image access through Westchester Records Online is the main outlier, since it runs on a paid subscription.

Common Westchester County Clerk Forms

The Legal Division posts its most-used forms on the Clerk's website. These cover the filings residents and attorneys submit most often. Pull the current version before you file, since fees and formats change.

• Legal Division forms list - business name, lien, notary, and related legal filings.
• Certificate of disposition request - for County Court conviction records.

The forms page collects the documents the office accepts at the counter or by mail.

Browse the Westchester County Clerk legal forms page for the full set of downloadable forms.

Each form lists the fee and the office that handles it.

Related Westchester County Clerk Resources

The County Clerk connects to several other record types. For full court files and search portals, see court records. Divorce decrees are sealed and tied to the Clerk's matrimonial rules, covered under marriage and divorce records. Estate files sit in Surrogate's Court records. For deeds, business filings, and FOIL questions, see public records. The default Clerk of Court overview rounds out how the office fits the wider system.