New York City White Pages Search
New York City white pages cover public records for more than 8.3 million people spread across five boroughs and five counties. The city runs some of the most extensive open data programs in the country, with over 1,400 free datasets and multiple record search portals. From property deeds in Brooklyn to voter rolls in the Bronx, NYC white pages searches can pull data from dozens of city and state agencies. The City Clerk, Department of Records, and Board of Elections all hold files that are open to the public under New York law.
New York City Overview
New York City White Pages at the City Clerk
The New York City Clerk's Office is at 141 Worth Street in lower Manhattan. This is where marriage licenses are filed and domestic partnership registrations are kept. The office also handles business certificates, or "doing business as" filings, which list the names and addresses of people running businesses in the city. For white pages purposes, these records can help you track down someone who runs or has run a business in NYC.
Marriage records from the City Clerk go back many years. Each filing includes the full names of both parties, their ages, addresses at the time, and the date and place of the ceremony. You can request copies by mail or in person. Fees for certified copies are set by city rules. The office is open Monday through Friday, and you can call (212) 669-2400 for current hours and fee details before you visit.
| Office | New York City Clerk's Office |
|---|---|
| Address |
141 Worth Street New York, NY 10013 |
| Phone | (212) 669-2400 |
| Website | NYC 311 Portal |
The NYC 311 portal at portal.311.nyc.gov is the main gateway for connecting with city services and finding agency contact information.
You can use this portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to look up city offices, file complaints, or get phone numbers for any city agency.
How to Search New York City White Pages Online
NYC runs several free online databases that are useful for white pages lookups. The biggest is NYC Open Data, which holds more than 1,400 datasets at opendata.cityofnewyork.us. These cover building permits, restaurant inspections, property sales, campaign donations, and much more. Many datasets include names and addresses. All of it is free to search and download. The city adds new datasets regularly, so the collection keeps growing. If you need to find a person's connection to any city-regulated activity, Open Data is a strong place to start your white pages search.
ACRIS is another key tool. The Automated City Register Information System at a836-acris.nyc.gov holds property records for four of the five boroughs. It covers Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Staten Island property records are handled separately through the Richmond County Clerk. ACRIS lets you search by name, address, or block and lot number. Results show deeds, mortgages, liens, and other filings going back to 1966. Each document lists all parties and their addresses at the time of the transaction.
The state court system at nycourts.gov/ecourts provides online access to case records across all five boroughs. You can search civil cases through WebCivil Supreme, pending criminal cases through WebCrims, and family court matters through WebFamily. Each search returns party names and case details that can help with a white pages lookup.
NYC Open Data at opendata.cityofnewyork.us provides free access to over 1,400 datasets from city agencies.
This is one of the largest municipal open data programs in the country and a valuable resource for white pages searches in New York City.
NYC Department of Records and White Pages
The New York City Department of Records at 31 Chambers Street holds more than 10 million historical vital records dating from 1855 to 1949. This collection includes birth certificates, death records, and marriage records from that era. For anyone doing genealogical research or trying to trace a family connection through New York City white pages, these historical files can be invaluable. The department also maintains city government photographs, maps, and other archival materials.
You can visit the Municipal Archives reading room in person. Staff will help you search their indexes and pull specific records. Some indexes are available online through the department's website at nyc.gov/site/records. Fees apply for certified copies. Processing times vary depending on how busy the office is and whether you request a rush order. For records after 1949, you will need to go through the NYC Department of Health instead.
The OpenRECORDS portal handles Freedom of Information Law requests for all NYC agencies. Under FOIL, which is found in Public Officers Law sections 84 through 90, you have the right to request any government record that is not specifically exempted. Agencies must respond within five business days. The portal tracks your request and sends updates by email. You can file a FOIL request at opengovernment.ny.gov or directly through the OpenRECORDS system for city agencies.
Voter and Election Records in New York City
The NYC Board of Elections at 32-42 Broadway, 7th Floor handles voter registration for all five boroughs. Voter registration records are public in New York State. Each record includes the voter's name, address, party enrollment, and voting history. This makes voter files one of the most useful sources for New York City white pages searches when you need to find a current address.
You can check your own registration or look up a voter's status online at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov. The site lets you search by name and date of birth. For bulk voter data, you need to submit a written request to the state Board of Elections. Bulk data comes with restrictions on commercial use. It cannot be used for solicitation or sold to third parties under Election Law section 3-103.
The NYC Campaign Finance Board at 100 Church Street maintains data on campaign contributions and expenditures going back to 1989. You can search this at nyccfb.info/follow-the-money. Each contribution record shows the donor's name, address, employer, and the amount given. This is public information and free to search. It can be a useful secondary source for white pages research if you know someone has donated to a local political campaign.
Five Boroughs, Five Counties
New York City is unique because it spans five separate counties. Each borough is its own county, and each county has its own clerk's office and court system. When you search New York City white pages, you may need to check records in more than one county depending on what you are looking for. A person who lives in Queens but owns property in Manhattan would have records in both counties.
Here is how the boroughs and counties line up. Manhattan is New York County. Brooklyn is Kings County. Queens is Queens County. The Bronx is Bronx County. Staten Island is Richmond County. Each county clerk maintains separate property records, court filings, and other public documents. The ACRIS system covers four of these counties for property searches, but Richmond County runs its own system. Keep this in mind when doing a thorough white pages search across the city.
Vital Records for New York City White Pages
Vital records in New York City are handled differently from the rest of the state. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene manages birth and death records for all five boroughs. The state Department of Health at health.ny.gov/statistics/vital_statistics handles records for the rest of New York. If the person you are searching for was born, married, or died in the city, you will need to go through the city's system rather than the state one.
Birth records are restricted in New York. Only the person named on the certificate, their parents, or a legal representative can get a copy. Death records have fewer restrictions and can be useful for white pages research when trying to confirm whether someone is still living. Marriage records are available from either the City Clerk (for the license) or the Department of Health (for the certificate). Under Public Health Law section 4174, certified copies of vital records carry specific fees that are set by the state.
NYC Correction and Inmate Lookup
The New York City Department of Correction runs an inmate lookup tool that lets you search for people currently in city custody. This covers all city jails, including those on Rikers Island. You can search by name or booking number. Results show the person's current facility, charges, and bail information. This is a free tool and can be useful when other white pages methods have not turned up results for someone.
For state prison records, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maintains a separate inmate lookup that covers people serving sentences in state facilities. If someone was convicted in a New York City court but sentenced to state prison, their records would be in the state system rather than the city one. Both databases are updated regularly. Keep in mind that records for released individuals may not appear in these systems after a certain period.
Nearby Cities
Several cities near New York City also have their own white pages resources. If your search involves someone in the greater metro area, these neighboring cities may have relevant records. Yonkers is just north in Westchester County. New Rochelle and Mount Vernon are also in Westchester. Hempstead is the largest town on Long Island, right across the Queens border in Nassau County.
Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon are also close to New York City but do not have dedicated pages on this site. You can search their records through the respective county pages.