Yes. Deeds are public record in New York, and anyone can look them up. Once a deed is recorded, it becomes part of the official public record, and the city and county make those records searchable online. That openness is by design: it protects buyers, deters fraud, and lets anyone confirm who owns a property. Here is what is public, how to look it up, and what it means for your privacy.
1 Why deeds are public
Recording exists so ownership is transparent and provable. A public record lets a buyer confirm the seller really owns the property, lets a lender see existing mortgages, and creates a clear chain of title. It also deters fraud, because a forged or hidden transfer stands out against an open record. Openness is the whole point of the recording system.
2 What is visible
A recorded deed and the surrounding documents typically show:
- The current owner and how title is held.
- The chain of prior transfers and their dates.
- The consideration (what was paid), or a nominal amount if that was used.
- Recorded mortgages, liens, and satisfactions attached to the property.
3 How to look one up
In New York City, ACRIS lets anyone search recorded property documents for four boroughs at no cost. You can search by address, or by borough, block, and lot. Staten Island uses the Richmond County Clerk. Keep in mind a free lookup shows you individual documents, not a full analysis, which is where a professional title search adds value.
4 Privacy and the $10 trick
Since deeds are public, people who want to keep a sale price private sometimes list a nominal amount, like “$10 and other good and valuable consideration,” instead of the real number. This is a long-standing, legal practice for privacy, but it does not hide the transfer itself or avoid transfer taxes, which are based on the actual value. Recording still makes the transfer visible; only the dollar figure is obscured.
5 Recording and searches
Whether you need a deed recorded so it becomes part of the public record, or a title search of what is already there, we handle both. See our NYC document recording and title search service, or call 347-762-0262.
Need a deed recorded or a title checked?
We record deeds through ACRIS and run property title searches, done for you across NYC.
Yes. Once recorded, a deed is public. In NYC you can search them for free on ACRIS for four boroughs, and through the Richmond County Clerk for Staten Island.
Can anyone see who owns my house?
Yes. Ownership and the transfer history are public. Anyone can look up the recorded owner of a property.
Can I keep the sale price private?
People sometimes record a nominal amount like $10 for privacy, but the transfer is still public and transfer taxes are based on the real value.
Related: property title search in NYC and why people put $10 on a deed.
See also: how to get a copy of your deed in NYC, step by step.
See also: do you get your deed after paying off your mortgage.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Public-record access and rules can change. Confirm current procedures or consult a professional.
Related: ACRIS NYC: How to Search Property Records and Record a Deed
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What a stranger can actually see
More than most owners expect. A recorded deed shows the names of the seller and the buyer, the property by borough, block and lot, the date of the transfer, the stated consideration, and the signatures and notary acknowledgment as they appear on the document.
Filed alongside it, the transfer tax return and the property transfer report add detail about the sale price, the relationship between the parties and the type of property. Mortgages, satisfactions, liens, judgments and easements recorded against the same lot are all visible too, which means anyone can assemble a fairly complete picture of what a property sold for and what is owed on it.
What is not in the public file
Social Security numbers and taxpayer identification numbers are redacted from what is displayed publicly. Bank account numbers do not belong in a recorded instrument. Your personal financial statements, your contract of sale, your inspection report and your closing statement are not recorded and do not become public.
Still, the practical point stands. If your name is on a New York City deed, the fact that you own that property is public information, and there is no version of recording where it is not.
Privacy, and the limits of it
People ask about this for real reasons: a domestic violence survivor, someone with a stalking history, a person who simply does not want their address searchable next to their name.
Some owners hold property through an entity, and that changes what a casual search returns, though it does not make ownership untraceable and it carries tax, lending and legal consequences that are well outside what a notary can advise on. If safety is the reason you are asking, talk to an attorney and to a victim services advocate rather than solving it with the deed alone. There are also state programs designed to keep an address out of public records for people at risk, and those are worth asking about specifically.
Use the public record in your own favor
The same openness that exposes your ownership lets you monitor it. Look up your own property once a year and read what is filed against it. If a mortgage you paid off is still showing, the satisfaction was never recorded, and you want to know that now rather than at a closing.
Then enroll in the City Register notification program, which mails you a notice whenever a document is recorded against your property. Deed fraud works by filing a forged instrument and hoping the real owner does not notice for years. A notice in your mailbox collapses that timeline. It is free.
Getting a copy
A plain copy of your deed is generally free to view and print online. A certified copy, which carries the clerk’s certification, costs a modest official fee and is what a court, a title company or a foreign authority will want. See how to get a copy.
Ignore the official looking letters offering to retrieve your deed for $80 or more. Those are marketing, not a government requirement.
Where we fit
We notarize signings and handle recording. Our recording service starts at $350 plus government fees, passed through at cost. What we cannot do is advise on how you should hold title or how to structure ownership for privacy, because a New York notary is prohibited from giving legal advice. That conversation belongs with an attorney, and we will say so rather than guess.