You can get a copy of your deed in New York City online, for free, in a few minutes. For property in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens, deeds are available through the city’s ACRIS system. For Staten Island, you go through the Richmond County Clerk. You do not need the original deed to prove you own your home, the recorded copy in the city’s system is what matters, and you can view, download, or order a certified copy any time. Here is exactly how to get yours, step by step.
1 Where your deed actually is
Two copies of your deed exist. You (or your title company at closing) received the original, and the city recorded an official copy in its land records when the property transferred. If you cannot find your paper original, do not worry, the recorded copy is the one that legally proves the transfer, and it is public record you can pull any time. For more on this, see who keeps the original deed to a house.
2 How to get a copy online through ACRIS
For the four boroughs other than Staten Island, ACRIS (the Automated City Register Information System, run by the NYC Department of Finance) lets you find and download your deed for free:
- Go to ACRIS on the NYC Department of Finance website and choose to search property records.
- Search by address, or by borough and block and lot, if you know it.
- Find the deed in the list of recorded documents for the property.
- View or download the document image. Viewing and printing a plain copy is free.
3 Staten Island deeds
Staten Island (Richmond County) is handled separately from ACRIS. To get a copy of a Staten Island deed, you go through the Richmond County Clerk, which maintains those land records. The idea is the same, you locate the recorded deed and request a copy, but the office and process are the county clerk’s rather than the city’s online ACRIS system.
4 Plain copy vs certified copy
A plain copy is just a printout of the recorded document, fine for your own records or to read the details. A certified copy carries an official stamp confirming it is a true copy of what is on record, and it costs a small fee. You generally need a certified copy for legal proceedings, some financial transactions, or any situation where an official original is required. For everyday reference, the free plain copy is usually enough.
5 If you cannot find your deed
A few common snags: the search only returns what has actually been recorded, so a very recent transfer may not appear yet; older deeds (before the records were digitized) may not be online and may need a records request; and name or address variations can hide a result, so try searching by block and lot instead. If the deed was never properly recorded, that is a bigger issue worth resolving, see why recording a deed matters.
6 Need help getting your deed?
If you would rather not dig through the records yourself, or you need a deed recorded, corrected, or transferred, we can help. NotarEaseNYC handles deed and document recording through ACRIS and property record research across New York City, so you get the document you need without the runaround.
Need a deed pulled, recorded, or transferred in NYC?
We handle ACRIS recording and property record research, flat-rate, across all five boroughs.
For Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, search ACRIS by address or block and lot and view or download the deed free. For Staten Island, use the Richmond County Clerk.
Is getting a copy of your deed free?
Viewing and printing a plain copy through ACRIS is free. A certified copy, with an official stamp, costs a small fee.
Do I need the original deed to prove I own my home?
No. The copy recorded in the city’s land records is what legally proves the transfer. You can pull it any time even if you lost the paper original.
What if my deed is not showing up online?
Very recent transfers may not be recorded yet, and older pre-digital deeds may require a records request. Try searching by block and lot instead of address.
Related: who keeps the original deed to a house and NYC deed and document recording.
See also: do you get your deed after paying off your mortgage.
Related: what a virtual transaction coordinator does and what a real estate transaction coordinator does
This article is general information, not legal advice. Records systems, fees, and procedures are set by the NYC Department of Finance and the county clerks and can change. Confirm current steps on the official sites before relying on this.
Related: ACRIS NYC: How to Search Property Records and Record a Deed
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Certified copy or plain copy
Decide which you need before you order, because they cost differently and serve different purposes.
A plain copy is fine for your own records, for confirming what a document says, or for handing to a lender who simply wants to see it. You can usually print one yourself from ACRIS at no cost.
A certified copy carries the clerk’s certification that it is a true copy of the record. That is what a court, a foreign authority, a title company or a government agency will want, and it is what you need if the document is going for an apostille.
Ordering the wrong one wastes a trip. Ask the recipient which they require.
If the deed was never recorded
Occasionally a search turns up nothing, and the explanation is that the deed was signed but never recorded. That happens more often than people expect on family transfers done without an attorney.
An unrecorded deed can still be valid between the parties, but it does not appear in the public record, does not protect the owner against later claims, and cannot be found by a title searcher. If you hold an original unrecorded deed, recording it is usually the priority, and we can file it through ACRIS with the transfer tax forms.
Watch for what else is on the record
While you are pulling the deed, read the rest of the document list for the property. Mortgages, satisfactions, liens, judgments and assignments all appear there, and the sequence tells a story the deed alone does not.
This is also how owners catch deed fraud. Every property owner should check their own record once a year and enroll in the City Register’s notification program, which mails a notice whenever anything is recorded against the property. Both are free.