How to Search Albany County Court Records
The search path begins with the case type. Civil and matrimonial cases route to WebCivil Local. Criminal case appearances route to WebCrims. Estates route to WebSurrogate. Electronically filed documents may live in NYSCEF. Recorded county documents live in the County Clerk IQS portal. The right starting portal saves time.
You will need the case caption, party names, an approximate filing year, and any case identifier you have. Index numbers, docket numbers, indictment numbers, and Surrogate's file numbers are all different. Search by last name first if you do not know the number.
Once a result returns, open the docket and read the entries in order. Some documents are public PDFs. Others are restricted to parties and counsel.
- Pick the right portal for the court that holds the file.
- Set Albany as the county filter when the portal allows it.
- Enter a party name or the case identifier. Try the last name only if a full-name search returns nothing.
- Open the docket entries. Note the index or docket number, the part, the judge, and the next appearance date.
- If a document is sealed or restricted, contact the issuing court clerk. A motion may be required for sealed access.
- Request a certified copy from the clerk when a court, agency, or employer needs an official document.
Albany County Civil Court Records on WebCivil
WebCivil Local is the New York Courts portal for civil case information across local courts. It is one of two civil search tools. The other is WebCivil Supreme, which covers Supreme Court civil cases. A user looking for an Albany Supreme Court matrimonial case will not find full documents on WebCivil because matrimonial files are restricted under Domestic Relations Law § 235. A user looking for an Albany civil tort or contract case can usually find the docket through WebCivil tools.
The WebCivil Local front page is the entry point. Use the county filter to limit results to Albany. The search-field table below is captured from the official portal entry.
That portal entry is the official New York Courts gateway for civil case lookups in courts below Supreme Court.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court / County | Dropdown | Usually required | Select Albany or the relevant local court. |
| Case / Index Number | Text | Optional | Exact case number when known. |
| Party Name | Text | Optional | Last name first. First name narrows results. |
| Attorney / Firm | Text | Optional | Used for attorney-of-record searches. |
| Date Range | Date | Optional | Filing date range. |
| Case Type | Dropdown | Optional | Civil categories vary by court. |
Albany County Criminal Court Records on WebCrims
WebCrims is the New York Courts portal for public criminal case appearances. It is most useful for finding upcoming court dates and active criminal matters in Albany County Court, Albany City Court, and certain town and village justice courts. WebCrims is not a criminal-history database. It is an appearance and case-status tool.
The WebCrims login page is the official entry. Public users can run a name search; attorneys can register for additional case-management features.
A sealed case will not appear. A youthful offender case will not appear in the same way as an adult conviction. Coverage of town and village justice court matters can be thinner than coverage of County Court and Albany City Court. The full sealing rules sit on the Albany County arrest records page.
WebSurrogate and NYSCEF for Albany County Court Records
Estate files use WebSurrogate. The Surrogate's Court is the probate court in New York. Albany County's Surrogate's Court sits at 16 Eagle Street. A search on WebSurrogate by decedent's name or file number is the right starting point for probate, administration, accounting, and guardianship matters.
NYSCEF is the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system. Many Supreme Court and County Court cases in Albany County are now e-filed. NYSCEF can show case captions, party lists, attorney information, docket entries, and PDFs of public filings. Matrimonial cases and sealed cases remain restricted under court rule.
The list below sets out the most common fields a public NYSCEF result shows. The full set varies by case type.
- Index number: the case identifier for Supreme Court civil matters.
- Case caption: plaintiff against defendant, or Matter of (name).
- County and court: Albany; Supreme Court or County Court.
- Case type: tort, contract, Article 78, foreclosure, commercial, miscellaneous.
- Filing date and status: date opened, plus active, disposed, stayed, or sealed.
- Judge and part: assigned justice and part when assigned.
- Docket entries and documents: filed motions, orders, judgments; PDFs when public.
Albany County Clerk IQS Records Portal
The Albany County Clerk handles recorded county documents and acts as clerk of court for Supreme and County Court records in Albany County. The Clerk's online-records search routes users to IQS, the county's records vendor. A user looking for a deed, mortgage, judgment, lien, or DBA filing should start here, not on WebCivil.
The IQS login is the official Albany County Clerk online-records portal. Login may be required for document images or subscription features.
IQS is a clerk-style records system, not the state court portal. A user searching for an Albany County felony case docket should use WebCrims and NYSCEF. A user searching for a recorded mortgage should use IQS. The Albany County Clerk page covers the full record set the Clerk holds.
What Albany County Court Records Show
A court record can mean several things at once. It can mean the docket summary, the underlying filed documents, or the certified disposition. The table below shows the fields that appear on most public Albany County court dockets.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Index number for Supreme Court civil; docket or indictment number for criminal; file number for Surrogate's Court; petition number for Family Court. |
| Caption | Plaintiff v. Defendant, People v. Defendant, Matter of (name), Estate of (name), or family-style caption. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was opened or document was filed. |
| Parties and Counsel | Names of litigants and attorneys of record where public. |
| Case Type and Status | Civil, criminal, matrimonial, estate, family, traffic; active, disposed, stayed, or sealed. |
| Disposition | Judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence, decree, or settlement entry. |
| Hearings and Appearances | Date, time, courtroom, and purpose of each scheduled event. |
Public Access Framework for Albany County Court Records
New York court records sit under Judiciary Law, court rules, and case-specific confidentiality statutes. Agency records sit under the Freedom of Information Law at Public Officers Law Article 6. The two systems do not overlap. A FOIL request to the County Executive for a Supreme Court divorce file will be denied because the court is not a FOIL agency.
Court certified copies follow Judiciary Law § 255. The clerk must search and certify copies for the statutory fee. The New York Courts CourtHelp portal walks self-represented litigants through certificate-of-disposition requests and other clerk processes.
CourtHelp is the official statewide self-help resource. It covers divorce, custody, support, name change, small claims, and certified-copy requests.
Note: Court records are accessed through the clerk; agency records use FOIL. Sending a court file request to a FOIL officer will lose time.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Albany County
Several categories of Albany County court records are not open to general public inspection. Family Court files are restricted by Family Court Act § 166. Juvenile delinquency records may be sealed under Family Court Act § 375.1. The full Family Court Act text shows what counts as a restricted family proceeding.
The statute makes clear that Family Court records are not freely searchable by the general public.
Matrimonial records have their own rule. Domestic Relations Law § 235 limits public inspection of divorce pleadings and exhibits. A party can usually get a certified judgment, but a third-party searcher cannot pull the full divorce file from a public portal.
The matrimonial restriction statute is short and worth reading before you ask for a divorce file by name.
Juvenile delinquency sealing under Family Court Act § 375.1 closes eligible records to the public.
Sealed juvenile matters do not appear in WebCrims and do not appear in standard background searches.
In-Person Court Record Requests
Some Albany County court records cannot be pulled online. Older paper files, sealed records released by motion, and exhibits attached to a closed case may require an in-person request at the courthouse. The Supreme, County, and Surrogate's Court clerks all sit at 16 Eagle Street. The Family Court clerk sits at 30 Clinton Avenue. The Albany City Court clerk sits at 24 Eagle Street.