Onondaga County Court Records Search
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Onondaga County is part of New York’s Fifth Judicial District and encompasses Syracuse, the county seat, along with dozens of surrounding towns and villages. The county’s court system includes the Supreme Court, County Court, Surrogate’s Court, Family Court, Syracuse City Court, and numerous town and village justice courts — each producing its own category of case records. The Onondaga County Clerk’s office, located at 401 Montgomery Street in the county courthouse, is the primary repository for Supreme Court filings, County Court criminal records, real property documents, and judgment rolls. Other courts, such as Family Court, Surrogate’s Court, and the various justice courts, maintain their own case files through their respective clerks. This guide covers the practical steps for searching, requesting, and obtaining court records across every level of the Onondaga County court system.
Court records in New York can be searched through a combination of official clerk offices, courthouse public-access terminals, and statewide online tools maintained by the New York Unified Court System. NewYorkCourts.us can help users identify where publicly available court case information is maintained. The state judiciary also operates several specialized web applications — including WebCivil Supreme, WebCivil Local, WebCriminal, WebFamily, and WebSurrogate — each covering a specific case type and court level.
How to Look Up a Court Case in Onondaga County?
The method for finding a court case depends on whether the matter is civil, criminal, family-related, or probate-related, and on the level of court that handled it. Below are the primary search tools available to the public.
Onondaga County Clerk’s eSearch System
The County Clerk operates a digital document system that indexes records the office maintains, including Supreme Court filings, County Court criminal cases, judgment rolls, liens, and recorded land documents. Guest users can browse the index — viewing case numbers, party names, and filing dates — at no charge. To view or print document images, a paid subscription is required:
| Subscription | Cost |
|---|---|
| 24-hour access | $5.00 |
| 30-day access | $100.00 |
| 180-day access | $500.00 |
| Printing | $0.65 per page |
NYSCEF (New York State Courts Electronic Filing System)
NYSCEF is the state judiciary’s electronic filing portal. Members of the public can search as guests — without creating an account — for Supreme Court case documents filed in Onondaga County. The system allows searches by party name, case index number, or attorney name, and results can be filtered by county and filing date range. Case documents, including judgments and orders, are viewable and downloadable at no cost.
WebCivil Supreme
The WebCivil Supreme application provides access to active and disposed civil cases in the Onondaga County Supreme Court. Users can search by party or attorney name, index number, or assigned justice.
WebCriminal
The WebCriminal portal displays upcoming court dates and pending criminal case details for select courts, including those in Onondaga County. Searches use either a case number or defendant name.
WebFamily and WebSurrogate
The WebFamily application covers Family Court cases statewide, while WebSurrogate provides free access to estate proceedings and other Surrogate’s Court filings. WebSurrogate allows name searches, file number lookups, and access to historical index records. Document images filed on or after February 19, 2014, are available online; earlier unrestricted documents must be viewed on public-access computers at the courthouse.
In person or by mail
Walk-in requests and mail-in requests can be directed to:
Onondaga County Clerk’s Office
Address: 401 Montgomery Street, Room 200, Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 435-2227
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
The office closes the first Tuesday of every month from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM for a staff meeting. Extended evening hours are available every other Wednesday by appointment.
Are Court Records Public in Onondaga County?
New York law broadly supports public access to court records. Section 255 of the Judiciary Law requires a court clerk to search files upon request and certify the results. Section 255-B mandates that docket books be kept open during business hours for search and examination by any person. Together, these provisions create a strong presumption that court records are accessible to the public.
That said, several categories of records carry statutory restrictions:
- Sealed criminal records: Under CPL 160.50 and 160.59, certain dismissed cases and eligible convictions are sealed and excluded from public searches. New York’s Clean Slate Act, effective November 16, 2024, will eventually automate the sealing of additional qualifying convictions once the Office of Court Administration implements the required processes.
- Family Court records: Proceedings involving juvenile delinquency, child protective matters, and adoptions are generally confidential. Access is limited to parties, their attorneys, and authorized agencies.
- Divorce records: While Supreme Court divorce filings are maintained by the County Clerk, Judiciary Law § 4 permits judges to close divorce proceedings to the public upon request. Divorce decrees are restricted to parties to the case or those holding a court order.
- Youthful offender adjudications: These records are sealed under CPL 720.35 and are not disclosed through public searches.
- Surrogate’s Court records: Uniform Rule 207.64, effective February 19, 2014, restricts access to filings containing confidential personal information (CPI). Parties bear the responsibility for redacting CPI from filed documents.
Personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account details, and taxpayer identification numbers must be redacted from publicly filed documents. The eSearch login page for the County Clerk’s office notes that certain record categories — including some divorce records — cannot be displayed for public view online.
Onondaga County Criminal Court Records
Criminal cases in Onondaga County are processed at multiple court levels. The County Court has authority to conduct felony trials for crimes committed anywhere in the county and also hears misdemeanor criminal appeals. The Supreme Court can hear any criminal matter but typically handles complex cases. Syracuse City Court adjudicates misdemeanors and city code violations within city limits, while the town and village justice courts handle minor criminal offenses in their respective jurisdictions.
Where to search online
- WebCriminal: Displays pending cases and upcoming court dates across participating Onondaga County courts.
- County Clerk’s eSearch: Indexes County Court and Supreme Court criminal filings; a subscription is needed to view document images.
- NYSCEF: Carries electronically filed Supreme Court criminal case documents.
Statewide criminal history search (OCA)
The New York State Office of Court Administration provides a statewide criminal history record search (CHRS) covering open, pending, and convicted criminal cases from all 62 counties. The fee is $95.00 per search, based on an exact match of name and date of birth. Requests can be submitted online through the Direct Access application or mailed to:
NYS Office of Court Administration
Criminal History Record Search Unit
25 Beaver Street, Room 940
New York, NY 10004
Email: CHRS@nycourts.gov
Results are emailed the following business day. The CHRS does not include Family Court, civil, or federal cases. Sealed records, youthful offender adjudications, and cases falling under the Misdemeanor Redemption Policy are excluded from the report.
Personal criminal history (DCJS)
Individuals can request their own New York State criminal history through the Division of Criminal Justice Services Record Review program. This process requires fingerprint submission. As of February 2026, the fee is $17.50, payable by credit card, check, or money order. DCJS records are not public records and cannot be obtained by third parties without statutory authorization.
Arrest information
The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office publishes an active warrants list covering warrants held by the Sheriff, the Syracuse Police Department, and local town and village police agencies. The Sheriff also operates a Justice Center incarcerated individual lookup that shows persons currently held in the county jail.
Onondaga County Civil Court Records
Civil disputes in Onondaga County are heard across multiple courts, with jurisdiction determined primarily by the amount at stake:
- Supreme Court: Unlimited civil jurisdiction; primarily handles cases exceeding $25,000, equity matters, mortgage foreclosures, injunctions, and matrimonial actions
- County Court: Civil cases up to $25,000
- Syracuse City Court: Civil disputes up to $15,000
- Justice Courts (Town and Village): Small claims (up to $5,000) and civil disputes up to $5,000, along with landlord-tenant matters
Searching civil records
For Supreme Court civil cases, WebCivil Supreme is the most direct free tool. It allows searches by party name, index number, attorney, or assigned justice. For Syracuse City Court and other local court civil cases, WebCivil Local provides similar functionality.
The County Clerk’s eSearch system covers Supreme Court civil filings and recorded judgments. Certified copies of judgments and other documents can be requested in person or by mail at the County Clerk’s office. The fee for a certified copy is $10 per document, as established by county policy for reasonable reproduction costs.
Property and land records
The County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments affecting real property. Recording fees include a base of $45.50 for a deed, plus $5.00 for a cover page and $5.00 per additional page. Property assessment information is available through the Onondaga County Real Property Tax Services portal. The Clerk also offers electronic recording for land records documents.
Onondaga County Family Court Records
The Onondaga County Family Court, located at 401 Montgomery Street in Syracuse, has jurisdiction over a broad range of matters involving children and families. Case types include adoption, guardianship, foster care approval and review, child protection, juvenile delinquency, persons in need of supervision (PINS), child support, child custody, paternity, family offenses, and proceedings concerning mentally ill or developmentally disabled individuals. The court does not hear divorce cases — those are filed in Supreme Court.
Family Court contact information:
Onondaga County Family Court
Address: 401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 671-2000
Searching Family Court records
The WebFamily application, operated by the New York Unified Court System, allows online searches of Family Court case information. Keep in mind that many Family Court proceedings are confidential by statute. Adoption records, juvenile delinquency files, and child protective proceedings are sealed and available only to parties, their attorneys, and authorized agencies. Public access to Family Court case details is more limited than for other court types.
Divorce records
Divorces in Onondaga County are processed through the Supreme Court. The County Clerk maintains divorce decrees, but these records are not open to the general public. Access is restricted to the parties involved or individuals holding a court order.
Certified divorce certificates (as distinct from decrees) can be ordered from the New York State Department of Health for divorces granted from January 1, 1963, onward. Only spouses and authorized individuals may request copies. Mail-in orders cost $30 per copy and require a completed divorce certificate application form, sent to:
New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602
Online and phone orders, processed through the DOH’s contracted vendor, cost $45 plus processing and shipping fees.
Marriage records
Onondaga County marriage certificates can be obtained from the city or town clerk that issued the original license or from the New York State Department of Health. The fees and process mirror those for divorce certificates. The mail-in application form for marriage certificates is available from the DOH website.
Birth and death records
The Onondaga County Office of Vital Statistics issues certified copies of birth and death certificates for events that occurred in the county.
Office of Vital Statistics
Address: Civic Center, 421 Montgomery Street, Suite 20, Syracuse, NY 13202
Fees are $30 for the first certified copy and $15 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Requests can be submitted in person, by mail, by fax, or online. Only individuals named on a birth record (the subject, parents) or authorized persons can obtain certified copies. For death certificates, eligible requesters include the decedent’s children, parents, siblings, and parties with a demonstrated legal need.
Onondaga County Probate Court Records
Probate and estate matters in Onondaga County are handled by the Surrogate’s Court, located at 401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202 (Phone: (315) 671-2100). The court has jurisdiction over the probate of wills, administration of estates, discovery proceedings, disputed claims, accountings, wrongful death settlements, guardianships for minors, and guardianships for intellectually disabled adults under SCPA Article 17-A. The court also oversees adoptions.
How to search probate records
WebSurrogate is a free online tool that allows the public to search Onondaga County Surrogate’s Court files by party name, file number, or through historical index books. File history and associated documents are displayed for each result. Document images filed on or after February 19, 2014, are available online. For documents filed before that date, requesters must view records on public-access computers inside the courthouse.
Additional access points include the NYSCEF system (for electronically filed probate documents) and the County Clerk’s eSearch database. In-person and mail requests can be directed to either the Surrogate’s Court Clerk or the County Clerk’s office.
Probate filing fees
Surrogate’s Court filing fees are set by SCPA § 2402 and vary based on the gross value of the estate:
- Estates valued under $10,000: $45
- $10,000 to $20,000: $75
- $20,000 to $50,000: $215
- $50,000 to $100,000: $280
- $100,000 to $250,000: $420
- $250,000 to $500,000: $625
- Over $500,000: $1,250
Fixed fees apply for certain proceeding types. A complete fee schedule is published by the court system.
Self-represented litigants
The Onondaga Surrogate’s Court Self-Help clinic assists individuals who are handling probate or estate matters without an attorney. Appointments can be made by calling (315) 471-3409. Official blank fillable Surrogate’s Court forms are available through the New York Courts forms page.
Confidentiality
Uniform Rule 207.64 restricts online access to certain Surrogate’s Court filings that contain confidential personal information. Wills filed for safekeeping are also not available for public viewing. Unrestricted records filed before February 19, 2014, can only be viewed at the courthouse.