New York Public Records: How to Find Property, Ownership, and Building Data

When you want to know who owns a building in New York, what taxes it pays, or if there are legal issues tied to it, you’re looking at New York public records, official documents maintained by city and state agencies that track property, ownership, and legal status. Also known as public real estate data, these records are not hidden behind paywalls—they’re free for anyone to access if you know where to look. This isn’t just for investors or lawyers. Tenants checking their landlord’s history, journalists digging into housing patterns, or even neighbors disputing a fence line all use these records every day.

These records include NYC building ownership, the legal owner of any structure registered with the Department of Finance, property tax assessments, how much the city says a building is worth and what you owe annually, and zoning classifications, rules that say whether a building can be residential, commercial, or mixed-use. You can find out if a property has outstanding violations, if it’s part of a rent-stabilized building, or if it was sold in the last year—all without hiring a researcher. The city’s online portals like ACRIS and the Department of Finance’s website let you search by address, owner name, or block and lot number.

Most people don’t realize how much you can learn just by typing in an address. You can see how many times a building changed hands in five years, what the last sale price was, or even if the owner lives out of state. That’s why building ownership lookup, the process of finding who legally owns a property using public databases is such a powerful tool. If you’re thinking of renting or buying, this data helps you ask better questions. Is the owner a small landlord or a corporate entity? Are there multiple liens on the property? Has it been flagged for code violations? These aren’t rumors—they’re facts recorded in public files.

There’s no mystery here. New York doesn’t hide this information. It’s just buried under confusing websites and outdated interfaces. Once you know where to click, you’ll see exactly what the city knows—and you’ll know more than most agents. The posts below show you step-by-step how to pull this data yourself, how to interpret what you find, and what red flags to watch for. Whether you’re a tenant, investor, or just curious, these records give you real power. No third-party service needed. No fees. Just the truth, straight from the city’s files.