Queens County Deed Records

Deed records in Queens County work differently than in most of New York State. Queens is one of the five boroughs of New York City, and the City Register's Office maintains the official land records here rather than the County Clerk. The ACRIS system provides online access to deeds, mortgages, and other property documents recorded in Queens going back several decades. Whether you need to search a title, check for liens, or file a new deed, ACRIS is where you start.

NYC City Register and Queens Deed Records

The New York City Register's Office maintains the official land records for Queens County. This is different from upstate counties, where the County Clerk handles deed recording. In Queens, deeds, mortgages, and other real property documents go through the City Register. The County Clerk does not record land documents here.

The City Register processes thousands of property recordings each month across all five boroughs. For Queens specifically, you can file documents in person at the Queens office or submit them through the ACRIS system. The office handles deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, UCC filings, and other instruments that affect real property.

How to Search Queens County Deed Records with ACRIS

The ACRIS system is the main way to search property records in Queens. ACRIS stands for Automated City Register Information System. It covers all five boroughs and provides free online access to recorded documents from 1966 to the present. You can search by property address, borough/block/lot number, party name, document type, or document ID.

The system lets you view document images right on your screen. You can trace ownership back to the 1960s by checking Property Records and viewing digitized PDF copies of deeds. ACRIS is free to use and does not require registration. For help with the system, call the ACRIS Help Line at (212) 487-6300 or email acrishelp@finance.nyc.gov.

You can also find Digital Tax Maps on the ACRIS homepage. The Borough, Block, and Lot finder helps you identify every parcel of land in Queens. This is useful when you know the address but need the BBL number to search for deed records.

Recording Deed Documents in Queens County

Documents recorded in Queens must meet specific NYC requirements. These are not the same as upstate filing rules. You need to submit the NYC Real Property Transfer Report (RP-5217 NYC), which is a different version of the form used outside the city. The NYC Transfer Tax forms (TP-584-NYC) are also required. Proper notarization and acknowledgment must be in place before the document will be accepted.

Recording fees in Queens follow the NYC fee schedule, which differs from the standard state schedule used in other counties. The transfer tax rates are also different. New York City charges its own real property transfer tax on top of the state transfer tax. For residential properties, the city tax is 1% for sales under $500,000 and 1.425% for sales at or above $500,000. Commercial rates are higher.

The state real estate transfer tax of $2 per $500 still applies in Queens on top of the city tax. And the 1% mansion tax hits residential sales of $1 million or more. These costs add up, so budget carefully when planning a real estate closing in Queens.

Mortgage Recording Tax in Queens

Queens falls within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, which means mortgage recordings carry the MCTD surcharge in addition to the basic state tax. The mortgage recording tax in NYC boroughs is among the highest in the state. For residential properties, the combined tax on mortgages under $500,000 is typically 1.8%, while mortgages of $500,000 or more face a 1.925% rate.

The first $10,000 of a residential mortgage is exempt from the additional tax portion. Form MT-15 has the full rate breakdown by jurisdiction. All mortgage recording taxes must be paid at the time the document is presented for recording.

Pre-1966 Queens Deed Records

ACRIS records only go back to 1966. For deeds recorded before that year, you need to visit the Queens office in person. Call ahead before you go, since older records may require staff to pull physical books or microfilm. The borough, block, and lot system can help you trace a property even in the older indexes, but the search process takes longer for pre-1966 documents.

The Brooklyn Public Library has published a House and Building Research Guide that explains how to use ACRIS and how to find older records. While the guide focuses on Brooklyn, much of the advice applies to Queens as well. Both boroughs use the same ACRIS system for post-1966 records and similar physical archive systems for older ones.

Property Assessment and Tax Records

The New York City Department of Finance keeps assessment and tax data for all properties in Queens. You can look up assessed values, tax class, and tax bill history through the city's online tools. While this is not the same as deed records, assessment data helps you identify a property and check its current status before you search the deed chain.

The state's Municipal Data Portal also covers property sales in Queens. Sales data comes from the RP-5217 forms filed with each deed. You can search by area, date range, or property type. This portal is useful for seeing recent sale prices and transaction trends across the borough.

Queens County in New York City

Queens is part of New York City and is the largest borough by area. All property recordings for Queens go through the NYC City Register system rather than a county clerk. Neighborhoods like Flushing, Jamaica, Long Island City, Astoria, and Forest Hills are all within Queens County. No matter which neighborhood your property is in, the same recording office and ACRIS system apply.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Queens or are nearby:

• Kings County (Brooklyn)
• Nassau County
• New York County (Manhattan)